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World War I
World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy, and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. World War I was the first truly global war and had a profound effect on the 20th century. The experiences of Americans during World War I offer important insights into our own times. It redefined women’s rights, race relations, civil liberties and America’s role in the world. -
Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. First of all, they translated many of the principles of American domestic reform, known as Progressivism, into foreign policy. Second, the Fourteen Points constituted the only statement by any of the belligerents of their war aims. Lastly, in Fourteen Points, Wilson argued that morality and ethics had to be the basis for the foreign policy of a democratic society. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. It codified peace terms between the victorious Allies and Germany. The Treaty of Versailles held Germany responsible for starting the war and imposed harsh penalties in terms of loss of territory, massive reparations payments and demilitarization. It forced Germany to disarm, to make territorial concessions, and to pay reparations to the Allied powers in the staggering amount of $5 billion. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. The League's goals included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation diplomacy and improving global welfare. The failure of the League of Nations was one of the main reasons for the outbreak of war. It exposed weaknesses that encouraged Hitler to invade. The League had failed to resolve the major political disputes. -
19th Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women the right to vote, prohibiting any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. The 19th Amendment allowed women to help elect progressive policymakers, who in turn enacted policies to benefit women. It empowered women to have their voices heard in politics. No longer were they to submit to laws passed by men whom they never consented to represent them.
