Chapter 12: The World War I Era

V. Global Peacemaker

Bell Ringer

• At what cost peace? – explain this?

Objectives

• Discover the expectations that Wilson and the Allies brought to the Paris peace conference.

• Learn about the important provisions of the peace treaty.

• Find out how the federal government and ordinary Americans reacted to the end of the war.

A) Setting the Scene

• Wilson idealistic

24) Fourteen Points: Wilson’s peace proposal in 1918 for a postwar European peace

25) Self-determination: country’s power to make decisions about one’s own future.

• End secret alliances, no trade barriers, reduce military, and allow ethnic populations to determine their own future

B) The Paris Peace Conference

• Wilson treated as conquering hero (at first)• Senate controlled by Republicans – brought 1 with his

delegation• Wilson forced to Compromise – allowed allies (UK, France,

Italy) to take over Germany’s colonies – no self determination

26) League of Nations: organization in which the nations of the world would join together to ensure security and peace for all its members.

• Article 10: teeth of the League – an attack on one is an attack on all – Republicans hated it, could drag us into war.

C) The Peace Treaty

• French wanted harsh penalties against Germany – US objected – passed anyway

• Redrawing the Map of Europe: New countries were created – impossible to have clean ethnic divisions

• Ottoman Empire became Turkey – UK got Palestine – France got Syria

• Italy got nothing – Orlando forced to resign

• War Guilt and Reparations: French and British wanted Germany to admit they started war and pay money to Allies

• Wilson thought it was humiliating to Germany – they never forgot

27) reparations: payment for economic injury in war – 33 billion

28) Versailles Treaty: ended WWI – Germany forced to sign it.

D) Reactions at Home

• Irreconciables – would not ever sign treaty• Reservationists – would sign if US allowed to keep Monroe

Doctrine• Wilson barnstormed the country to gather support – stroke –

invalid• Wilson vetoed separate peace treaty, next Harding signed it.

(1920)• US big power – disregards it and focuses on home• Economy suffers – government contracts cancelled – no

program to integrate troops – women fired to give them jobs

Review

• What expectation did Wilson and the Allies bring to the Paris Peace Conference?

• What were the important provisions of the peace treaty?

• How did the federal government and ordinary Americans react to the end of war?