prelude to World war 1?

Question

what were the main goals for the League of Nations?
Also what do you think President Woodward Wilsons speech might have given to the American people, explaining his view point on the United States joining the League of Nations?

Answer 1

The title to the question and the question do not match. You may have very well meant World War II since the failure of the League and the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles are frequently listed as cause of WWII.

Wilson was an idealist who had been a professor of political science and the President of Princeton University. He wanted to make the "world safe for democracy. He very well would emphasize that the League would prevent future wars and do away with the entangling alliances that fostered the war as well as perhaps limiting armaments and national militarism.

I hope that this answer helps..

Answer 2

first you mean prelude to wwII.
the main goals were:
1. limit strategic alliances
2. limit arms
3. global network of nations to iron out their differences
4. intervene and mediate if necessary bewteen warring nations
and lastly, "the war to end all wars" was on the premise that all the warring parties in wwI would join this global league. however, the one nation that could have decided the fate of the league of nations did not join, the United States.
say what you will of woodrow wilson (idealist? certainly!) but he was a visionary and a man before his time. His idea and platform was the very springboard FDR used to create the United Nations immediately following wwII.
it has been theorized, had woodrow wilson did not succumb to his illness he would have been able to pass the treaty by a slim majority. his speech galvanized the populace wherever he went talking up the fact that the United States must join to prevent future wars. he understood the changing military and political landscape shifting towards to US and the we had better take the mantle.
sadly, with his illness, critics, both within his administration and the republican party defeated this great ideal.
the treaty was not passed by congress by a slim margin.

Answer 3

The League of Nations did not exist until after World War 1. The League was the brain child of Wilson, but unfortunately he suffered a stroke which put him out of commission for months and while he tried his best to get the American people behind the idea, the Congress did not pass the Treaty.

Mr. Wilson wasn't a real popular guy even when he was healthy. In 1912, he won the election in a strange three-way election. The Republican Party nominated William Howard Taft, Teddy Roosevelt ran as a 3rd party (Bull Moose) candidate and those two guys split the Republican vote. The Democrats had nominated Wilson never thinking he'd win, but with the Republicans split, Wilson squeaked into office.

In 1916, Wilson campaigned on the tag-line, "He Kept Us Out of War!", which appealed to American voters as they were steadfastly against getting into the european mess.

Wilson would have kept us out of Europe, except for a secret German telegram (the Zimmerman Telegram). The telegram was from the German foreign minister to the German Ambassador in Mexico. That telegram revealed a plan, where Germany was planning on declaring war on the US; and if Mexico would join them, the Germans would allow Mexico to take back New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.

True, you can look it up.

Since the US had just fought a stupid border war with Mexico in 1914, folks were a little touchy. General Pershing essentially chased Pancho Villa around northern Mexico with little effect, and as a result the threat that Mexican bandits would start streaming across the border in German tanks was quite plausible.

Anyway, after pledging to "keep us out of War" we jumped in with both feet and thousand of Americans were killed.

After that, anything Wilson said was not well regarded, throw in a stroke, and you get a sure-fire bet that America wouldn't join the League.

Answer 4

The League of Nations was not a prelude to WWI - it came after the war.

Answer 5

Oh my GAWD... the League of Nations... that was even more worthless than the U.N.

Answer 6

if i remember correctly the us declined to joint the league of nations. the reparations germany had to make bankrupted their economy and gave rise to social disorder and to the nazi party.

Answer 7

Lots of good answers above, I can't add anything. Sorry about that.