The Treaty Of Versailles WORLD WAR I 1914 - 1918 BITTER PEACE The Treaty Of Versailles

Essential Question: What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I?

World War I was fought between the Allies and Central Powers from 1914 to 1918 On November 11, 1918, the German government agreed to an armistice, and the war ended

WOUNDED SOLDIERS RETURN FROM THE FRONT THE BLOODY COST WOUNDED SOLDIERS RETURN FROM THE FRONT

World War I was the largest, deadliest, and most destructive war the world had yet seen 8.5 million soldiers and 13 million civilians died as a result of the war

21 million soldiers were wounded during the war

THE WOUNDED Many of the wounded soldiers were maimed and suffered crippling injuries A combat nurse writes a letter for a wounded soldier

SOLDIERS BLINDED BY POISON GAS

STAGGERING AMOUNT OF DEATH To put this in proper perspective… In the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has lost over 5000 soldiers over the last decade or so In World War I, the Allies alone lost an average of 3500 SOLDIERS PER DAY in just over four years of war

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE GENOCIDE is intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group During the war, the Turks of the Ottoman Empire blamed some of their wartime losses on a group of people living in its borders called the Armenians The Turks used the war as an excuse to commit genocide against the Christian Armenians, a group of people the Muslim Turks had hated for a long time

ARMENIAN WOMAN AND HER CHILDREN MARCHING TO THEIR DEATHS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE The Turks exterminated possibly as many as ONE MILLION Armenian men, women, and children ARMENIAN WOMAN AND HER CHILDREN MARCHING TO THEIR DEATHS

Germany and Turkey were allied in the war; some German soldiers witnessed the systematic way the Turks slaughtered the Armenians

Germany and Turkey were allied in the war; some German soldiers witnessed the systematic way the Turks slaughtered the Armenians

ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS Some of these German soldiers would later become Nazis during World War II

THE SCIENCE OF GENOCIDE ARMENIANS BEHEADED BY TURKISH SOLDIERS These future Nazis learned the “science of genocide” from the Turks and used similar methods when carrying out the Holocaust against the Jews

Homes, farms, towns, and cities were destroyed; the war cost a total of $338 billion and most national treasuries were empty

BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR THE DAMAGE DONE FRENCH CITY OF VERDUN: BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR

PALACE OF JUSTICE IN SENLIS: BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR THE DAMAGE DONE PALACE OF JUSTICE IN SENLIS: BEFORE AND AFTER THE WAR

RUINS OF THE CITY OF YPRES AFTER THE WAR THE DAMAGE DONE RUINS OF THE CITY OF YPRES AFTER THE WAR

RUINS OF THE FRENCH VILLAGE OF VAUX THE DAMAGE DONE RUINS OF THE FRENCH VILLAGE OF VAUX

AND AS IF THAT WEREN’T ENOUGH… At the end of 1918, as the world is still reeling from the war, another disaster strikes; an influenza epidemic spreads around the globe, killing about 30 million people worldwide

In 1919, representatives from 32 nations attended the Paris Peace Conference to write a treaty to end the war The conference was led by the “Big Four”: Britain, France, Italy, and the United States U.S. President Woodrow Wilson French Premier George Clemenceau Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando British Prime Minister David Lloyd George Germany and none of the Central Powers were allowed to attend; Russia (now led by Bolsheviks) could not attend because of how they quit the war

Britain and France wanted to weaken Germany so it could never go to war again Britain and France wanted Germany to accept full blame, pay reparations, and lose all overseas colonies Creating a treaty would not be easy because the major powers had different agendas U.S. President Woodrow Wilson disagreed the these harsh punishments for Germany WILSON AT VERSAILLES, 1919. Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Premier Georges Clemenceau and President Woodrow Wilson at the Versailles Palace during the Treaty Negotiations in 1919. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George French Premier George Clemenceau President Wilson presented his own peace proposal known as the Fourteen Points Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando U.S. President Woodrow Wilson

WILSON’S 14 POINTS Wilson’s peace plan (the 14 Points) was meant to prevent international problems from starting another war

THE 14 POINTS: AN OUTLINE FOR PEACE 9. Change in Italy’s borders 10. Self-government for Austria-Hungary’s peoples 11. Removal of German troops from the Balkans with Serbia gaining access to the sea 12. Independence for Turkey Giving those under Turkish rule the ability to rule themselves 13. Independence for Poland 14. Creation of The League of Nations 1. An end to secret treaties 2. Freedom of the Seas 3. Free trade among nations 4. A reduction of all armies & navies 5. End colonialism 6. Removal of German troops from Russia 7. Removal of German troops from Belgium 8. Removal of German troops from France & the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France

President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, 1918 POINTS 1-5: Wilson hoped to eliminate the causes of WWI and called for an end to secret treaties (alliances), freedom of the seas, eliminating imperial colonies, and reducing national militaries POINTS 6-13: Wilson suggested changing national boundaries, creating new nations, and allowing self-determination so that the people of each nation could decide their own form of government POINT 14: Wilson wanted a League of Nations…

…that would give all nations an opportunity to work out their grievances without resorting to war Wilson hoped that a League of Nations could peacefully negotiate solutions to future conflicts

ALLIES DISAGREE President Wilson favored “peace without victory”, opposing severe punishment for the defeated Central Powers The other Allies, most notably France, wanted revenge on the Central Powers, especially on Germany; France suffered more damage than any other country over the course of the Great War, and wanted vengeance on Germany because of it In the United States, isolationists wanted America to stay out of other nations’ affairs The bottom line result: The Allies reject most of the 14 Points

