Chapter 752: The United Paris Peace Conference
"Mr. President, I am not like those members of Congress. I support you on this point. Even if you want to declare war on Britain and France, I will support you." Sheffield smiled and said that he hopes to see the president fight for the interests of the United States. "However, the concerns of the members of Congress are justified. If we can't wait to challenge the status of Britain and France at this time, we may be humiliated. Now the residual power of the two countries' victory over the Allied camp is indeed difficult to deal with, and in terms of military strength, we are still very poor."
The slave owner, from a very neutral perspective, explained the relationship between the three giants of the Allied Powers. World War I was different from World War II. Even if the United States followed Roosevelt's example after World War II and brought in two countries that were not worthy of their names, such as Brazil, it would not form a check and balance against Britain and France. In fact, it would even look at the allies it brought in and become a hindrance to Britain and France.
The current leaders of Britain and France, Lloyd George and Clemenceau, can really do it in this world where the biggest enemy has collapsed. Just draw a stroke on the entire earth and a country will appear out of thin air, without even sending people to investigate. According to the different interests of Britain and France, they will lead the division of power in Eastern Europe and the Near East respectively.
For France, the most urgent task was to prevent Germany from ever becoming a threat, so France made concessions on the Ottoman territories and focused on encircling Germany, and the Little Entente came into being. It partially restored its influence in Europe!
In the Ottoman Empire, France did not take advantage of it as much as Britain. In addition to the area around Syria, France took away a large part of the Ottoman Empire, and Britain also took advantage of the division of colonies in Africa.
In terms of conquering Africa, France's strategy was from east to west, while Britain's strategy was from south to north. Finally, after World War I, Germany lost its colonies, and Britain was able to connect all its African colonies from Cairo to Cape Town.
After World War I, Britain was the most powerful empire in history in terms of land area.
"Mr. President, in fact, I agree with you that we should promote the country's influence from America to the world. We businessmen don't want to be arrogant at home, and we are like rickets abroad. But there is no way. The expansion of the business territory also needs the support of the country. I have made some achievements in the British colonies, but they are still not comparable to authentic British companies." Sheffield shrugged helplessly. "If the Germans can hold on for a year, you may get more, but now, many ministers in Congress and even the government are against you going to Europe, which is understandable."
"So you still think that I can't gain the influence that the United States deserves this time?" Wilson thought for a moment and made a statement, "Are you still against my trip to Europe?"
"I'm just guessing the specific focus of Britain and France. It's still too difficult to dismantle the colonial empire and break away from the control of the colonial power, even though I hope it happens sooner than anyone else. It may still be too difficult to shake the colonial system as a whole. We can only start from some marginal areas." The slave owner spoke the truth, as if he was a White House aide rather than a monopoly capitalist, thinking from President Wilson's perspective.
It must be admitted that Sheffield had some ability to judge the situation. Although he was the biggest supporter of the Democratic Party, he did not consciously make excessive demands after President Wilson came to power. Many things were handled through other ministers, and at most Wilson's son-in-law.
This time he did not show any intention of teaching the president how to do things. He was very humble and helped analyze the post-war international situation and made some reasonable predictions. President Wilson might not fully believe them now, but after comparing them in Paris, Wilson would understand how to deal with them.
Now there is a place to leverage the global colonial empire, which is already under the control of the United States. The Persian Gulf is the center of the Eurasian continent and also the center of ancient civilization.
The Mesopotamian civilization is the oldest civilization in the world. The subsequent ancient Persian Empire was the world's first truly great empire. The medieval Arab Empire was also more advanced than the European Christian world at that time.
Now the Ottoman Empire, the last great empire of West Asian civilization, has become meat on the chopping block, and Britain and France can cut it as they please. So it is not too much for the United States to cut off a small piece of it.
Sheffield has always strictly prohibited any attempt to exploit oil in his own Pasha territory, so until now, the oil in the Middle East is in Iraq, which is believed to be a British trusteeship soon. As for Kuwait and the land currently occupied by the Eighth Army, there is still an explanation.
A nail could be driven into the center of the Eurasian continent. Sheffield suggested that if Wilson arrived in Paris and found that Britain and France, which had previously agreed to the conditions, had turned their backs on him because the war was over, he could take a step back to preserve the current Middle East territory and turn it into a trusteeship area dominated by the United States.
As for the post-war status of the Ottoman Empire, President Wilson could have said a few nice words. After all, they were all unfulfilled promises and he could have sold them well.
