Explore 1918-Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points And His Complicated Legacy

On January 8, 1918 Woodrow Wilson put forth 14 Points to Congress. The 14 points were an idea about how to achieve and sustain peace after the Great War would be won. The 14 points discuss mostly how territory should be divided in Europe and in the Middle East. Also important were the points regarding trade, with a major advantage to American interest.

It is important to note that the 14 Points were proposed after less than a year of American involvement in the War. After the 14 Points were proposed Germany went on a major spring offensive and almost broke through and got the upper hand on the Western Front.

As the war was ending, Wilson realized that USA would be unquestionably stronger than all of the European powers. That gave Wilson great power to propose his plan from a position of strength.

Wilson also Proposed the League Of Nations, which was a precursor to the United Nations. Among other noteworthy facts about Wilson are that he has a stroke and his wife did much of his presidential duties as he recovered and he was the first President to watch a film in the White House. Wilson was a flawed idealist who played a major role in shaping the post WW1 world. Also he was the president of Princeton, which as we speak is having a debate about whether a campus building should still be named after him, due to his objectionable views on race. As you can see, his legacy is complicated, and he still casts a large shadow in the modern world.

Image from History.com