Editing Woodrow Wilson (section)

==== Paris Peace Conference ====
{{main|Aftermath of World War I|Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)}}
[[File:Big four.jpg|thumb|The "Big Four" at the [[Paris Peace Conference]] on May 27, 1919, following the end of [[World War I]] with Wilson standing next to [[Georges Clemenceau]] on the right]]
[[File:Review of reviews and world's work (1890) (14586729460).jpg|thumb|Vast throngs of Italians in [[Milan]] gather to welcome Wilson.]] 
After the signing of the armistice, Wilson traveled to Europe to lead the American delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, thereby becoming the first incumbent president to travel to Europe.<ref>Heckscher (1991), p. 458.</ref> Although Republicans now controlled Congress, Wilson shut them out. Senate Republicans and even some Senate Democrats complained about their lack of representation in the delegation. It consisted of Wilson, Colonel House,{{efn|House and Wilson fell out during the Paris Peace Conference, and House no longer played a role in the administration after June 1919.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 570–572, 601</ref>}} Secretary of State [[Robert Lansing]], General [[Tasker H. Bliss]], and diplomat [[Henry White (diplomat)|Henry White]], who was the only Republican, and he was not an active partisan.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 516–518</ref> Save for a two-week return to the United States, Wilson remained in Europe for six months, where he focused on reaching a peace treaty to formally end the war. Wilson, British Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]], French Prime Minister [[Georges Clemenceau]], and Italian Prime Minister [[Vittorio Emanuele Orlando]] made up the "[[The Big Four (World War I)|Big Four]]", the Allied leaders with the most influence at the Paris Peace Conference.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 417–420</ref> Wilson had an illness during the conference, and some experts believe the [[Spanish flu]] was the cause.<ref name=spanish>{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Peter|date=October 2, 2020|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/us/politics/trump-covid.html|title=Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 24, 2022|quote=Woodrow Wilson became sick during Paris peace talks after World War I with what some specialists and historians believe was the influenza that ravaged the world from 1918 through 1920.}}</ref>

Unlike other Allied leaders, Wilson did not seek territorial gains or material concessions from the Central Powers. His chief goal was the establishment of the League of Nations, which he saw as the "keystone of the whole programme".<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 533–535</ref> Wilson himself presided over the committee that drafted the [[Covenant of the League of Nations]].<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 177–178</ref> The covenant bound members to respect [[freedom of religion]], treat racial minorities fairly, and peacefully settle disputes through organizations like the [[Permanent Court of International Justice]]. Article X of the League Covenant required all nations to defend League members against external aggression.<ref>Berg (2013), pp. 538–539</ref> Japan proposed that the conference endorse a [[Racial Equality Proposal]]; The chairman, Woodrow Wilson, overturned it by saying that although the proposal had been approved by a clear majority, the particular matter had strong opposition manifest itself (despite the lack of any actual votes against the proposal) and that on this issue, a unanimous vote would be required. French delegate Ferdinand Larnaude [la; sv] immediately stated that "a majority had voted for the amendment." Meanwhile, the Japanese delegation wanted the transcript to show that a clear majority had been voted for the amendment.<ref>{{cite book|first=Naoko|last=Shimazu|year=1998|title=Japan, Race, and Equality: The Racial Equality Proposal of 1919|edition=1st pbk.|location=New York|publisher=Routledge|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=YwHbgnSi_sQC&pg=PA154 154] ff|isbn=978-0-415-49735-0}}</ref> The Covenant of the League of Nations was incorporated into the conference's [[Treaty of Versailles]], which ended the war with Germany, and into other peace treaties.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 180–185</ref>

Aside from the establishment the League of Nations and solidifying a lasting world peace, Wilson's other main goal at the Paris Peace Conference was that self-determination be the primary basis used for drawing new international borders.<ref name="Berg 2013, pp. 534, 563">Berg (2013), pp. 534, 563</ref> However, in pursuit of his League of Nations, Wilson conceded several points to the other powers present at the conference. Germany was required to permanently cede territory, pay war reparations, relinquish all of her overseas colonies and dependencies and submit to [[Allied occupation of the Rhineland|military occupation in the Rhineland]]. Additionally, a [[Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles|clause]] in the treaty specifically named Germany as responsible for the war. Wilson agreed to allowing the Allied European powers and Japan to essentially expand their empires by establishing ''de facto'' colonies in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia out the former German and Ottoman Empires; these territorial awards to the victorious countries were thinly disguised as "[[League of Nations mandates]]". The Japanese acquisition of German interests in the [[Shandong Peninsula]] of China proved especially [[Shandong Problem|unpopular]], as it undercut Wilson's promise of self-government. Wilson's hopes for achieving self-determination saw some success when the conference recognized multiple new and independent states created in Eastern Europe, including [[Principality of Albania|Albania]], [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]], and [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].<ref name="Berg 2013, pp. 534, 563"/><ref>Herring (2008), pp. 421–423</ref><ref>Chun 2011, p. 94</ref>

The conference finished negotiations in May 1919, at which point the new leaders of [[republican Germany]] viewed the treaty for the first time. Some German leaders favored repudiating the peace due to the harshness of the terms, though ultimately Germany signed the treaty on June 28, 1919.<ref>Clements (1992), pp. 185–186</ref> Wilson was unable to convince the other Allied powers, France in particular, to temper the harshness of the settlement being leveled at the defeated Central Powers, especially Germany.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} For his efforts towards creating a lasting world peace, Wilson was awarded the 1919 [[Nobel Peace Prize]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Glass|first=Andrew|date=December 10, 2012|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/woodrow-wilson-nobel-peace-prize-dec-10-1920-084809|title=Woodrow Wilson receives Nobel Peace Price, Dec. 10, 1920|work=Politico|access-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref>