Aims of the participants and peacemakers: Wilson and the fourteen points

Aims of the participants

The United States:

Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress in January 1918 in which he presented his aims for a peace settlement. These aims became known as Wilson's 14 points.
The aims were idealistic. Wilson wanted to create world peace by eliminating what he thought had caused the war.
Freedom of navigation
Democracy and national self-determination
Free trade
Stop treaties that were being made in secrecy
General disarmament
Create the League of Nations
Wilson wanted to make Germany pay to some extent for causing the war and establish a period of probation after which Germany would be able to join the League of Nations.

France:

Had suffered disastrous losses during the war and feared that Germany would attack again in the future once it had rebuilt a strong economy. Georges Clemenceau was premier of France.
Wanted to weaken Germany by placing many restrictions on it
Extensive demilitarisation of Germany
German territorial reductions
Reparations to weaken the German economy and also to pay for the damage Germany had caused.
The Rhineland to be taken from Germany and to be set up as an independent state
Take the Saar region from Germany as financial compensation
Controle Luxemburg and Belgium
Regain Alsace-Lorraine which had been by Germany in 1871
Make the West area of the Rhine a French puppet state incase of future German attack
Wanted a guaranteed agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom to form a firm alliance in case of a future German attack.

Britain:

Promises were made by politicians in the December 1918 General Elections about making Germany pay for all the loss and damage it had caused.
Germany to pay extensive reparations
Stop Germany from tacking control of Europe
Stop Germany from becoming a potential source of conflict
Get ride of the German fleet
Germany to return the territories it had taken during the war
Self-Government for the nations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and for the non-Turkish people within the Ottoman Empire
The creation of an independent Polish state
However, Britain wanted to rebuild a strong economy by restoring European relations and trade. Unlike France, Britain wanted German economic recovery as Britain would benefit greatly from the trade with Germany who before 1914 was a very important buyer of British goods.
Wanted to keep the balance of power within Europe stable
Did not want France to expand beyond Alsace-Lorraine and did not support France in the domination of Europe
Did not want to form a guaranteed alliance with France. Believed in freedom of action
Only wanted to intervene if the balance of power was threatened

Italy:

Wanted the territories that had been promised to it in the Treaty of London
These included South Tyrol, Trentino, the Dodecanese Islands and Trieste
Did not take into account national self-determination
When Italy was denied these territories it walked out of the Versailles Conference.

Japan: