Fourteen Points

Quick Facts: Who was Fourteen Points?

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Fourteen Points

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Wilson's 1918 peace principles aiming for self-determination and open international agreements.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918, speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. However, his main Allied colleagues (Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom, and Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy) were skeptical of the applicability of Wilsonian idealism. The United States had joined the Triple Entente in fighting the Central Powers on April 6, 1917. Its entry into the war had in part been due to Germany's resumption of submarine warfare against merchant ships trading with France and Britain and also the interception of the Zimmermann telegram. However, Wilson wanted to avoid the United States' involvement in the long-standing European tensions between the great powers; if America was going to fight, he wanted to try to separate that participation in the war from nationalistic disputes or ambitions.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The need for moral aims was made more important when, after the fall of the Russian government, the Bolsheviks disclosed secret treaties made between the Allies. Wilson's speech also responded to Vladimir Lenin's Decree on Peace of November 1917, immediately after the October Revolution in 1917. The speech made by Wilson took many domestic progressive ideas and translated them into foreign policy (free trade, open agreements, democracy and self-determination). Three days earlier, United Kingdom prime minister Lloyd George had made a speech setting out the UK's war aims which bore some similarity to Wilson's speech but which proposed reparations be paid by the Central Powers and which was more vague in its promises to the non-Turkish subjects of the Ottoman Empire. The Fourteen Points in the speech were based on the research of the Inquiry, a team of about 150 advisers led by foreign-policy adviser Edward M. House, into the topics likely to arise in the anticipated peace conference.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The immediate cause of the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917 was the German announcement of renewed unrestricted submarine warfare and the subsequent sinking of ships with Americans on board. But President Wilson's war aims went beyond the defense of maritime interests. In his War Message to Congress, Wilson declared that the United States' objective was "to vindicate the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world." In several speeches earlier in the year, Wilson sketched out his vision of an end to the war that would bring a "just and secure peace," not merely "a new balance of power." Congress had declared war on Germany on April 9, 1917, and until the 14 Points, Wilson's statements about American war aims had been rather vague, mostly limited to statements about being for democracy and against aggression. When Pope Benedict XV in a 1917 speech called for the immediate end of the war on the basis of the restoration of pre-1914 status quo, Wilson in a letter to the pontiff on August 27, 1917, rejected the pope's call for peace as he wrote: "Our response must be based on stern facts and upon nothing else...America wanted not a mere cessation of arms, but a stable and enduring peace." Wilson argued that he was rejecting the pope's peace message on moral grounds as he argued that a lasting peace would require "saving the free peoples of the world from the menace and the actual power of a vast military establishment controlled by an irresponsible government" that wanted to "dominate the world." Notably, Wilson was vague about what he considered to be a "stable and enduring peace" other than it required the defeat of Germany. Wilson in his speeches and letters was always careful to make a distinction between Germany's "criminal" government and the German people.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1917: 1917 Milestone — The United States had joined the Triple Entente in fighting the Central Powers on April 6, 1917.
2. 1918: 1918 Milestone — The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918, speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Fourteen Points

True or False: “The Fourteen Points were initially designed to establish a simple return to the pre-war balance of power among European empires.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Wilson's vision went beyond merely restoring the status quo; he advocated for principles like self-determination and open agreements.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdul Hamid II — Historical peer (Died in 1918) (1918): Last effective Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, navigating decline and constitutional upheaval.
• Abraham Pais — Historical peer (Born in 1918) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Abdullah al-Sallal — Historical peer (Born in 1917) (1917): Yemeni military officer and revolutionary who led the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962.
• Adolf von Baeyer — Historical peer (Died in 1917) (1917): Pioneering German chemist known for indigo synthesis and IUPAC nomenclature.
• Abdul-Karim Qasim — Historical peer (Born in 1914) (1914): Iraqi military officer who led the country as Prime Minister from 1958 to 1963.
• Adolph Green — Historical peer (Born in 1914) (1914): American lyricist and playwright known for his long-running, witty partnership with Betty Comden.

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