End of WWI
I. The Great War finally ends A. Late summer of 1918, the Allied powers had a major offensive on the Western Front B. Bulgaria fell, followed by Ottoman Empire, then A-H. C. The Germans began to riot in the fall of 1918. Kaiser Wilhelm stepped down from the throne Nov 9.
II. The Peace Treaty A. Nov 11, 1918: the warring parties signed a cease-fire (armistice) B. The nations met in Paris, France, at the Palace of Versailles, for a peace conference in January of 1919.
III. Peace in Europe A. The Big Four 1.David Lloyd George (Britain) 2.George Clemenceau (France) 3.Woodrow Wilson (U.S) 4.Vittorio Orlando (Italy)- (left during peace talks - didn t receive territorial claims)
B. They believed each Central Power should have a separate peace treaty. C. France especially wanted harsh treatment of Germany, who was forced to take the blame for the war.
IV. Wilson s 14 Points: the U.S. Peace Plan, which expressed the aims of the Allies and called for world peace.
A. General Plans of the Points: 1. No secret treaties 2. Freedom of the seas for all nations 3. Removal of all economic barriers; equality of trade 4. Reduction of all national armaments (military supply)
5. Fair adjustments of all colonial claims # s 6-13 - points dealt w/ specific countries 14. Establishment of a general association of nations (League of Nations)
B. The 14 th Point- League of Nations 1. Became part of the Versailles Treaty a. Two main aims of the League: 1. promote international cooperation 2. peacefully settle disputes and reduce armaments. b. The League was to include all independent, sovereign nations
In the United States, the Treaty was hotly debated especially the League of Nations Conservative senators, headed by Henry Cabot Lodge, were suspicious of the Leagues joint economic and military commitments Many wanted the U.S. Congress to maintain the right to declare war Ultimately, Congress rejected U.S. involvement in the very League the U.S. President had created The U.S. never did join the league DEBATE OVER TREATY AT HOME
C. The U.S. did not join the League of Nations 1. Wilson refused to compromise; treaty failed to pass the senatethe US did not join 2. Many republican Senators were concerned that the League would drag the U.S. into world affairs (Article X required each member to respect and preserve the independence of other member nations!)
League of Nations Cartoon
3. Overall, the US wanted to return to a policy of isolationism We were afraid this would happen!
A League Not of Our Own Cartoon
V. Versailles Treaty with Germany The official signing: June 28, 1919 A. Required Germany to accept all blame (guilty of starting the war) B. Germany must pay $33 billion (cost of war $400 bil.)
C. Germany lost territory- returned Alsace-Lorraine to France, lost all colonies D. Disarmed Germany E. Overall, the Treaty of Versailles dismantled the great empires of pre-wwi days. F. League of Nations established
THE WEAKNESS OF THE TREATY The harsh treatment of Germany prevented the Treaty from creating a lasting peace in Europe The Treaty humiliated the Germans by forcing them to admit sole responsibility for the war (War-Guilt Clause) Germans felt the Versailles Treaty was unfair Furthermore, Germany would never be able to pay $33 billion in reparations
VI. Effects of WWI at a glance: A. Widespread death and destruction in Europe - U.S. losses in life were great (more than 100,000) but this was small in comparison to the millions lost by the other major powers. B. Treaty of Versailles -left Germany very bitter and disillusioned with many of the victor nations.
C. Creation of the League of Nations D. Break-up of German and Austro- Hungarian Empires E. Creation of several new nations F. U.S. emerged as most powerful nation in the world largest creditor nation, too!
After WWI, the opposition of some members of Congress to the Versailles Treaty was based largely on the idea that the treaty: A. did not punish the Central Powers harshly enough B. did not give the United States an important role in world affairs C. would require the US to join the League of Nations and might drag the US into future wars D. would require the United States to assume the cost of rebuilding the war-torn European economies