Preview

How Did The Influenza Affect 1918-1919

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
As the Great War came to a conclusion in 1918 with the armistice signalling the end of battle, the challenge was put on the Allied nations to ensure a war of this magnitude would never occur again. President Wilson arrived to the Paris Peace Conferences in early 1919, prepared to negotiate the implementation of his “Fourteen Points” into the post-war treaty. The European side of the negotiating table sought to administer harsh penalties on the Germans for their involvement in the war, which was contradictory to the hopeful idealism that Wilson was trying to sell. While in the process of negotiating, President Wilson was stricken with a case of influenza, a part of the larger worldwide pandemic that was transpiring during 1918-1919. The strict outcome of the Treaty of Versailles was impacted significantly by Wilson’s inability to negotiate properly due to the influenza (Kent 22). President Wilson’s arrived to the post-war Paris Peace Conference in 1919 hopeful to negotiate his “Fourteen Points,” which were the terms that Germany had agreed to sign the armistice for, into the finalized version of the peace …show more content…

The specific strain of influenza was particularly virulent and aggressive, often causing the victims to be in a mentally and physically exhausting state, along with the other typical symptoms of the flu (Kent 51). Another particularity of this type of influenza was that even after the disease had passed, patients often had a poor mental state for as much as a month afterwards (Kent 51). In intense negotiations like the ones in Paris, critical thinking, analyzation of dissenting opinion, and a persuasive manner are necessary in order to make a point seem valid. Without full mental and physical capabilities, it would be difficult for even the finest diplomat to effectively negotiate in a typical environment, especially as the outnumbered

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    When President Woodrow Wilson arrived in Paris for the Versailles Conference, he carried, with confidence, his fourteen points that will bring a resounding peace and a new world order. Despite having the French public support and supposedly the support of Americans, Wilson quickly discovered that the rest of the leaders of the Allies, especially France and Britain, were in no mood to follow the idealism of the American president. Wilson’s counterpart in France, President Raymond Ponicaré also called for peace and justice but differs in his idea of justice. Ponicaré’s version of justice means a turning back to the old world order, even when he claims its nobleness.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wilsons plan for the post war world was to put forward a plan called the "Fourteen Points" as a basis for establishing lasting peace and prosperity after World War One in many countries. The main points of the peace plan was the usage of open covenants of peace, which there shall not be any "private international understandings of any kind", no secret or hidden alliances between countries that played a part in the war, as it brought a…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Germany was weak towards the end of 1918, the naval blockade had starved the nation and Germany was no longer able to continue without having to face total loss. The high command were aware of this and also had knowledge of Wilson’s 14 point, they agreed to have a peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was put together…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    November 11, 1918 would mark Germany’s surrender as the kaiser fled to Holland, yet it was only the beginning of the quarrel between President Wilson and the American people over the Treaty of Versailles. Beforehand, Wilson had delivered the Fourteen Points Address to Congress January 8th declaring World War 1 as a moral cause and struggle for peace. Wilson mentioned fourteen points. Notably, the 14th point foreshadowed the concept of the League of Nations which would later be reintroduced as Wilson’s Ultimate goal to establish during the Paris Conference. Contrary to his goal, American liberal and conservative oppositions fought in regards to the Treaty of Versailles; created by the Big Four: US, Britain, France, and Italy, it would contain…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During the years when the World War I took place Wilson entered his second presidency term. At the beginning he planned to keep United States out of the war but after Germany killed thousands of people and started to attack U.S. merchant ships he changed his view. At that time, President Wilson saw Germany as the enemy. Therefore, he build an army of four million troops and sent half of them to France and that’s when for the first time Wilson reached out to Germany with the message to end the war peacefully without the need of someone to win. He had a vision of self-determination for all nations. Later, he publicized the Fourteen Points to be used as a peace maker. Not only did he come up with peace terms, but he also stated ways to make the…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    FOURTEEN POINTS-The "Fourteen Points" was a statement of principles contained in a speech given by United States President Woodrow Wilson to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918. The points encompassed war aims as forwarded by Wilson, and a general guideline for a post-war order and frontiers. The address was intended to assure the country, and the world, that the Great War was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe.…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the fall of 1918, the war in Europe was beginning to wind down and peace was seen on the horizon. The Americans would join the fight and this would bring the allies much closer to their victory against the Germans. Within trenches, these men would live in some of the most brutal conditions that life had to offer and it seemed like it could not get any worse. Across different parts of the world, something that seemed similar to the common cold would erupt. The influenza that occurred that season would come to be far worse than a mere cold. Of the United States soldiers who lost their lives in Europe, half of them would die due to the influenza virus. The virus would also proceed to kill 43,000 servicemen who were mobilized for WW1.…

