Chapter 755: Popularity
Ultimately, President Wilson failed to establish an international order that was beneficial to the United States at this time. Instead, he faced criticism from the Republicans because of issues such as the League of Nations and the influenza pandemic.
This treatment is very similar to Churchill's replacement after World War II. When the United States was caught up in internal conflicts, the influenza pandemic was gradually subsiding. Planning for the post-war world became mainly a matter for Britain and France.
President Wilson's idea of transforming isolationism into building a global order seemed too early in 1919. After the death toll of 1.3 million people, the influenza pandemic that swept the world finally disappeared silently from its homeland. While Britain and France in Europe were still drawing with pencils and pursuing other members of the Allied Powers, the United States began to take practical actions to fill the vacuum caused by the withdrawal of European capital from America.
The First World War dealt a heavy blow to the European powers. The Russian Empire lost three times its power and was destroyed along with the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. Britain and France, immersed in victory, also found out that this victory was so bitter.
Sheffield came to New York again and invited Rockefeller Jr. and Morgan Jr. The three of them had a private party in Rockefeller's manor. "My friends, President Wilson still didn't get what we wanted, a fair business environment. Even though we are strong enough to compete head-on with British and French companies, we are still at a competitive disadvantage because our colonies are controlled by them."
"That's a problem. Maybe this influenza pandemic comes at the wrong time. If the Germans hold on for a year, the soldiers of the expeditionary force will be tempered by war. Meanwhile, Britain and France will become weaker. Maybe those people in Congress will be bolder." Little Morgan sighed and suddenly said, "It would be better if a war broke out before that."
"This is a good idea!" Rockefeller Jr. praised it highly. "But I don't know when it can be realized. It seems that our main focus now should be on America to fill the capital vacuum in European countries. Unfortunately, it is still a little small."
"Ninety percent is not enough, we need one hundred percent." Sheffield muttered the famous saying of the Rockefeller family. However, Morgan Jr.'s mention of another war was very forward-looking. He asked, "If you were Germans, would you be willing to accept such a peace treaty?"
"I guess the Germans regretted surrendering. I didn't expect to see such a way of handling the situation more than half a year later. The French really hate Germany to death." Little Morgan said calmly, "I heard that some British and French politicians also think that this will encourage the Germans' revenge?"
"There are such comments, even from the British Prime Minister and the French Marshal." Sheffield nodded to indicate that such voices have appeared. "So once Germany recovers to the point where it is strong enough to overthrow this system? What will happen?"
Oh? Little Morgan fell into deep thought, as if he was considering this possibility, and finally said slowly, "Maybe we can help, which will be a beneficial move in the short term."
"If it succeeds, it will be equally beneficial in the long run," Rockefeller Jr. added. "It's very exciting."
"We must pay attention to the balance of power. Speaking of this, I actually have an idea." Sheffield let slip a word, but ultimately did not say it out loud. In fact, Britain, France, and Germany are all afraid of a country, a country called Soviet Russia, which will be called the Soviet Union in the future.
Sheffield stood up, stretched, and yawned. "Today's conversation was very constructive. I'm going home. I haven't been back to Arlington many times in the past few years. I want to go back and spend time with my family."
"I wonder if Mrs. Anna is okay?" Rockefeller Jr. asked casually when he heard it.
"My grandmother is in good health. She is only 90 years old, very young." Sheffield looked back at the two of them and waved his hand. "If there is any cooperation in the investment in American countries, just hand it over to the manager. I want to enjoy life."
Theoretically, the World War was over after Germany surrendered last November, but the follow-up operations are far from over. Britain and France are still strong but can no longer control the overall situation. Germany's allies must also be dealt with one by one!
In September 1919, ten months after Germany's defeat, the Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria, which stipulated that Hungary would separate from Austria and become an independent country, that Austria would recognize the independence of Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and that the merger of Germany and Austria would be prohibited.
Two months later, the Allies and Bulgaria signed the Treaty of Neuilly, in which Bulgaria ceded large tracts of territory to Romania, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and Greece, and lost its access to the Aegean Sea.
The Treaty of Trianon signed with Hungary turned Hungary from a well-known great power in the Middle Ages into an insignificant small country, and 70% of its territory was divided.
The subsequent Treaty of Rome annexed Sardinia to France and made adjustments to the Franco-Italian border to put the French army in a more advantageous defensive terrain.
The Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Sevres with the Ottoman government and lost approximately 75 percent of their territory, most of which became colonies or protectorates of Britain, France, the United States and other countries under the form of League of Nations Mandates.
Kemal then called in his army to fight, the Greco-Turkish War broke out, and the Greek army invaded the Ottoman Empire. At this time, Greece also contacted the Eighth Army, which had become an important influence in the Middle East.
John Connor contacted the overworked slave owner who had returned to Arlington from Kuwait and expressed Athens' hope that Kuwait could send troops to attack the Ottoman Empire together with Greece.
Sheffield refused mercilessly, and replied that Greece was not determined enough to fight, and was far from being Kemal's opponent. At this time, invading the Anatolian Peninsula, which was dominated by Ottomans, would only lead to the expulsion of the Greeks on the peninsula. At the same time, he asked John Connor to ask the Ottoman Sultan, who was no longer in charge of the matter, for an imperial edict to confer all the land currently occupied by the Eighth Army on William Pasha, and mention that he would not retaliate against the Christians in the country, in exchange for the Eighth Army not to join the Greeks in attacking the Ottoman Empire.
Sultan Mehmed VI was no longer able to control the political situation, especially in front of Kemal, but John Connor still managed to contact Mehmed VI. Once this army of 250,000 joined the invasion of Greece, the question would not be how much of the entire Ottoman Empire would be left, but whether the Ottomans could still have a place to settle down.
Anyway, the jurisdiction of the Kuwaiti Pasha had been placed under trusteeship and was no longer under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Mohammed VI finally publicly announced and issued an edict recognizing the territory of William Pasha, including the area south of Basra, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and all the way to the border of Oman in the United Arab Emirates, a total of 220,000 square kilometers of land, which was the territory of the Kuwaiti Pasha.
Kemal, who was dealing with the invasion of the Greek army, also acquiesced to this. Anyway, the land in the Persian Gulf had been lost long ago, and it made no difference whether the Sultan acknowledged it or not. Kemal also assured the Kuwaiti side through his contacts that the safety of Christians, including Armenians, would be guaranteed.
However, in the following years, the loss of Western Armenia was caused by the Soviet Union, which had nothing to do with Sheffield.
While the Greco-Turkish War was still going on, the Allies were busy extinguishing the flames of revolution in Europe and did not have the energy to interfere too much in the Greco-Turkish War. Instead of intervening in the Greco-Turkish War, the Allies were more willing to focus their energy on the Soviet Union and organize an intervention army to cooperate with Kolchak and Denikin in attacking the Soviet Union.
In the three years after the Paris Peace Conference, the aftermath of the World War was far from calm. It was not until the federal government initiated the Washington Conference and signed the Washington Naval Treaty that the five naval powers of the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Italy signed the Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Arms (Washington Naval Treaty), which limited the tonnage of the battleship to 35,000 tons and the caliber of the main gun (not to exceed 16 inches), and stipulated that the total tonnage ratio of the battleships, battleships and battlecruisers of the navies of the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Italy was 5.25:5.25:3.15:1.75:1.75. In addition, the total tonnage, standard displacement and gun caliber of the contracting parties' aircraft carriers were also stipulated.
After the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, all the follow-up of World War I was considered completed.
Because the federal government had been replaced, the slave owners had no interest in this treaty. During the past three or four years, he united domestic financial groups and cooperated with each other in America to drive out European capital. This time, he finally succeeded.
At the same time, the calls for independent nation-building by Christians in the Middle East territories were growing louder. After the Washington Naval Treaty, Sheffield had realized that after another three or four years, the British were obviously much calmer than they were the year after the war ended, and were no longer willing to put the United States on an equal footing.
This may be the hope to buy time and use the vast colonies to restore the domestic economy. But it also shows that, at least in some less important areas, Britain has begun to adopt a tolerant attitude towards the United States.
That's good. Sheffield hugged Anne, looked at his two sons who were growing up, and said, "Dear, do you want us to have our own territory? Money is of course important, but wouldn't it be better if we had the right to support each other?"
"Do you want to establish an independent country in your own territory?" Anne asked with a smile, "When?"
"Any time is fine!" Sheffield said confidently, "Then we can go to the Persian Gulf together."
(End of this chapter)
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