The United States fought in World War I (1914–1918) with the goal of making the world safe for democracy. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, which he proclaimed in January 1918, outlined his vision for a post-war peace that would avoid the causes of the current conflict. These points included the abolition of secret treaties, the freedom of the seas, the reduction of armaments, and the establishment of a League of Nations to promote collective security and peaceful dispute resolution. The United States' entry into the war in April 1917 helped to tip the balance in favor of the Allies, and the war ended in an Allied victory in November 1918. However, the peace settlement that followed, which was embodied in the Treaty of Versailles, was widely criticized for being too harsh on Germany and was seen as one of the causes of World War II.