Description

The United Nations is one of the most famous bodies in the world and its predecessor the League of Nations might be equally notorious In fact President Woodrow Wilsons pet project was controversial from nearly the minute it was conceived At the end of World War I Wilsons pleas at the Paris Peace Conference relied on his Fourteen Points which included the establishment of a League of Nations but while his points were mostly popular amongst Americans and Europeans alike leaders at the Peace Conference largely discarded them and favored different approaches British leaders saw their singular aim as the maintenance of British colonial possessionsFrance meanwhile only wanted to ensure that Germany was weakened and unable to wage war again and it too had colonial interests abroad that it hoped to maintain Britain and France thus saw eyetoeye with both wanting a weaker Germany and both wanting to maintain their colonies Wilson however wanted both countries to rid themselves of their colonies and he wanted Germany to maintain its selfdetermination and right to selfdefenseWilson totally opposed the war guilt clause which blamed the war on Germany