Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of America is largely remembered for his peace efforts. He was instrumental for the formation of the League of Nations in 1919. For his efforts to achieve peace in the world, and Europe in particular, he can be regarded as the apostle of peace. In 1919, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace for the role he played in the formation of the League of Nations. Wilson, a democrat endured untold opposition from a Republican controlled senate that did not want America to join the League of Nations. He died of a stroke suffered because of the senate opposition to his world peace initiative (Wilson, 1939).
President Wilson, who had kept America out of the First World War, wanted Europe to enjoy peace. He had witnessed the devastating effects of war. To bring peace in Europe, and the world in general he went to Paris in 1919. He convinced the conveners' of the Treaty of Versailles to incorporate the charter that birthed the League in to their resolutions. He stayed in Paris for six months working out the arrangements for the formation of the League (Cranston, 1945).
However, let this essay categorically state that Wilson failed to bring peace to Europe. This is because he failed to compromise with the Republicans in senate over whether the League would reduce the power of Congress to declare war. Republicans led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge checkmated him in Congress and America could not join the League (Cranston, 1945).
The failure of the US to join the League has been established as one other reason that led to the outbreak of the Second World War. This is because there was nobody to stop Hitler when he began reneging on the treaty of Versailles and when he began the rearmament of Germany in 1933 (Cooper, 2009).
Also during the incorporation of the League, Wilson vetoed the clause to guarantee racial equality. This clause had been accepted by most delegates. Hitler was to exploit the absence of such a clause to orchestrate the Holocaust.Wilson, although he was instrumental in the formation of The League to bring peace to Europe, did not achieve his goals. World war two testifies to this.
