What senate leader opposed to the treaty of Versailles?

Answer 1

Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts was the leader of the opposition party. He opposed it saying that America should stay isolated from Europe. He thought this would be the best way for America to ever get involved in a major European war again after 1918. The League, with its headquarters in Switzerland, did form and tried its best to keep peace but by the mid to late thirties, without the backing of the USA, it clearly failed, not having enough power to stop Germany and Japan. Although Lodge would of course never have wanted this result, ironically, his opposition to the League may have been partly responsible for bringing just what he did not want---the US in a European war starting in 1942.

Perhaps as a result of this lesson, when the President of the US proposed a similar group -- the United Nations --- after world war two, very few people in either party opposed it. It has not been a total success but it has probably done more good than harm, and certainly has provided a place to air grievances among all the world nations. It has also help instill the international notion of universal human rights (there should be no torture, no repression, no murder of opponents, freedom of religion and speech, etc in ANY country).

(Some Americans however say a big rich country like the US should not have to listen to so many angry attacks from little nations in Africa and Asia against the US in the UN, but it is the principle of democracy and free speech at work, and probably helps defuse anger that might be even worse without the UN.)

Answer 2

Henry Cabot Lodge