The Russian Revolution, 1917
• Communists, led by Vladimir Lenin,
overthrow the Russian Government
– Communists see the War as greedy imperialists
fighting over the bodies of workers
• Russia withdraws from the War
– Already had 1,500,000 dead
US & Russian Revolution
• Wilson sends 20,000 US troops into Russia
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Supposedly to find some lost soldiers
But really to help destabilize new government
Troops remain til 1919 (after War!)
One cause of bad US-Russian relations
• Russian withdraw one reason for US entry
The War Ends
• November
11, 1918
• Central
Powers
Surrender
Woodrow Wilson’s “14 Points”
• Wilson’s Plan for Peace Treaty
• Goal: “A Peace Without Victory”
– Did not want the loser punished
– Main purpose is to avoid a future war
Wilson’s 14 Points
• Points 1-5
– General agreements among all countries
• Points 6-13
– Specific border issues, unique to time period
• Point 14
– Creation of a “League of Nations”
Wilson’s 14 Points
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•
•
•
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1—No More Secret Treaties
2—Freedom of the Seas
3—Removal of all Trade Barriers
4—Reduction of armaments (weapons)
5—Adjust borders of colonies (mainly in
Africa & Asia)
The League of Nations
•
•
•
•
Point 14
Like the modern United Nations
A forum for nations to discuss conflict
Hoped to be a way to avoid future wars
• To Wilson, THIS was the important one!!!
Wilson Arrives in Paris
The Paris Peace Talks
• Who Was There?
– “The Big Four”
• US, France, England, Italy
• Who was NOT there?
– Germany (loser in War)
– Russia (new Communist govt had withdrawn in
1917
– Any Asian or African independence leaders
The “Big 4”—Lloyd-George, Clemenceau, Orlando, Wilson
Treaty of Versailles, 1919
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•
•
•
Formally ends the War
Allies Reject Wilson’s “Peace w/out Victory”
Germany must take “total blame”
Germany must pay $56 billion in reparations
– Left Germany angry & impoverished
• Set up League of Nations
– So Wilson supported it
Europe, 1914
Europe, 1919
The Versailles Treaty in the US
• President Negotiates Treaties
• Senate must approve them by a 2/3 Majority
• Many in Senate did not want to approve
– Fear of the League of Nations
• Will League get us in another war?
– US History of Isolationism
• Staying out of European affairs
• Senate does not pass the treaty
– Partly because Wilson won’t compromise
– US never joins League of Nations
– Means the League is powerless
World War I in Review
• 4 years
• 8 million soldiers dead
– Only 110,000 US soldiers
• 30 million total
• $330 billion cost
• Destroys Austro-Hungarian & Ottoman
Empires
• Leaves Germany weak & helpless
• Puts US in position of World Leadership