Wilson and the League of Nations' Legacy

1. In what ways was the League successful after World War I? Unsuccessful?    
  The league was successful after World War I in that they were able to resolve several disputes peacefully. An instance of that was when Sweden and Finland were fighting over a group of contested islands. Another instance of them working out was a humanitarian crisis in Turkey. They were also not so successful after World War I, when Poland seized a town in Lithuania the League proved unable to make Poland leave. Another example of the League failing was when Italy seized Fiume, the port that had gone to Yugoslavia, war broke out (the one thing they were supposed to stop from happening). 


2. Many historians suggest that the terms of the Versailles Treaty were a major cause of World War II. Support that argument. 
  One of the main reasons why the Versailles Treaty was a major cause of World War II was that the terms were so harsh on Germany. Because of this and the financial compensation given to the Victors (Which weakened Germany's economy, caused hunger in the country, and massive unemployment) Germany wanted to reassert themselves in world affairs and get back some of the land they had lost. The man who lead Germany through World War II, Adolf Hitler, came into power with the platform that acknowledged Germanys resentment and promised economic recovery. 


3. Some historians characterize U.S. policy during the interwar period as isolationist. What actions, described in the reading, could be called isolationist?         
 The action of making France pay back their World War I debts could be called isolationism. France had owed the United States back $10 billion dollars in war debts. They had thought that they would be relieved of that debt but instead the United States demanded the money to be paid back in full. Another example of the United States' isolationistic policies during the interwar period was the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924. These Acts limited the amount of Europeans allowed to immigrate and they declared Japanese immigrants as "aliens ineligible for citizenship.". 

4. How was U.S. foreign policy different in the Cold War from the interwar period?     
 During the Cold War the U.S. foreign policy was more multilateral rather than during the interwar period when it was more unilateral. An example of this is the United States allocating some $400 million dollars in aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947. Then some $13 billion dollars in aid to western European countries in the European Recovery Program, commonly know as the Marshall Plan. These were done because American leaders feared that the Soviets would fan the flames of conflict to gain influence in regions that were identified as vital to U.S. interests. Although that was essentially for U.S. interests it helped out other countries. 

5. What is "Wilsonian" thought? Why do some support it and some oppose it? 
 The "Wilsonian" thought is to have multilateralism and collective security in the U.S. government. Some oppose it because they say that his ideas have continued to fail throughout the century because humans are predisposed toward power politics rather than peaceful diplomacy and that the U.S. should focus on its mounting domestic problems. The others support it because it promotes free trade throughout the world, it supports nations and ethnic groups seeking statehood and protection from injustice.