A Flawed Peace:
The Treaty of Versailles
Ch. 13: The Great War, 1914-1919
Section 4 (pp. 380-383)
The U.S. Enters the War, 1917
American Neutrality, 1914-1917:

The U.S. tried to stay out of the events unfolding
in Europe, but this proved to be impossible
U.S. Enters the War, April, 1917





Attacks on U.S. ships from German U-boats
(Lusitania, 1915)
Closer cultural ties to Allies
Financial investments/loans more with Allies
Zimmermann Note
Russia’s 1st revolution was attempt at democracy
The End of Fighting



With the U.S. involved, the Allies had an
advantage
• Fresh troops/new supplies
• Financial backing
• New source of food
Soon they were able to halt the German offensive
on Western Front and put them in retreat
November 11, 1918 at 11:00 am, the armistice
ending the fighting was signed; now the world
must make peace (11th hour of the the 11th day,
of the 11th month)
The Allies Meet at Versailles
“The Big Four”
 Woodrow Wilson – U.S.
 David Lloyd George – Great Britain
 Georges Clemenceau – France
 Vittorio Orlando – Italy
Uninvited Nations
 The Central Powers
 Russia
Wilson’s Plan for Peace
The Fourteen Points (Jan. 1918)

Points 1-5: causes of the war
1.
2.
3.
•
No secret treaties
Freedom of the seas
Reduced armaments
Points 6-13: changing borders and creation of new
nations
•
•
4. Free trade
5. colonial claims
Guiding principle to be self-determination
Point 14: Creation of international peacekeeping
organization ; The League of Nations
The Allies Work Out a Harsh Peace
Britain and France more concerned with
punishment of Germany (although Wilson
warned this would create German
resentment)
Terms of Treaty
 Germany had to pay $30 billion in
reparations
 Lost territory in Europe (Saar & Ruhr
Valleys) and its colonies in Africa & Asia
 Disarmament
 Accept full blame for starting the war
 Creation of a League of Nations *
The Creation of New Nations
Out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire:
1. Austria
2. Hungary
3. Yugoslavia
4. Czechoslovakia
Out of the Ottoman Empire, the Europeans created
“mandates”
Britain
France
1.
2.
3.
Palestine
Iraq
Jordan
1. Syria
2. Lebanon
Out of Russia
1. Romania & Poland gained Russian territory
2. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania (all part
of Russia) became independent nations
A Treaty “Built on Quicksand”
Treaty of Versailles fell far short of its goal of
preserving future peace




The U.S. never joined the League of Nations
The provisions of the treaty left a bitter legacy in
the hearts of Germans
The peoples of Asia and Africa were angry at the
way the treaty ignored their desires for
independence
Japan and Italy felt they had been cheated at the
peace table
The Legacy of World War I
The extreme cost of the war
 Human life: over 8.5 million military deaths, 21
million wounded, and untold deaths of civilians
due to starvation and disease


Economic Cost: $338 billion was one estimate,
not to mention the farmland, homes, buildings,
and towns that had been destroyed
Disillusionment: society was not the same after
the war; man had lost his optimistic outlook and
blind faith in the wonders of science and
technology. The world now seemed an imperfect
and meaningless place; the survivors were
scarred for life
Summary





.
WWI ends
-11th hour of 11th month of 11th day
-Treaty of Versailles ends WWI
-President Woodrow Wilson writes 14 points for
international peace, which sets up League of Nations, but
the U.S. never joins and it is not successful. He also warns
punishing Germany.
-France and Britain want to punish Germany and do,
dismantling army and forcing them to pay war
REPARATIONS. This will lead to the Global Great
Depression, and ultimately WWII, as Germany can not pay
reparations, and allows Hitler to come to power, promising
to return Germany to glory, and refusing to pay reparations
while building up his army.
A “new” Europe

Major differences in Europe BEFORE WWI
(1914) until the END of WWI (1919)
 New countries were formed after the
war….those are Austria, Czechoslovakia and
Hungary.
 Smaller countries were formed out of
Russia.
 Russia changed to U.S.S.R. and became
communist.
 Yugoslavia was formed.
 The country of Turkey was formed.