American History: Analysis of Wilson's Speeches on Democracy and Peace

This essay delves into Woodrow Wilson's concept of democracy as presented in his speeches, specifically "The Fourteen Points" and "Requesting War." It examines Wilson's departure from traditional democratic notions, emphasizing the centrality of peace and the importance of establishing a world safe for democracy. The essay analyzes Wilson's arguments for intervention in World War I, highlighting his belief that war should be waged to secure rights, opportunities, and political liberty, rather than for selfish gains. It explores Wilson's vision for a world order based on open covenants, freedom of the seas, economic equality, reduced armaments, and the self-determination of nations. Furthermore, the essay discusses the context of Wilson's ideas within the framework of the United States' role in World War I and his efforts to promote lasting peace and democracy on a global scale.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY
AMERICAN HISTORY
Name of the Student
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Author notes

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In this piece of study, the focus is on the idea of democracy along with the centrality of
the notion of peace element that is presented by the Woodrow Wilson in both of his speeches,
which are ‘The Fourteen Points’ in the year 1918 on 8th January and ‘Requesting War’ in the
year 1917 on 2nd April. He was appointed as the President of the United States; he was
significantly the central figure of an extremely crucial crusade. In addition, he was also selected
as the candidate of an association named Democratic Party (Wilson 2020). The ideas, which
President Woodrow Wilson delivers is different from the traditional notion of democracy.
Woodrow Wilson the President himself called on to formulate his theories and principles in a
celebrated entitled work as The New Freedom, in which he gave his idea about the new era
(Wilson 2020). The voting bodies or the people who voted and supported Wilson, belong to the
progressive category. In the convention, he has been nominated by and the conservative factor
regarding the old Democracy struggled bitterly and long against the title of the progressive
candidate. Regarding democracy, his only intention was to implement the sense inside the
people’s mind and make them aware regarding the rights and opportunities that they deserve;
war must be stopped in order to stop all negativities and losses and if it is required for all the
valid reasons then the intention or motive of performing the war should be only revolve around
achieving democracy and fighting for the sake of attaining rights along with the purpose of peace
making (Wilson 2020).
According to the study of the war speech, that Woodrow Wilson has delivered, revolves
around the fact that, “The world must be made safe for democracy (line:43)”, his prime intention
was to create the world a secure place for the people and make it safe for democracy. “Its peace
must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty (line:44)”, he believes that peace
can only be planted upon the political liberty tested foundations, where nobody should have

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selfish ends to serve, no dominion no quest should be desired. Neither any selfish motive should
be required, nor indemnities are demanded and they should seek no material compensations in
terms of the sacrifices that the people make freely. “We shall be satisfied when those rights have
been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them (line:47-48)”, he
wanted to integrate peace for which he said that, the rights of mankind is the most important and
central factor of democracy and all human kinds must be satisfied when those rights are achieved
securely along with the required freedom in the nation (Wilson 2020). It is the most distressful
and oppressive act and duty for the Congress gentlemen to whom Wilson addressed that there are
months of sacrifice and fiery trials which are ahead in order to implement democracy in the
country as well as in terms of discontinuing the war. It is a very fearful potential act in order to
convince the people who are at great peace and drag them into the scenario of war, which is the
most disastrous and immensely terrible of all, but that will also transform the civilisation under
the field of total balance, as right, democracy and freedom is more precious than just merely
staying at peace and we shall keep on fighting and struggling for the things which adds value to
our lives and gives us the right to make our own choices in order to enjoy complete democracy
(Wilson 2020). Considering the fact that fighting without any selfish negative objective and
without any rancour in needing nothing but only democracy and peace (Wilson 2020). Woodrow
Wilson and its peacemakers works for integrating the thought of democracy in everyone, so they
should feel the sense of confidence and the urge for freedom. It is much easier in order to
conduct in oneself belligerents keeping a high spirit of fairness and right in terms of act without
Animus but not intending to desire in bringing any injury to anyone neither any enmity toward a
person and disadvantage among them but only in accordance to the opposition armed force to an
government which is irresponsible as it has no human consideration and thrown aside all values

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and morals by devaluing the rights of people and processing amuck (Wilson 2020). It should be
the only target to establish sincere friendship and relationship with the people of the world and
must not intend to re-establish any advantage making mutual relation in the democracy getting
and peace making procedure. In order to succeed in fulfilling such an intention, it is fair to
dedicate lives and fortunes. For the right of those who dedicate to the authority to gain a voice in
their own government system for their rights and actions and liberties of small nations. In order
to achieve an universal right of dominion through such a concert regarding free people which
shall bring peace along with the assurance of safety in terms of all nations and transform the
world into a free space at last with a sense of democracy (Wilson 2020).
As per the study of the speech ‘The Fourteen Points’ presents that, the administration of
Wilson worked its best in order to remain neutral when the US acted as a reluctant belligerent in
the scenario of The Great War. However responding to the entreaties of German U-boat
campaign and allies, the United States announced war over the central power in the year of 1917,
April (Wilson 2020). Through his speech he clearly presents his thought regarding
implementation of peace and justice. The world’s peace program therefore is the only way to
make the peace and democracy planning possible: open covenants of peace “Open covenants of
peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any
kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view (pp. 224, line:23-26)”,
navigation of freedom overseas and outside water territorials “Absolute freedom of navigation
upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war, except as the seas may be
closed in whole or in part by international action for the enforcement of international covenants
(pp. 224, line:27-31).”, the establishment of equality trade and removal of all economic barriers
“The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of

