Originally posted by Momus--
As a victorious power in WW1 you had a moral responsibility the equal of France or Britain to ensure that the Central Powers abode by the terms of Versailles.
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We most certainly DID NOT. We didn't start it, we didn't want to be in it and we wanted OUT of the whole area as soon as it was over. Even after the 15 Lodge reservations the treaty was defeated 49-35 in the Senate. They merely reflected the views of the people of the US, who were isolationist before WW1 and became even MORE isolationist after WW1.
Disgust was deepening. Hundreds of thousands of American boys were returning from Europe, irritated by cheating French shopkeepers, and most favorably impressed by the blonde German girls. American's everywhere were saying that Europe could jolly well "stew in its own juice." In the face of such wide spread disillusionment Wilson would have troubles in arousing people again.
-Thomas A. Bailey, Historian
Our leaders had a moral responsibility to OUR people to do what the people desired which was to end foreign entanglements.
Want to take credit for ending the great war but none of the blame when the peace didn't hold? Can you say double standard? Yes, of course you can, "chum".
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Well, Chum, it wasn't the US that crafted a "peace that didn't hold". The only chance there was of a lasting peace was in Wilson's 14 points. Neither France nor Britain were interested in Wilson's plan, were they?
As for taking credit, can you say 2nd Battle of the Marne?
The German Commander quoted:
...All [German] divisions [along the Marne] achieved brilliant successes, with the exception of the one division on our right wing. This encountered American units! Here only did the Seventh Army, In the course of the first day of the offensive, confront serious difficulties. It met with the unexpectedly stubborn and active resistance of fresh American troops.
While the rest of the divisions of the Seventh Army succeeded in gaining ground and gaining tremendous booty, it proved impossible for us to move the right apex of our line, to the south of the Marne, into a position advantageous for the development of the ensuing fight. The check we thus received was one result of the stupendous fighting between our 10th Division of infantry and American troops...
Erich von Ludendorff, Quartermaster General
So in actual fact, there were no legal constraints actually preventing you from enforcing the Peace along with the other Allies, just the same absence of will that afflicted the other victorious powers.
No. There were no
legal obligations for the US to enforce the Peace along with the other Allies.
I think this is a fundamental difference between Euros and Americans and it plays into the later "late joining WW2" comments we always hear.
Apparently Euros feel the Americans were somehow obligated to help them in both wars rather than the true fact that we had absolutely no obligations, no treaties, no agreements whatsoever to join European wars.
This despite the fact that even a cursory study of US history in the years before WWI and the intervening years between WWI and WWII show the US to be extremely isolationist.
Again: An isolationist nation with no treaties or agreements that would obligate participation in European wars of conquest.
It's like Europe was a bunch of pyromaniacs that expected a fire department from halfway around the world to bail them out everytime their fires got out of hand. The US wanted no part of it pre-WWI, post-WWI and pre-WW2.
