Aim: Was WWI worth the human and financial costs?
World War I Casualties by nation Casualty = dead, missing, wound Mobilized Forces = soldiers fighting
Aim: How did World War I end, and how could it have ended better? (Spoiler Alert: The Allies “win” and the Central Powers “lose”)
1917 – Russia drops out of the war because of a revolution back at home 1918 – Treaty of Brest-Litvosk (Separate peace with Germany)
War of Attrition: Getting nowhere IDEALISM of US President Woodrow Wilson: The Fourteen Points (Wilson’s Plan for the Post-War World): January 1918
14 Points: Cliff’s Notes Self-Determination (decide your own government) Ottoman Empire and A-H Empire break up into small independent countries (independence for people in the Balkans!) Permanent Peace League of Nations No secret alliances Open navigation of the seas
Armistice Compiègne, France, 11AM, 11/11/1918 Germany waves the white flag No decisive victory NOT the peace treaty
Paris Peace Conference: Treaty of Versailles The Big Four: Woodrow Wilson (US): Idealism/14 Points Vittorio Orlando (IT): Land from A-H David Lloyd George (GB): Payment from the Central Powers, specifically Germany Georges Clemenceau (FR): CRUSH AND CRIPPLE Germany economically and militarily (his nickname was “the Tiger”)
Could the war have been settled better? Who’s fault is it? Article 231: War Guilt Clause Article 232: Reparations Clause