How would you describe USA and Italy's intentions behind the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
1 Answer
The US was advocating for peace, and Italy was asking for land.
Explanation:
During World War I, the Allies (mainly Britain, France, and Russia), promised Italy some land if Italy switched sides to help fight Germany. Italy wanted the land, so it switched sides, from the triple Entente (also known as the Central Powers, mainly Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire) to the Allies.
When the war was ended, many major world powers met in France to negotiate a post-war document that included everyone's demands for peace. Italy tried to get the land out of the Allies as part of their agreement, but was mostly ignored, setting up a reason that they would join Germany's side in WWII.
The US, however, had Woodrow Wilson as its delegate. He was elected, for the most part, on the basis that he would keep the US out of the war. However, with the sinking of the Lusitania, Germany announcing its plans for unrestricted submarine warfare, and the Zimmerman telegram intercepted, America decided to join the Allies, and helped to defeat Germany.
However, Wilson was still advocating for peace. He had his 14 points, which was a list of 14 things that would help promote peace and democracy in the world. Some of them were self-determination for the Balkan region*, the abolishment of private treaties, and the establishment of the League of Nations, which would provide a place where nations could openly talk to avoid disputes.
Most points were rejected, and the insistence by the Allies of Germany paying for the war set the stage for WWII.
*The government during 1914 is considered one of the reasons that WWI broke out, as the Black Hand, the group that assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, was a terrorist group devoted to self-determination for Bosnia, which was annexed by Austria-Hungary
