How Was Woodrow Wilson Responsible For The League Of Nations

Was Woodrow Wilson responsible for the failure of the US to join the League of Nations?

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Treaty of Versailles which contained the League of nations, known as the League covenant. In order for the United States to join the League of Nations, the treaty had to be passed. However, despite Wilson’s support for the League of Nations, the United States did not join because of conflicting ideals between the Senate and the President. Led by Henry Lodge, the reservationists, senators who would ratify the treaty only if some changes were made, opposed the obligation of involvement the treaty required of its members. They feared that the United States would once again be entangled in European conflict. According

Henry Cabot Lodge, the majority leader of the Senate, put together fourteen reservations for Wilson to concede in order to pass the treaty. Despite his offer, Wilson refused to accept any compromise because Lodge’s second reservation states that the United States assumes no obligation to interfere with the conflict of another country (Digital History). Wilson had an all or nothing mentality, believing that if the United States was not a full participant it should not be a participant at all. Wilson was arrogant and desperately wanted to keep the League of Nations the way he created it, without conceding any part of it. The treaty was rejected by the Senate in November 1919, and then once more in March of 1920. Treaty supporters concluded that the League would never be approved without the implementation of Lodge’s reservations, but Wilson still refused to compromise. Stubbornness grew out of Wilson’s arrogance, resulting in many of his loyalists joining the irreconcilables, senators who did not want the treaty ratified (Digital History). Even after his own supporters voted against him, Wilson did not compromise. The treaty was defeated and the United States never joined the League of Nations. It can be argued that Henry Cabot Lodge was too aggressive with his reservations; the Lodge reservations emasculated the League (Taking Sides). Conversely, even if the Lodge reservations only made minor changed to the League of Nations, Wilson still would not have compromised. This is made evident when Wilson states “the senate must take its medicine” (American Foreign Relations). In this statement, Wilson refers to the Senate in the manner one would speak with a small child. It is clear that by refusing to compromise, Wilson not only disagrees with the reservations at hand, but also because he believes the Senate should do what he says. Wilson’s arrogance is depicted