Primary Sources: Woodrow Wilson's 14 Principles to End WWI
Editor's Note: On January 8, 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson delivered a major speech to Congress. At the time,?World War I was still raging in Europe. On one side of the conflict known as "the Great War" were?the Central Powers ? Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.?Wilson referred to them as the Central Empires. On the other side were Britain, France, Italy, Russia, the United States and several other allies. The war had started in 1914.
In his speech, the president outlined 14 principles the U.S. would insist on during any peace negotiations.?Wilson's speech is below. Roman numerals were used to number the principles.
Gentlemen of the Congress:
The spokesmen of …show more content…
As far as possible, trade and economic barriers between nations that agree to the peace should be removed.
IV. Every nation should reduce its weaponry to the lowest level necessary to ensure domestic safety.
V. Disputes over which nation has the right to control particular colonies must be settled fairly and openly. All decisions must give great weight to the interests of the colonial population.
VI. All occupied Russian territory must be returned to Russian control. Russia must be given complete freedom to determine her own political development and national policy.?
VII. Belgium's occupiers must leave as well, and Belgium must be restored to full independence. No other single act will do as much to restore confidence in the rule of international law. Without this healing act the whole structure and validity of international law will be forever damaged.?
VIII. All French territory taken during the war should be freed and restored to French control. Alsace-Lorraine, which was wrongly seized from France in 1871, should also be returned.?
IX. The borders of Italy should be readjusted along fair and clearly recognizable lines.
X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary should be given complete freedom to develop