AMERICAN HISTORY
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The scale of destruction and massive loss of life
was shocking
President Wilson wanted a “just and lasting peace”
to ensure a war like this would never happen
again
President Wilson outlined his vision of world
peace in a speech January 1918
The Fourteen Points:
1) open diplomacy
2) freedom of the seas
3) removal of trade barriers
4) reduction of military arms
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5) a fair system to resolve disputes over
colonies
6-13) dealt directly with SELFDETERMINATION (the right of people to
decide their own political status
14) called for establishment of LEAGUE OF
NATIONS
Organization of nations that would work
together to settle disputes, protect democracy,
and prevent future wars.
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The Fourteen Points expressed a new
philosophy for US foreign policy
Foreign policy of a democratic nation should be
based on morality—not just on what was best
for that nation
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President Wilson led a group of negotiators
from the USA to Paris in January 1919
This made Wilson the first US President to visit
Europe while in office
THE CONFERENCE OPENS
January 12, 1919
Leaders from 32 nations (3/4 of world
population)
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Leaders from the Allies dominate negotiations
President Wilson, British Prime Minister David
Lloyd George, French Premier Georges
Clemenceau, Italian Prime Minister Vittorio
Orlando
These people became known as the BIG FOUR
Germany and other Central Powers nations
were not allowed to participate
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CONFLICTING NEEDS
Delegates had different needs and desires
President Wilson wanted a better world
Other leaders wanted to punish Germany
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
Peace treaty presented to Germany in May
1919
Final treaty was more harsh that Wilson
wanted
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Germany had to:
--disarm its military
--pay REPARATIONS (money for damages and
expenses caused by the war)
This amount far exceeded what Germany could
afford to pay
--accept sole responsibility for the war
Treaty of Versailles signed June 28, 1919
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Wilson presented the treaty to the Senate in
July 1919
3 groups of senators emerged:
--democrats that wanted immediate ratification
--”irreconcilables”—people that urged rejection
of the League of Nations
--”reservationists”—would ratify only if
changes were made
Wilson traveled 8,000 miles in 22 days and
gave 32 speeches in support of the treaty
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Sept. 25, 1919—Wilson collapses in Pueblo, CO
after giving a speech
Wilson suffered a stroke in early October and
never did fully recover
Wilson left office in 1921
USA signed separate treaties with Austria,
Hungary, Germany
The USA never did join the League of Nations
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Combat, disease, and starvation killed more
than 14 million people
7 million men were permanently disabled
The war cost more that $200 billion
POLITICAL IMPACT
War led to the overthrow of monarchies in
Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the
Ottoman Empire
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The war contributed to the rise of the
Bolsheviks to power in Russia in 1917
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The demand for consumer goods increased
after the war
This led to inflation
Many Americans struggled to afford ordinary,
day-to-day items
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Farmers lost money when they didn’t need to
produce food items for the war effort
SOCIAL IMPACT
More than a million women entered the
workforce
Their service contributed to the passage of the
XIXth Amendment in 1919
The war encouraged African Americans to
move to northern cities seeking factory work
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IMPACT IN EUROPE
European nations had lost an entire generation
of young men
France was in ruins
G.B. was deeply indebt to the USA
The war reparations imposed on Germany
were crippling
WWI would not be the “war to end all wars”
because too many issues remained unsolved
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Too much anger and hostility remained among
nations
THE END