National Self Determination

National Self Determination was a policy whereby

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:a certain language speaking populace should be governed by their mother toungue nation

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(Basically it means that if you speak English you should be under British rule.)

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This was one of Woodrow Wilson's 14 points, published in January 1918. He tried to use these as a basis for the Treaty of Versailles, but Georges Clemenceau, the French President, refused. However, the League of Nations, his brainchild, tried to apply National Self Determination to all countries in Europe, but deliberately ignored Germany, who had lost World War One. If National Self Determination had been applied, then all the territorial punishments metered out at Versailles would be undermined, as Germany would gain:

Related Topics:
Woodrow Wilson - Treaty of Versailles - Georges Clemenceau - League of Nations - World War One

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• Polish Corridor (Posen, Thorn, Upper Silesia and West Prussia)
• Danzig (a city in Polish Corridor under League of Nations control)
• Eupen/Malmedy (given to Belgium at Versailles)
• Schleswig (given to Denmark at Versailles)
• Austria (although had not been in Germany)
• Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia)
• Parts of Belgium, Holland, France, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Hungary (as bits of these countries spoke a german style language)

This angered Hitler, and helped his Nazi party to electoral success by condemning Versailles and the League of Nations' inaction over National Self Determination.

Related Topics:
Nazi - League of Nations

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