The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources: American, British, French, German, and others . tions he saw the onlyassurance of lasting peace. The support which British laboraccorded the speech gave to Germany a distinct speech reached Germany at a time when an illusion hadbeen assiduously fostered that the Entente were on the vergeof breaking up. In these circumstances the people of Ger-manjr found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe thatLloyd George represented the whole British nation and, whatwas more, that he spoke for
The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources: American, British, French, German, and others . tions he saw the onlyassurance of lasting peace. The support which British laboraccorded the speech gave to Germany a distinct speech reached Germany at a time when an illusion hadbeen assiduously fostered that the Entente were on the vergeof breaking up. In these circumstances the people of Ger-manjr found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe thatLloyd George represented the whole British nation and, whatwas more, that he spoke for the Allies. The German people,having been assured for three and one-half years that Ger-many was victor in the war, could not understand how LloydGeorge could have the audacity to formulate war-aims in-consistent with their triumph. It was all the more disap-pointing to them since the Russian negotiations were thenregarded as the beginning of a liquidation of the war. On January 8, 1918, President Wilson went unexpectedlyto the Capitol, and, in perhaps his most notable war-speechup to this time—the Fourteen Points speech—addrest 336. © AMERICAU PRESS ASSOCIATION roPE xv GERMANYS BIDS FOR PEACE Congress on the aims of the United States in the war. Inthis speech our country was for the first time actually com-mitted to the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine to France, to thereturn of the Italian provinces to Italy, to an independentPoland, and to a fairly detailed settlement of the Balkanand Turkish questions. The President declared for the evac-uation of Russian territory, apparently no matter what con-cessions Germany might be able to extort from Russiathrough the Bolsheviki. He set forth as the first conditionof peace publicity in all diplomatic arrangements. He leftroom for trading wath Germany as to details, since nolanguage could be so explicit as to exclude all bargaining,but a principle which admitted of no compromise underlayevery one of the fourteen terms he
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918
