The Final Days of WWIIB 20th Century History

Defeat of Central Defeat of Central PowersPowers

1918 Russia was out of the War (Russian Revolution)

Central Powers focus on taking over Paris

May 1918 just 37 miles from Paris but U.S. troops arriving everyday.

End of September 1918: Turkey asks for peace Austria-Hungarian empire breaks up

Armistice – an agreement to stop fighting

November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. all fighting stops and WWI comes to an end

Terms of ArmisticeTerms of ArmisticeGermany agrees to:

Cancel treaty with RussiaGive up a large part of its

navy including all submarines

Turn over much of its munitions

Release war prisoners

Cost of WWICost of WWI 8.5 million dead

1.8 million Germans, 1.8 million Russians

1.4 million French 1 million Austria and Hungary 1 million British 110,000 U.S.

21 million wounded

Total cost was more than $300 billion

War Deaths by War Deaths by CountryCountry

The Story so far…The Story so far… World War I is over, the killing has ceased.

January 18, 1919, a conference was built at the Palace of Versailles. The Allied powers, the victors of WWI, meet to clean up the

war mess.

Paris Peace Paris Peace ConferenceConference

Where – Versailles (outside of Paris)

When – January 1919

Why – To arrange terms of peace

Who – British Prime Minister David Lloyd George French Premier Georges Clemenceau Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando U.S. President Woodrow Wilson

Meeting at VersaillesMeeting at Versailles Paris Peace Conference

Delegates representing 32 countries Major decisions were made by the Big

Four: Woodrow Wilson (U.S.) Georges Clemenceau (France) David Lloyd George (Great Britain) Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

Conflict of InterestsConflict of InterestsFrance wanted security over another

German attack, return of Alsace-LorraineBritain wanted Germany’s African’s

colonies & destruction of Germany’s navy

Italy also wanted land Japan wanted German colonies in the

Pacific

“I can predict with absolute certainty that within another generation there will

be another world war if the nations of the world do not concert the method

by which to prevent it."

Woodrow Wilson, 1919

Woodrow’s Plan 1918Woodrow’s Plan 1918 Woodrow proposed his Fourteen Points

Outlined a plan for maintaining peace Proposed the following points:

1st Point: End all secret treaties 2nd Point: Freedom of the Seas 3rd Point: Free trade 4th Point: Reduce national armies (trying to stop militarism) 5th Point: Colonial Fairness (trying to stop harsh imperialism) 6th-13th Points: Rearranging borders (self-determination) 14th Point: Create a general association of nations that would

negotiate solutions to world conflicts (The League of Nations)

UnsatisfiedUnsatisfied with with Wilson’s planWilson’s plan

Plan threatened national security

Plan was too nice– GB and France thought it lacked punishment against Germany Wanted to take away Germany’s power Clemenceau wanted Germany to pay for France’s

suffering France lost more than 1,000,000 soldiers and civilians

during wartime. This was about 11% of the population. France’s land was destroyed and devastated.

Why did the US Reject the Why did the US Reject the Treaty of Versailles?Treaty of Versailles?

Critics of the Treaty believed that the League would drag the US into future European wars (Senator Henry Cabot Lodge)

Americans were “war weary” and wanted to return to isolationism

Wilson suffered a stroke and was unable to sell the treaty to the people

The US refused to join the League of Nations, making the League a “paper tiger” or weak on the world stage.

U.S. – Wanted organization to maintain world peace called League of Nations Idea was well liked Many thought it was not realistic

Reparations – payment for war damages

Who should pay? How much?

What Kind of Peace?What Kind of Peace? Option 1: Fair and not so harsh that it would

kindle future wars

Option 2: Germany caused the war, should be punished harshly to prevent them from ever being powerful again.

Treaty of Versailles Treaty of Versailles 19191919

French, British, and U.S. argued and finally compromised. The product was The Treaty of Versailles.

Signed between Germany and the Allied powers, June 28. 1919. Adopted Wilson’s 14th point, created League of Nations

Aimed for world peace, stopping further wars General Assembly, 32 allied and neutral nations Executive Council, the 5 Allied Powers

U.S. Great Britain France Italy Japan

Germany and Russia were left out of the League of Nations.

Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of Versailles1. Pay reparations

2. Admit guilt

3. Give up territory

4. Not build up Rhineland

5. Free Poland

6. Make Danzig a free city

7. Allow allied troops in Rhineland

8. Establish “Polish Corridor” to sea

9. Not manufacture war materials

10. Make army smaller

11. Establish League of Nations

Punishments Against Punishments Against GermanyGermany

Treaty of Versailles also punished Germany: Portions of Germany’s

territories were taken away, colonies in Asia and Africa were given to League of Nations to be administered.

Military restrictions Article 231-” Germany

was solely responsible for the war”, therefore, had to pay reparations to the Allies.

League of League of NationsNations

Germany Germany Loses Loses TerritoryTerritory

Germany Germany is is restricted restricted in its in its militarymilitary

War GuiltWar Guilt

32 Allied 32 Allied Nations,Nations,

But…But…

Germany & Germany & Russia are Russia are excludedexcluded

Germany Germany has to has to return return Alsace-Alsace-Lorraine to Lorraine to FranceFrance

Germany Germany loses all of loses all of its its overseas overseas territory in territory in Africa & Africa & PacificPacific

Cannot Cannot buy/build buy/build military military weapons weapons or war or war machinesmachines

Set limit to Set limit to size of size of armyarmy

Is declared Is declared totally totally responsiblresponsible for World e for World War IWar I

Has to pay Has to pay the the equivalent equivalent $33 Billion $33 Billion to Allies in to Allies in 30 years30 years

Major Provisions Major Provisions

Alsace-Lorraine is given up to

France

Germany

End of World War I > Europe in 1914End of World War I > Europe in 1914

End of World War I > Europe in 1919End of World War I > Europe in 1919

New Nations FormedNew Nations Formed Negotiated between Allies and defeated nations (Austria,

Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire) 1919, 1920. It literally broke down Europe into many tinier new nations. Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken down into independent nations:

Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia Ottomans had to give up all the land lost in Southwest Asia, losing

Palestine, Iraq, and Transjordan to British rule. Syria and Lebanon went to France. The Ottomans could only keep Turkey.

Russia lost territory to Romania and Poland. Also, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (formerly part of Russia) become independent nations.

Europe Before WWI After WWI

Unlasting peaceUnlasting peace U.S. rejected the treaty

Americans thought that if they wanted peace, they should get themselves out of European affairs.

Germany is upset War-guilt clause caused them to hate the Allies. Economically devastated Militarily restricted In their point of view, unfairly sanctioned

Colonies were unsatisfied that they could still not gain independence

Japan and Italy did not get what they wanted out of the war—land, so also backed out.

Without consent or support of U.S., the League of Nations could not do anything to amend or take any action.

Observer at Versailles noted the treaty was merely, “a peace built on quicksand.”

Legacy of WWI Legacy of WWI This was a New kind of war. New weapons

and technology were introduced killing people faster, and more efficiently than ever before.

War was brought to the global scale People could see that war could get

extremely destructive.

•Nationalistic pride•Competition for colonies•Military buildup•Tangled web of alliances•Assassination of Franz Ferdinand

Causes of WWI

Effects of WWI

•Destruction in Europe•Boom in American economy•Suppression of dissent in the U.S.•Allied victory•Defeated empires lose their colonies•The U.S. emerges from the war as a world leader and an economic giant