SOL Review Packet – Section 6, Pg. XI Bell Ringer SOL Review Packet – Section 6, Pg. XI

After World War I… Many changes took place in the world after “The Great War…” First, international organizations and agreements were established to avoid future conflicts. One of these was the League of Nations, an international organization to promote world peace and cooperation that was created by the Treaty of Versailles.

After World War I…(cont’d) Remember, WWI followed the “Age of Imperialism,” which left many of the European countries with colonies and manpower, an asset that could potentially help them win the war. Unfortunately for them, many colonists were disgruntled due to their participation in the war. This helped to increase many colonial demands for independence. The end of the war, also brought an end to many of the world’s oldest empires…

The End…Russia Czarist Russia entered World War I as an absolute monarchy. Poor economic conditions from two unsuccessful wars (Russo- Japanese and World War I) left workers and peasants disgruntled towards the incompetent Czarist regime. Poor administrative decisions during World War I led to a revolution and an unsuccessful provisional government, which chose to remain in the war. A second revolution by the Bolsheviks later that year created the Communist state that ultimately became the U.S.S.R.

The End…Russia (cont’d) With Vladimir Lenin’s establishment of the U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union, Imperial Russia is no more. After the death of Lenin, Joseph Stalin came to power as the new Premier of the Soviet Union.

The End…The Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire had been long lasting since the Ottoman Turks conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453, but it finally came to an end as a result of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles ended the empire and divided the land into several mandates (assigned territories) instead of independent countries. Before… …After

The Mandate System During World War I, Great Britain and France agreed to divide large portions of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East between themselves. After the war, this “Mandate System” gave Great Britain and France control over the former Ottoman territories that became Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine (all British controlled), as well as Syria and Lebanon ( both French controlled). This division helped to plant the seeds for future problems and conflicts in the Middle East.

The End…The Austro-Hungarian Empire The Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered the same fate as Russia and the Ottomans. As a result of the war, the empire collapsed and was divided up into several smaller, independent countries.

The End…Germany The purpose of the Treaty of Versailles was to weaken Germany and that it did. Not only did Germany have to pay war reparations and downgrade their military, they ended up losing a large amount of land in the process as well.

World Wide Economic Degradation As a result of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, economic and political conditions worsened throughout Europe and eventually the world, leading to a world wide economic depression (a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity). Causes of World Wide Depression: German war reparations Expansion of production capacities and dominance of the United States in the global economy High protective tariffs (taxes on imports and exports) Excessive expansion of credit Stock Market Crash of 1929

World Wide Economic Degradation (cont’d) Impact of World Wide Depression: High unemployment in industrial countries Bank failures and collapse of credit Collapse of prices in world trade Rise of dictatorships, including the Nazi Party and their blame of European Jews for economic collapse

The Cost of War and the End Result In the end, World War I was completely devastating. The cost of the war of enormous. Many people lost their lives as result. The countries and cities of Europe were destroyed due to bombs and trench warfare as well. These devastating results of the war touched everyone through loss of lives, property, and social disruption. Unfortunately, these problems were not resolved through the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty became known as the “peace built on quicksand.” It may have established temporary peace, but it ended up causing more problems than it solved.