I believe that the implementation of Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” could have resulted in the creation of an international peace organization. In his speech, Woodrow Wilson proposed several principles and goals for maintaining peace in the world, which might have been a foundation for an intergovernmental organization such as the League of Nations. The similarities and matching statements in the “Fourteen Points” and the “Covenant of League of Nations” will be used to support my view.
Firstly, Woodrow Wilson voted for the prohibition of secret agreements and the establishment of transparency in international relationships. In the “Fourteen Points,” he called for the “covenants of peace with no private international understanding of any kind” (Wilson 680). Similarly, the covenant specifies that the members of the League of Nations should “interchange full and frank information” (Knox 51). Therefore, both sources express the need for open and transparent relationships between nations.
Secondly, the removal of economic barriers and equal trade opportunities were offered by Woodrow Wilson. The “equality of trade conditions among all the nations” was suggested in the third point of the speech (Wilson 680). The “Covenant of the League of Nations” states that the members of the League of Nations “will mutually support one another in the financial and economic measures” (Knox 54). For that reason, it might be concluded that the speech and the covenant promoted similar ideas on international economics.
Thirdly, the fourth point of Woodrow Wilson’s speech indicates the need to reduce national armaments to the lowest point, which is consistent with the covenant. According to Article 8, “the maintenance of peace requires the reduction of national armaments” (Knox 51). Thus, Woodrow Wilson’s idea of disarmament was exercised in the covenant.
Finally, Woodrow Wilson supported the creation of an international organization regulated by a covenant. The fourteenth point states that “a general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants” (Wilson 681). The League of Nations was an international organization whose goals were defined in the “Covenant of the League of Nations.” Therefore, the similarities between the documents I examined allow me to conclude that the League of Nations emerged out of Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points.”
Works Cited
The League of Nations. “The Covenant of the League of Nations.” Treaty of Versailles, edited by Philander C. Knox, Government Printing Office, 1919, pp. 48–58. Web.
Wilson, Woodrow. “Speech on the Fourteen Points.” Congressional Record, vol. 56, edited by United States Congress, Government Printing Office, 1918, pp. 680–681.