Woodrow Wilson’s View And Practices On The Freedom Of The Seas

Freedom of the seas is one of the original and most important principles in the history ofAmerican foreign policy. Historically, this concept derived from the same origin with thecommercial spirit and the freedom identity of American. It is regarded as the existence andprosperity of the United States. In fact, freedom of the seas is not only a diplomacy problem,but also related with the economic and military contest between the major powers. It hasbecome one of the primary means of America to exert influence on international affairs in twocenturies.Woodrow Wilson, who was the28th President of the United States, made an outstandingcontribution on the freedom of the seas. During the eight-year of his reign, the American viewof the freedom of the seas underwent a considerable change. Wilson broke through the neutralrole, sought to give freedom of the seas a political meaning, and initiated the League ofNations to maintain freedom of the seas. We can say that Woodrow Wilson is a greatachievement of idealist of the freedom of the seas.It was the World War I that changed his view on the principle and started to turn aroundon the collective safety. Compared with the economic meaning, Wilson sought to givefreedom of the seas a political meaning. Under the leading of Woodrow Wilson, the UnitedStates abandoned policy of neutrality, participated in the First World War, and activelyplanned the post-war new world order. In that order the concept of freedom of the seas wouldnot be used solely to describe the problem of the rights of neutrals to trade in wartime; it has amuch broader meaning. Wilson’s conception of the freedom of the seas is closely associatedwith the League of Nations. He put the freedom of the seas on the League of Nations’ draft.He made a clearly declaration of the freedom of the seas in his Fourteen Points. The second ofthem called for “absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alikein peace and in war”.Wilson’s concept of freedom of the seas is ideal, but also realistic. This principle is notonly meet the needs of U.S. economic interests, more important, it can be a legal mean tobreak British maritime supremacy. Owing to the lack of strength of American at that time,Wilson’s redefined freedom of the seas failed to achieve. But the collective safety is avisionary trends, Wilson has pointed the right direction to the development of America.Generation after generation, America leaders has followed Wilson’s proposition until now.