Позиція В. Вільсона щодо імперій у роки Великої війни.

Abstract

The article analyzes the position of the American President Woodrow Wilson regarding empires during the First World War. The contravening character of his relationship was caused the fact that he negatively assessed the colonial policies of European powers in different parts of the world. He also critically assessed such things as the exploitation of the periphery, the conquest of territories by means of weapons, the suppression of the political and religious rights of the population of the colonies, the struggle with national movements, typical of most empires. On the other hand, such imperial states as Great Britain, France, and Russia were the US allies in the war. Therefore, the position of the leader of the United States was ambiguous in this matter. During the First World War, Wilson sought only weakened the position of the European empires, but not the complete disappearance of them from the political map of the world. However, with the start of the work of the Paris Peace Conference, which was to form a new post-war world order, the American leader under pressure from various factors was forced to change his vision of the future fate of empires.