Transcript parispeaceconferencex

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Peaceful surrender
Signed on
11/11/19 @ 11 am
in a railroad car
Known as
“Armistice Day”
Big Four
1. United States
2. Britain
3. France
4. Italy
 GERMANY NOT
ALLOWED TO
ATTEND
 Russia not allowed to
attend
 6 months of
negotiations
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Creator of Fourteen
Points
No more secret alliances
Free navigation of the seas
France to recover Alsace-Lorraine
An independent Poland should be
created.
Became basis of the
Peace Conference.
Greeted with
tremendous
enthusiasm in France.
Chief interests were
League of Nations and
Self-Determinations .
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Still leery of French (long time
enemy)
Suffered little land devastation
(Britain) during war.
Wanted to preserve Britain’s
imperial empire.
Politician, who felt he “needed” to
punish Germany to appease his
countrymen and be voted into
office.
Privately, feared Russian
communist movement and didn’t
want a destitute Germany.
Drove up reparations (Soldiers’
Pensions, Widows)
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French patriot
Primary goal was security of
France.
France occurred terrible
devastation in men and land.
Alsace-Lorraine goes back to
France
Demanded heavy reparations
against Germans to bolster
French economy and to
weaken Germany.
“Germany should be brought
to her knees so she can never
start a war again”
Voted out in 1920, because he
didn’t squeeze Germany
enough.
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Linked to “Big Three”
Frequently left on the
side lines during
important negotiations.
Italy was part of Triple
Alliance w/ Germany
Wanted territory along
Adriatic, went to form
new country Yugoslavia.
Leaves talks when it was
apparent Italy would not
get what they wanted.
Returned only to sign off
documents.
Allied Powers:
Central Powers:
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Britain : 750,000 soldiers
killed; 1,500,000 wounded
France : 1,400,000 soldiers
killed; 2,500,000 wounded
Belgium : 50,000 soldiers
killed
Italy : 600,000 soldiers killed
Russia : 1,700,000 soldiers
killed
America : 116,000 soldiers
killed
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Germany: 2,000,000
soldiers killed
Austria-Hungary :
1,200,000 soldiers killed
Turkey : 325,000 soldiers
killed
Bulgaria : 100,000 soldiers
killed
8.5 million dead; 21 million wounded
Vast areas of NE Europe reduced to rubble
750,000 French homes destroyed
Spanish Flu killed 25 million additional Europeans
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Territory
Alsace-Lorraine (given to
France)
Eupen and Malmedy (given to
Belgium)
Northern Schleswig (given to
Denmark)
Hultschin (given to
Czechoslovakia)
West Prussia, Posen and Upper
Silesia (given to Poland)
Land taken in the Treaty of
Brest-Litovsk (given to Russia)
The Saar, Danzig and Memel
were put under the control of
League of Nations
League also took control over
Germany’s overseas colonies
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Military
Army Reduced to 100,000 men
Not allowed tanks
No Air Force
Only allowed 6 naval ships
No submarines
West of Rhineland was made
into a demilitarized zone
(DMZ). No German soldier or
weapon allowed into this zone.
Allies were to keep an army of
occupation on the west bank
of the Rhine for 15 years.
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Financial
226 Billion RM in
reparations.
Coal from the Saar
and Upper Silesia
goes to Allied
countries.
Intellectual property
stolen (Patents).
Percentage of
agriculture produce
goes to Allied
countries.
In
1914, $1= 5 RM
1919, $1=19 RM
1922, $1=191RM
Jan 1923, $1= 17,792
Aug 1923, $1= 110,000
Oct 1923, $1= 25,260,000,000
Nov 1923, $1= 4,200,000,000,000
3 Vital Clauses
1. Germany had to admit full responsibility for
starting the war (Clause 231-”War Guilt
Clause).
2. Germany then had to pay reparations, bulk of
which would go to France and Belgium to pay
for damages. Germany was told to write a
blank check which the Allies would cash when
it suited them. 6.6 million pounds, well
beyond Germany’s ability to pay.
3. League of Nations was set up to keep world
peace.
After signing the armistice Germany had been convinced
they would be consulted by the Allies on the context of the
Treaty. This did not happen. German representatives saw
the terms only two weeks before they were due to be signed.
Lack of consultation angered Germans.
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Treaty became known as Diktat (Dictated piece) as it was
forced on them and had no choice but to sign it
(Germany incapable of restarting the war)
Germany had two choices:
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Sign the Treaty or
2.
Be invaded by the Allies
1.
Germany signed the Versailles Treaty under protest.
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The treaty devastated Germany politically and economically. Because
of the treaty, many Germans were desperate to find a new leader to
get them out of the Great Depression, which they blamed on the
extravagant reparations they had to pay to the Allies. They found this
leader in Adolf Hitler. Hitler believed Germany had given up to easily to
the allies and still had a chance to win the war because there had been
no fighting on German soil. He encouraged many German’s feelings of
being betrayed by their own government and therefore thought they
had no obligation to follow the treaty; this group became the Nazi’s.
They still felt like they had more fighting to do and the Versailles
Treaty fueled their anger. It created aggressive resentment and
nationalism in Germany. There was a lot of increasing hostility towards
the allied nations. Leaders like Hitler saw this treaty as something that
weakened the great empire he was striving for. He didn’t sign it and he
was not about to follow it. But because of this treaty he was able to
conquer and manipulate people by justifying his actions on the
unfairness of the Versailles Treaty. This lead to the emergence of the
National Socialist Party in Germany.