Woodrow Wilson and the Fourteen Points

On January 8, 1918, in a speech addressed to the United States Congress, President Wilson laid out a peace program for Europe based on fourteen different points, with an essentially democratic and liberal perspective. In the future, for diplomacy and for drafting treaties, it would always be proceeded “frankly and in the view of the public.” The freedom of navigation on the sea would be guaranteed. Economic barriers would be removed and “equal trading conditions” would be established among all nations. Naval armament would be reduced.

In matters of colonial sovereignty, “the interests of the relevant populations should weigh equal weight as the equal claims of governments whose right is to be determined.” Germany should evacuate all Russian territory. Belgium was supposed to be “evacuated and restored”. All French territory was to be liberated and “the harm done to France by Prussia in 1871”, in relation to Alsace and Lorraine, was to be “repaired”. Italy's borders were to follow "the clearly recognizable lines of nationality", thereby Italy would host the Austrian province of South Tyrol. The peoples of Austria-Hungary should have “maximum freedom to choose autonomous development”. Romania, Serbia and Montenegro would be restored and Serbia would be given access to the sea. The Turkish portions of the Ottoman Empire had to be “guaranteed secure sovereignty”, but the rest of the nationalities that were within Turkey would be guaranteed “autonomous development.” A Polish state would have to be constituted, “united, independent, autonomous [...]. ], with free and unrestricted access to the sea”. Finally, a “General Association” of nations should be formed to guarantee political independence and territorial integrity “for states large and small alike.”

These fourteen points were intended to be a response to the growing attraction for Bolshevism among the soldiers of the central powers and to prove more attractive than a Bolshevik-inspired peace. However, they did not entirely meet hopes of gaining the category of states that had awakened. The peoples of Austria-Hungary were not granted independence, but, as Wilson put it, “maximum freedom to choose autonomous development.” Many Czechs and Slovaks repaired it to disappointment.

Wilson also provided no recognition or encouragement to the aspirations of Southern Slavs to create a single state of their own. Austria would have to evacuate Serbia and Montenegro, but the other two southern Slavic nationalities were not mentioned; Croats and Slovenians. Two days after Wilson unveiled his fourteen points, a delegation of Finns arrived in London, hoping to garner British support for Finland's independence. They no longer trust, as before, in Germany's support.

Source: Martin Gilbert's "World War I"

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