Transcript The Great War - cloudfront.net

The Great War
A FLAWED
PEACE
After the War
 March 3, 1918 – Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-
Litovsk
 November 9, 1918 – Kaiser Wilhelm steps down
 November 11, 1918 at 11:00am local time – an
armistice is signed

THE WAR IS OVER!!
The Legacy of the War
3
A High Price
2. War takes heavy toll:
1.
1.
2.
8.5 million soldiers dead,
21 million wounded
4
5
6
7
8
9
World War I Casualties
10,000,000
9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Russia
Germany
Austria-Hungary
France
Great Britain
Italy
Turkey
US
10
A High Price
11
 War devastates European
economies, drained national
treasuries
 Many acres of land & homes,
villages, towns destroyed
12
13
14
15
16
The Allies Meet and Debate
After winning the war, the Allies
dictate a harsh settlement that
leaves many nations feeling
betrayed.
B. The Allies Meet & Debate
•
•
Key Leaders come together
Group of leaders know as the Big Four
dominate peace talks
• 1) Woodrow Wilson – US President
• 2) Georges Clemenceau – French ruler
• 3) David Lloyd George - Great Britain
• 4) Vittorio Orlando – Italy
• No representatives from Russia or
Germany
(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.
19
The Allies Meet and Debate
 Wilson’s Plan for Peace
 Wilson 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 Treaty
 Britain and France oppose Wilson’s ideas
 They want to punish Germany

David Lloyd George, PM of Great Britain, had just been
reelected on a platform of making the Germans pay for
the war

The French were particularly guided by national interests


Georges Clemenceau wanted revenge and security against any
further German aggression
He wanted Germany demilitarized and the Rhineland separated
to form a buffer between the two nations
The Versailles Treaty
 A compromise was reached and the Treaty of
Versailles was signed June 28, 1919 – five years to
the day after Franz Ferdinand’s 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 Treaty
The final peace settlement of Paris was in fact five separate
treaties of which the Treaty of Versailles with Germany was
the most important
The Germans considered it a harsh treaty and they were
particularly displeased about Article 231, the infamous War
Guilt Clause





It declared that Germany (& Austria) were responsible for the war
and liable to pay reparations to the Allies for all the damage caused
The amount was not specified in the Treaty, but was to be decided
later
In addition, the German Army was reduced to 100,000 men
enough to quell domestic uprisings, but too small to attack other
countries
 Not allowed to have an Air Force


Alsace & Lorraine were to be returned to France as well as
territories to Poland
The Creation of New Nations
 The Western powers signed separate peace treaties
with each of the other defeated nations: AustriaHungary, 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 Turkey
Britain ruled Palestine, Iraq, and Transjordan
 France ruled Syria and Lebanon


Russia lost lands as well
Poland and Romania gained territory
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent
nations.
25
Europe Pre-World War I
New European Countries Post World War I
Finland-land lost by Russia
Estonia-land lost by Russia
Latvia-land lost by Russia
Lithuania-land lost by Russia
Poland-restored from land lost by
Germany and Russia
Austria Hungary
Romania-gained land
Mandates in Africa and Middle East
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of
Lebanon
British Mandate of
Palestine
British Mandate of
Transjordan
British Mandate of Iraq
British Togoland
French Togoland
British Cameroon
French Cameroon
Ruanda-Urundi
Tanganyika
South-West Africa
“A Peace Built on Quicksand”
 Treaty of Versailles creates feelings of bitterness on
both sides
 United States rejects the treaty.


Americans rejected Wilson’s 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 Quicksand”
 People 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 War




The death of over 10 million people and the
destruction of millions of dollars of property &
material
Property and materials could be replaced, but
the generation of leaders, poets, and artists could
not be replaced so easily
Lastly, 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
century
Ultimately, Europe between 1914 and 1918 tried
to commit suicide