International studies, Vol. II No. 1-2, 2002.
Original scientific paper
Peace Proposals of Great Britain and the USA in 1918
Livia Kardum
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb
Abstract
At the time when the Central Powers and Russia were concluding a peace treaty in Brest-Litovsk in 1918, Bolshevik ideas on general just peace with no annexation and war reparations started to meet with general response among all war-worn European nations. Such public climate was putting into question the fulfilment of the Entente's war aims, but as its members had quite different interests it was impossible to come forward with a joint declaration that would justify the continuation of the war until the final victory. Lloyd George spoke about British war aims on the Trade Union Conference and Woodrow Wilson put forward on January 8 his peace program before the Congress presenting it in the form of the Fourteen Points. Both programs were well-received, but the American peace program "Fourteen Points" gained such popularity as no other peace program before. Precisely because of their general approach, understatement and contradictions the Fourteen Points were acceptable for both belligerents. In the course of the war year 1918, the Fourteen Points gave Entente the moral strength which the Central powers no longer had. As the war was coming to an end, the Fourteen Points were less and less suitable to serve as a foundation on which to build a lasting peace.
Keywords
World War I; American peace program; Brittish peace program; self-determination of peoples
Hrčak ID:
286454
URI
Publication date:
31.5.2002.
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