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trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its
maintenance (pp. 224, line:32-35).”, assurance of reduced national armaments “Adequate
guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest point
consistent with domestic safety (pp. 224, line:36-38).”, open-minded and impartial adjustment of
colonial claims “A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims,
based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of
sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable
claims of the government whose title is to be determined (pp. 224, lines:39-44).”, Russian
territorial evacuation “The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all
questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of
the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the
independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her
of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and,
more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire.
The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of
their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests,
and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy (pp.225, line:3-17).”, evacuation of Belgium
“Belgium, the whole world will agree, must be evacuated and restored, without any attempt to
limit the sovereignty which she enjoys in common with all other free nations. No other single act
will serve as this will serve to restore confidence among the nations in the laws which they have
themselves set and determined for the government of their relations with one another. Without
this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law is forever impaired
(pp.225,line: 18-26)”, freedom of French territory “All French territory should be freed and the

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invaded portions restored, and the wrong done to France by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of
Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the world for nearly fifty years, should be
righted, in order that peace may once more be made secure in the interest of all (pp.225,line:27-
32).”, Italian frontiers readjustment “A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected
along clearly recognizable lines of nationality (pp.225,line:33-34).”, Austria and Hungary
peoples safeguard and reassured development, evacuation of Rumania “The peoples of Austria-
Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be
accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development (pp.225,line:35-38).”, Montenegro
and Serbia “Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuated; occupied territories
restored; Serbia accorded free and secure access to the sea; and the relations of the several
Balkan states to one another determined by friendly counsel along historically established lines
of allegiance and nationality; and international guarantees of the political and economic
independence and territorial integrity of the several Balkan states should be entered into
(pp.225,line:39-42).”, secured assured sovereignty of Turkish portions current Ottoman empire,
erection of an independent polish state having secure and free access to the sea “The Turkish
portions of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other
nationalities which are now under Turkish rule should be assured an undoubted security of life
and an absolutely unmolested opportunity of an autonomous development, and the Dardanelles
should be permanently opened as a free passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under
international guarantees (pp.226,line:3-6).”, Mutual guarantees of associated nations territorial
integrity and political independence “I. An independent Polish state should be erected which
should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be
assured a free and secure access to the sea, and whose political and economic independence and

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territorial integrity should be guaranteed by international covenant. A general association of
nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees
of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike (pp.226,line:7-
11).”, On the other hand the European combatants are being ready for the war situation from
several years, along with this a complicated web of confidential agreements that has integrated
many nations together due to which both the central powers and allies had aspirations of taking
control over their enemies empires. However United nation had never been a part to any of such
agreement and Woodrow Wilson the president strictly gave efforts in order to ending the war
that will allow both the opposition sides to build together a scenario of lasting peace rather than
celebrating war having the only motive of achieving democratic freedom. Woodrow Wilson in
the year 1918, 8 January, went prior to Congress in order to enunciate what he actually considers
as the central premises and lasting peace and implementing democracy (Wilson 2020). The
program of The Fourteen Points by Wilson comprises of certain basic principles regarding the
world peace program, for example, open covenants and freedom over the seas, different type of
geographic arrangements in order to carry out themselves, determinations principles and most
importantly a league of nations, which will help in re-enforcing the peace and democracy. There
are several reasons, which validated the importance of the fourteen points. At the very first place,
they translated number of principles regarding domestic reform of America known as
progressivisms in the field of foreign policy (Wilson 2020). The concept of free trade notions
open agreements self-determinations and most importantly democracy are certain types of
domestic programs, which the reformers have been validating and supporting for more than two
decades. Secondly the fourteen points accounted for the only statement by any hostile of the aims
of war, they became the treaty for German surrender, which is considered to be the only criteria

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in order to be the treaty of peace (Wilson 2020). Most importantly in the place where several
countries agreed that the only interest of selves should be guiding the foreign policy. In the
speech of fourteen points Woodrow Wilson rigidly argued that ethics and morality are
considered to be the basis for the foreign policy in a democratic society. Wilson and his
peacemakers purpose was to implement democracy and peace and shall involve and permit every
value and morality without having any negative understanding (Wilson 2020). The only intention
of entering in this war is the contravention of this rights have occurred that has touched the
people and made them eager until they were corrected and the secured war against their
recurrence “we entered……done to us”. The central demand from the war is to deliver a peace
oriented nation and to bring peace in every people’s lives instead of forced self-aggression and
negativity and it is very clear that if one person does not do justice to other the other person
would do the same (Wilson 2020). Associated together against the authoritarian, in terms of
these rectifications of all wrongs and integration of all rights people are connected to all
governments. People should stand together until the they achieve their rights (Wilson 2020).
Hence, as per the study, it concludes that Woodrow Wilson and its peacemakers central
motive is to generate unity among people, trigger their sense of democracy and open their minds
to all the rights they deserve and at the same time he worked for and intended to an
implementation of peace instead of negative chaos. In both of his speech, weather it is in the war
speech where he talked about the importance of democracy or in The Fourteen Points where he
talked about democracy and self-determination along with fourteen other elements, in both the
cases the centrality of the speeches were to open up peoples mind and make them prefer peace
and democracy instead of negativity and aggression and perform the war only keeping in mind to
achieve the same.

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References:
Wilson, W. (2020). Woodrow Wilson Requests War (April 2, 1917) | The American Yawp
Reader. Retrieved 21 March 2020, from http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/21-world-war-
i/woodrow-wilson-requests-war-april-2-1917/
Wilson, W. (2020). Fourteen Points. Retrieved 21 March 2020, from
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wilson-delivers-fourteen-points-speech