    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another reason that the flu had such a severe impact on the U.S. military is because of the way that the military was structured and arranged during World War I. In her article, “The U.S. military and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919”, Carol Byerly gives information about the organization of the military into camps. Byerly uses the example of Camp Devens in Massachusetts to show how seriously the epidemic affected military camps. According to Byerly, the flu spread over the course of only ten days to infect more than 15% of the soldiers stationed there. This was similar to Fort Shelby, where almost every new recruit became sick. Researchers such as Victor C. Vaughan, the Dean of the University of Michigan School of Medicine, and Rufus Cole,…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1918, the first world war comes to an end as Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, announces his 14 points that will reform the government and the way it treats other countries. Wilson establishes that the United States will stay peaceful and help other countries to a high extent, which makes them a dependable ally. With his 14 points, Wilson is creating an even playing ground for the United States in order to stay neutral, with no potential conflicts. Wilson’s points work to drastically adjust the relationships between the powers of the world from cold to warm and peaceful, as he depends upon peace with countries helping each other in times of despair. He hopes for the points to become concreted within the…

    • 1430 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition to the lack of knowledge, the army was also short of medical workers, including physicians and nurses, which led to delayed treatment, inadequate care of patients and failure to contain and control the influenza. The Army Medical Department enrolled about 30,591 medical officers, and the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery recruited about 3,000 medical workers, but they were not adequate even in non-epidemic time. For example, on Jan. 2nd, 1918, army nurse Maude Frances Essig complained that many of the nurses caught a cold but they were unable to get a doctor to see the sick ones and there were no medications either. Conditions got worse when sickness increased. Doctors and nurses had to work overtime, with huge workload and…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    New diseases and pandemics shock government and individuals, and are many times difficult to treat. This remained true in the past, whether it be the Black Death or the Influenza pandemic of 1918, and true today, as examined by governments and society trying to adjust to the new threats of Ebola and Zika. The 1918 influenza pandemic and the current response to Zika can be compared by examining how similar they are in terms of showing how government quarantines can be counter productive and how government actions taken during the flu hurt the Ebola response in the modern world.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Wilson took on a massive responsibility when he traveled to France in hopes of negotiating his Fourteen Points into the Treaty of Versailles. His Fourteen Points outlined changes to be made to countries involved in the war and the world in general, to help prevent future wars. However, Wilson became too attached to one of his points and sacrificed most of the others for this point. When the treaty was finished, Germany, who had not been allowed to participate in negotiations, was appalled and angry that they saw almost none of Wilson’s Fourteen Points in the Treaty of Versailles. Woodrow Wilson’s unsatisfactory negotiations at Versailles resulted in the treaty lacking the majority of the Fourteen Points and in turn started the push…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points

    • 4865 Words
    • 20 Pages

    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.…

    • 4865 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The End of World War I

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As the news of the individual surrender spread, fellow Germans saw that they were losing the war and started mutinies. Many people told the Kaiser to seek an armistice with the allies. However, he did not show any intensions of giving up. With the end so close, many American newspapers started to create rumors that the armistice had signed been signed by the Germans. They assumed that our leaders were suing for peace. They were still only considering signing an armistice. The American armistice was based on Woodrow Wilson's fourteen-point plan. He did have a hard time convincing the other allies that the fourteen-point plan was going to work. Wilson who was wanted peace without actually winning the war. By the time the armistice was signed, the people of Germany were happy that the war had ended.<br><br>The treaty was signed at Rethondes, France at 5:00 pm on November 11 1918. Two days earlier Kaiser Williams of Germany had abdicated and fled to the Netherlands. Prince Max of Beden had immediately accepted defeat. The word quickly passed along the front and at 11:00 the battles should stop. Many notes had passed between Prince Williams and President Wilson in the days that led to the armistice. All of the matters were discussed through notes although a representative was sent to explain the idea behind the fourteen point and other American theories that led to the formation of the armistice. <br><br>After the armistice was signed and the war ended many of the Americans flooded the towns located near the front, they celebrated. Many sang their national anthem. The streets were crowded with people. The town center was so filled that you could hardly see anything. Church bells ringed through out Europe to praise the end of the war. Many people even sung huge flags of either America or France. Many of the soldiers just stared and wondered what was going on. They had seen all the death and did not realize why the men celebrated. <br><br>Many people endorsed the…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Timeline -Paris Peace Conference 01/25/1919 ● Wilson’s 14 points 01/08/1918 ○ self determination ● Germany accepted 14 points on 10/23/1918 ● World War I armistice 11/11/1918 ● Delegations ○…

    • 6245 Words
    • 25 Pages
    Powerful Essays