Which statement about Wilson's Fourteen Points is true?

• A. They were punitive and sought to punish Germany heavily.
• B. They called for colonial expansion as a postwar goal.
• C. They prioritized secret diplomacy over open treaties.
• D. They emphasized self-determination, free trade, open diplomacy, arms reduction, and the League of Nations.

Answer: (D)

Wilson's Fourteen Points sought a just, lasting peace by promoting self-determination, free trade, open diplomacy, arms reduction, and an international body to preserve peace—the League of Nations. This vision emphasizes empowering peoples to choose their own governments, reducing the causes of conflict through economic openness, ending secret agreements, cutting armaments, and creating collective security to prevent future wars. That combination is why the statement listing self-determination, free trade, open diplomacy, arms reduction, and the League of Nations best captures the Fourteen Points.

The other ideas run counter to this approach: punishing Germany heavily reflects a punitive postwar settlement rather than Wilson’s proposal; advocating colonial expansion clashes with self-determination by supporting control over peoples’ futures; and prioritizing secret diplomacy contradicts the push for open treaties and transparent international dealings.