End of WWI

11-11-1918

The goal is to create a peace treaty to prevent future wars

The Big Four

• France (Clemenceau)Germany should be brought to its knees so that it can never start a war again

• Britain (George)Didn’t want to be too soft on Germany, but felt Europe needed a strong Germany to as a

barrier to communism in Russia

• USA (Wilson)Stunned by the savagery of the Great War. Wanted to avoid future wars. Wanted

Germany punished, but also wanted European reconciliation opposed to revenge.

• Italy (Orlando)Frequently left out of important negotiations. Wanted help rebuilding Italy.

• What is the punishment for Germany?• How should this country be punished economically?• The allies made bargains with countries such as Italy

and Japan promising territory after the war in return for their support-Do they have to stick to that?

• What territorial changes should occur?• What military restrictions should be implemented so

that another world war does not occur?• Are there any other provisions you want to include?

WORLD PEACE is the goal!

Wilson’s 14 Points

• Wilson takes a look at causes and tries to fix them. First 5 points:– No Alliances– Freedom of seas– Free trade– Arms reduction(militarism)– Fair policies between imperial and colonial

nations(imperialism and nationalism)

14 Points continued

• Next 8 deal with boundary changes based on ethnic identities.

The League of Nations

• Purpose: to promote international peace and security

• The toll of WWI encourages the prevention of future catastrophes

• (Germany was excluded until 1926)

Treaty of Paris

• Broke up Ottoman Empire and Austria Hungary• Established 9 new nations• Germany returns Alsace-Lorraine to France• Germany is essentially disarmed• German army reduced to a maximum of

100,000 soldiers, navy also reduced• Forbidden to build major weapons of aggression

Weaknesses of Treaty

• Humiliates & bankrupts Germany– War-Guilt clause-forced to accept total blame for

the war. Most Germans HATED treaty.– Reparations-$33 billion to Allies– Downsize their military and navy

• All of Germany’s colonial possessions were confiscated, making them unable to pay.

• Bolsheviks in Russia/Soviet Union left out– Russia suffered most casualties during WWI– Lost more territory than Germany– Stalin is determined to regain lost territory

What to do with colonies?

• Germany stripped of all colonies to help pay reparations

• Ignored self-determination claims of Asian peoples

• Ho Chi Minh-wanted independence for French Indochina/Vietnam. Appealed to President Wilson who ignored him

America’s reaction

• Americans opposed the Treaty, they felt it was too harsh.

• Americans also disagreed about the League of Nations. Most wanted a policy of isolation.

What circumstances at this time would eventually lead many Germans to support Adolf Hitler?Political instability in Europe. Militant fascist organizations seized Germany, Italy and Spain. Hitler represented a chance for vengeance.

Woodrow Wilson in an address to the U.S. senate

“It must be a peace without victory….Victory would mean peace forced upon the loser; a victor’s terms imposed upon the vanquished. It would be accepted in humiliation, under duress, at an intolerable sacrifice, and would leave a sting, a resentment, a bitter memory upon which the terms of peace would rest, not permanently, but only as upon quicksand. Only a peace between equals can last.”