The Development of the Issue of Reparations in American Foreign Policy during the Paris Peace Conference

Abstract

The article attempts to consider how the reparations issue developed during the Paris Peace Conference. At the end of the First World War, the United States became the undisputed economic leader. Based on this leadership, the US government, primarily in the person of President Woodrow Wilson, tried to take a leading position during the Paris Peace Conference. On the issue of the payment of reparations by Germany, the United States had its own view to the problem, while not having specific proposals for its settlement, either specific amounts or a specific mechanism for payments. While France had a very definite goal to which it aspired — preventing the recovery of the German economy. Following the results of several months of the Paris Peace Conference, the reparations issue was resolved in favor of France. The United States had to accept a compromise solution to the issue. Ultimately, the United States withdrew from the German problem until the Ruhr crisis.