Wilsons Ineptitude Stubbornness 1991 Dbq Ap History Essay

President Wilsons own ineptitude and stubbornness is what led to the Senates defeat of the Treaty of Versailles, rather than the strength of the opposing forces. Even Wilsons closest and most trusted advisors could not sway his stance. Wilson was strong in his stance and incorporated the idea of the 14 points. While it is true that opposing forces contributed to defeat the treaty, it was Wilsons unmovable position that led to its ultimate defeat in the Senate. There was much opposition to the Treaty in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. In the excerpt from The New Republic, it proves the publics general disdain for the Treaty. Whether they had hoped for the treaty to be more lenient on Germany, or more severe,†¦show more content†¦In the political cartoon, with Wilson jumping out of the window is just another example of how Wilson had to have his way, which is why he didnt succeed; he couldnt make enough people agree. One example of this is in Wilsons speec h on September 5, 1919, where he says If it should every in anyway important respect be impairedÂ…I would feel like asking the Secretary of War to get the boys who went across the water to fightÂ…And I would stand upÂ… and sayÂ… you are betrayed. This is just another of example of how Wilson will not accept anyway, but his, but he was not the one with the most power. It is true that Henry Cabot Lodge and the Republican majority in the Senate were a force in the defeat of the treaty. By holding off the vote and making his own changes to the treaty, Lodge knew that he was using Wilsons hatred to his advantage. Wilson would have accepted the changes if they had been proposed by one of his fellow Democrats, but the fact that they had been written by Lodge made Wilson see red. He immediately ordered Democrats to vote entirely against the treaty with the added Lodge votes. The only possible path to ratification would be to accept the treaty with the new changes. Wilson chose t o block the passing of the treaty by persuading Democrats to vote against it. Unfortunately, Wilson had a stroke, and his last efforts in getting the vote to go his way