To whom their respective representatives were politically beholden domestically (Goldfield, Abbott, & Argersinger, 2004). By the time of the Conference, Wilson had himself already violated two of his own Fourteen Points by acceding to Britain's demands that contradicted Wilson's proposal for unrestricted international rights to the seas and by sending U.S. troops to Russia in connection with support for the anti-Communists instead of respecting Russia's right to self-determination (Goldfield, Abbott, & Argersinger, 2004).
Domestic Political Opposition Faced by Wilson
Domestically, Wilson encountered the greatest resistance to his proposed solution and his vision of a lasting peace in Europe during Treaty of Versailles in connection with the inclusion of the U.S. In the League of Nations (Goldfield, Abbott, & Argersinger, 2004). In Congress, Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts led the Republican Reservationists and championed the political opposition to Senate ratification. Together with another group of Republican...
sea trade and even eroded the ability of Congress to declare war. They also suggested that its terms would obligate the U.S. As the "world's policeman" (Goldfield, Abbott, & Argersinger, 2004). Ultimately, Wilson completely undermined his own efforts by trying to use the issue as a political tool that backfired when Republicans took control of the Congress in 1920 after having been excluded from the Treaty formulation (LeFeber, 1994). They made significant changes to the legislation that were never genuinely expected in good faith to be accepted by Wilson in the first place (LeFeber, 1994).
References
Goldfield, D., Abbot, C., Argersinger, J., and Argersinger, P. (2005). Twentieth-Century
America: A Social and Political History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-
Prentice Hall.
LeFeber, W. (1994). The American Age. New York: Norton.