Even from the perspective of influence, even if this place becomes independent in the future, it will only benefit the United States.
Without being personal, all civilizations have risen and fallen, but the West Asian civilization, which was at the center and had access to both Eastern and Western civilizations, had always been the mortal enemy of the Mediterranean civilizations such as the Roman Empire. After the Roman Empire split, West Asia maintained high pressure on the Christian world in Europe for a long time.
Slave owners in the early 20th century certainly knew that Europe and the United States only paid attention to two places besides themselves. West Asia was obviously more important than East Asia. Once the Ottoman Empire was over, European and American countries would take measures to prevent West Asia, which occupied a very important position in the ancient world, from becoming a powerful country.
Once a powerful country emerges in West Asia, it will inevitably advance westward, and its interest in the East can only be said to be a casual glance. Another victim is British India. From thousands of years of history, we can see that when the West Asian powers are frustrated in their westward expansion, they often turn around and attack India. British India is currently the most important colony of the British Empire.
In the 21st century, the reason why India has troubled the Republic is that the West Asian powers that have traditionally squeezed India have long ceased to exist. If Iran and Pakistan were one country, India would definitely not have time to feel good about itself and think that it is a powerful and influential country.
"You think the British will do their best to break the Ottoman Empire apart?" President Wilson thought for a moment and asked, "Will that be the case?"
If this was the case, Wilson felt that the issue of the Persian Gulf territory would be easier to discuss in the general direction.
"The United States has learned what kind of people the British are since the Revolutionary War." Sheffield chuckled, "If it weren't for the Germans, the British might have targeted us for world hegemony. I have always said that we should be grateful to the Germans. Without Germany, our country would not have had a chance to breathe."
Wilson nodded. At least as the President of the United States, he had met a sincere and hardcore supporter. Sometimes he wondered if Sheffield was a member of Congress, would it be easier for him to implement his ideas?
"Don't you want to go into politics?" Wilson said half-jokingly, "If you go into politics, your company will be even stronger."
"I still think it's better to be a simple businessman. I want to be consistent with most of my peers!" Sheffield's answer is also a pun, which can have multiple meanings.
"No matter what, I want to strive for an opportunity to expand the influence of the country." President Wilson's eyes were full of determination.
After Sheffield left the White House, he immediately asked the League of Nations to criticize the Republicans in Congress, "Mr. President is attending the conference on behalf of the United States, but the Republican Party wants a Republican representative to accompany him? Does the country have two presidents?"
In the face of such public opinion and the raging influenza pandemic in the country, Wilson decided to go to Paris to attend the conference in person, with flags flying and traffic busy all day long. People who had suffered from the flames of World War I had high hopes for this conference, hoping to eliminate the war and achieve permanent peace.
Wilson, who had just arrived in Paris, discovered after just a few days of contact that the focus of Britain and France was similar to what Sheffield said. Britain focused on colonies, while France attached importance to European hegemony. He couldn't help but feel gloomy in his heart.
At the Paris Peace Conference, almost all countries believed that the direction of the world would be determined by Britain, France and the United States, but Wilson soon discovered that in fact, on most issues, Britain and France had a consistent attitude and were jointly responding to the threat posed by the United States.
Wilson was particularly fascinated by the plan to establish the League of Nations not only because it was closely related to his political reputation and historical status, but he also regarded it as a fundamental plan and the only way to replace Britain and France in dominating the world.
Therefore, in his first speech at the Paris Peace Conference, he proposed to give priority to the discussion of the League of Nations Covenant, emphasizing that the League of Nations Covenant and the Peace Treaty with Germany should become a unified and indivisible whole, binding on any country. However, Britain and France were not interested in this. They advocated separating the two and giving priority to discussing the division of territory and war reparations.
The accusations and roars of the three giants of the Allied Powers became the most common scene seen by the accompanying personnel of the three countries. There was no unity among the allies in the whole process. Instead, it was as if the enemies were sitting at the same table, which kicked off several months of fierce quarrels.
"Boss, there's a riot in Missouri Prison. The prisoners have taken control of the prison and our guards are under control." Jesla pushed the door open but stopped abruptly as he entered. He couldn't get too close to his boss during the influenza pandemic.
Sheffield put down the newspaper in his hand and looked up at the light bulb above. A newspaper blocked Jesla's sight again. A voice came from behind the newspaper, "The president is not in the country, no one can control me."
(End of this chapter)
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