The Great War

A Flawed PeaceThe Great War1After the WarMarch 3, 1918 Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-LitovskNovember 9, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm steps downNovember 11, 1918 at 11:00am local time an armistice is signedTHE WAR IS OVER!!23The Legacy of the WarA High PriceWar takes heavy toll: 8.5 million soldiers dead, 21 million wounded34

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World War I CasualtiesDead and wounded1011A High PriceWar devastates European economies, drained national treasuriesMany acres of land & homes, villages, towns destroyed1112

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The Allies Meet and DebateAfter winning the war, the Allies dictate a harsh settlement that leaves many nations feeling betrayed.B. The Allies Meet & DebateKey Leaders come togetherGroup of leaders know as the Big Four dominate peace talks1) Woodrow Wilson US President2) Georges Clemenceau French ruler3) David Lloyd George - Great Britain4) Vittorio Orlando ItalyNo representatives from Russia or Germany19

(Left to right) The Big Four: David Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the United States, the principal architects of the Treaty of Versailles.The Allies Meet and DebateWilsons Plan for PeaceWilson proposes Fourteen Points an outline for achieving a just and lasting peace.First four points include end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade and reduced militaries.Promoted self-determination right of people to govern their own nation.Fourteenth point proposed a general association of nations that would protect great and small states alike.Believed that this organization would settle world disputes and prevent wars.

The Versailles TreatyBritain and France oppose Wilsons ideasThey want to punish GermanyDavid Lloyd George, PM of Great Britain, had just been reelected on a platform of making the Germans pay for the warThe French were particularly guided by national interestsGeorges Clemenceau wanted revenge and security against any further German aggressionHe wanted Germany demilitarized and the Rhineland separated to form a buffer between the two nationsThe Versailles TreatyA compromise was reached and the Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919 five years to the day after Franz Ferdinands assassination.The treaty created the League of Nations (14th point)Blames Germany for the war, forces Germany to pay damages to nations.The League of Nations to rule German colonies until deemed ready for independence.A Troubled TreatyThe final peace settlement of Paris was in fact five separate treaties of which the Treaty of Versailles with Germany was the most importantThe Germans considered it a harsh treaty and they were particularly displeased about Article 231, the infamous War Guilt ClauseIt declared that Germany (& Austria) were responsible for the war and liable to pay reparations to the Allies for all the damage causedThe amount was not specified in the Treaty, but was to be decided laterIn addition, the German Army was reduced to 100,000 men enough to quell domestic uprisings, but too small to attack other countriesNot allowed to have an Air Force Alsace & Lorraine were to be returned to France as well as territories to Poland

Germany was made to pay 6,600,000 pounds. Over 10,000,000 pounds was demanded by the Allies. This was about $33 billion (thirty-three billion US dollars). They only just finished paying off their debt on Sunday 3rd October 2010. With interest, the total paid amounted to 22,000,000,000 ($33,238,480,000.00 USD) (instead of the original 6,600,000. The payments would have finished earlier if Adolf Hitler hadn't reneged during World War II23The Creation of New NationsThe Western powers signed separate peace treaties with each of the other defeated nations: Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia were all recognized as independent nations.Ottoman Empire kept only land that is now TurkeyBritain ruled Palestine, Iraq, and TransjordanFrance ruled Syria and LebanonRussia lost lands as wellPoland and Romania gained territoryFinland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent nations.

Ottoman craved up as mandates, not independent nations.the greatest number of new countries emerge after World War I around the Baltic Sea2425

Europe Pre-World War INew European Countries Post World War I

Finland-land lost by RussiaEstonia-land lost by RussiaHungaryAustriaRomania-gained landCzechoslovakiaPoland-restored from land lost by Germany and RussiaYugoslaviaLatvia-land lost by RussiaLithuania-land lost by RussiaMandates in Africa and Middle East

French Mandate of SyriaFrench Mandate of LebanonBritish Mandate of PalestineBritish Mandate of TransjordanBritish Mandate of IraqBritish TogolandFrench TogolandBritish CameroonFrench CameroonRuanda-UrundiTanganyikaSouth-West Africa A Peace Built on QuicksandTreaty of Versailles creates feelings of bitterness on both sidesUnited States rejects the treaty. Americans rejected Wilsons League of Nations. Best hope for peace is to stay out of European affairs.Sign separate treaty with Germany years later.German people feel bitter and betrayed after taking blame for the war.

A Peace Built on QuicksandPeople in former colonies express anger over not winning independence.What happened to national self-determination?Even some Allies were upset at the outcome.Japan and Italy had entered the war to acquire territory, but gained less than they wanted.

Results of the Great WarThe death of over 10 million people and the destruction of millions of dollars of property & materialProperty and materials could be replaced, but the generation of leaders, poets, and artists could not be replaced so easilyLastly, European dominance over Western society, politically, militarily, and economically, was fatally weakened, allowing for the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union later in the centuryUltimately, Europe between 1914 and 1918 tried to commit suicide