Britain and France disagreed with so many of the Fourteen Points that Wilson had to compromise These compromises led to an agreement known as the Treaty of Versailles

The major provisions of the Versailles Treaty included: A League of Nations that would serve as an international organization to keep peace among nations The League covenant included an agreement that all member nations would work together to stop future acts of aggression The League also included a Court of International Justice to settle disagreements

Germany had to give up land in Europe and all of its overseas colonies The terms of the treaty severely punished Germany Germany had to give up land in Europe and all of its overseas colonies Germany was forced to sign the “war guilt” clause, accepting all blame for the war and paying $33 billion in reparations to the Allies The German military was reduced to 100,000 troops, six warships, no submarines, and could not manufacture war equipment

Central Europe was redrawn to reduce the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Land was taken from Germany to create Poland; the German-French border was demilitarized to avoid a future invasion In addition, the Treaty of Versailles redrew the map of Europe and the Middle East 33

Several Slavic nations (such as Bosnia and Serbia) combine to form one large new nation (Yugoslavia) 34

New nations were created from territories that Russia gave up when it left the war early The Ottoman Empire was divided; Britain and France gained mandates in the Middle East

A mandate is the authority to administer a country or territory The mandates gave Britain and France control over oil resources in the Middle East 36

CARVING NEW NATIONS FROM OLD EMPIRES AUSTRIA HUNGARY (two main parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are split up) CZECHOSLOVAKIA (taken from Germany and Austria-Hungary) EAST PRUSSIA (a Germanic state now separate from mainland Germany) POLAND (free of Russia and Germany) YUGOSLAVIA (a Slavic nation composed of Serbia, Montenegro, and other Slavic people like Croatians and Bosnians, who are now free from Austria-Hungary)

CARVING NEW NATIONS FROM OLD EMPIRES FINLAND (independent of Russia) ESTONIA (independent of Russia) LATVIA (independent of Russia) LITHUANIA (independent of Germany) IRELAND is now independent of Britain, but… NORTH IRELAND remains under British control The free city of DANZIG is created

BORDER CHANGES TO EXISTING COUNTRIES In war, there are winners and losers The winners expanded their borders while the losers lost land ITALY, ROMANIA, GREECE, and DENMARK expand their borders TURKEY, BULGARIA, GERMANY, and RUSSIA lose territory

NORTH SEA BALTIC SEA ATLANTIC OCEAN MEDITERRANEAN SEA Norway Sweden NORTH SEA Denmark BALTIC SEA Ireland Russia Great Britain Netherlands Belgium Germany Luxembourg ATLANTIC OCEAN Austria-Hungary Switzerland France Romania BLACK SEA Serbia Bulgaria Montenegro Portugal Spain Italy Albania Turkey/Ottoman Empire Greece Sicily MEDITERRANEAN SEA

ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH SEA BALTIC SEA BLACK SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA Finland Norway Estonia North Ireland Sweden NORTH SEA BALTIC SEA Latvia Denmark Lithuania Ireland East Prussia U.S.S.R. Great Britain Netherlands Danzig Poland Germany Belgium ATLANTIC OCEAN Lux Czechoslovakia France Switz. Austria Hungary Romania BLACK SEA Yugoslavia Portugal Bulgaria Italy Spain Turkey Albania Greece Sicily MEDITERRANEAN SEA

On June 28, 1919, Germany and the major Allied Powers signed the Treaty of Versailles and World War I officially came to an end

“Down with the brutal peace!” Most nations celebrated the official end of the Great War Germans protested the harsh terms and resented their own government for giving in and signing the treaty “Down with the brutal peace!” "Down with the Brutal Peace": Mass Demonstration in Berlin's Lustgarten against the Versailles Treaty (1919)

PLANTING THE SEEDS Winston Churchill, Britain’s future Prime Minister, predicted that the harsh terms against Germany would cause conflicts in the future. He called the Treaty of Versailles “monstrous” for its harshness on Germany.

In the United States, reactions to the Treaty of Versailles were mixed According to the U.S. Constitution, only the Senate can approve treaties Many Senators feared that signing the treaty and joining the League would force America to become involved in future foreign wars As a result, the United States never signed the treaty nor joined the League of Nations

Members of the League of Nations (shaded)

World War I was the largest war the world had yet seen and it changed the way future wars were fought Nations used “total war” tactics to commit all their resources to winning; they also drafted soldiers, rationed, and used propaganda New war technologies increased the rates of death and destruction to unprecedented levels The war changed expectations for women and led to voting rights for women in many nations

The physical damage to Europe was enormous World War I was the largest war the world had yet seen and it changed the way future wars were fought 22 million soldiers and civilians died in the war: an entire generation of Europeans was killed The physical damage to Europe was enormous War devastated Europe’s economy; nations had little money to rebuild and few jobs to offer citizens

The terms of the Versailles Treaty caused problems and bitterness in many nations, especially Germany The Treaty of Versailles was said to be a “peace built on quicksand” The treaty did not address the M.A.I.N. causes of WWI The League of Nations did not include the USA; League leaders would do anything to avoid another war High unemployment and desire for revenge would lead to aggressive dictators in the 1920s and 1930s

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS MAN?

CORPORAL ADOLF HITLER Adolf Hitler, who was from Austria, was a soldier for Germany in the Great War. He earned medals for bravery. Hitler was temporarily blinded by poison gas and was recovering in a hospital when news of Germany’s defeat reached him.

GERMANY’S HUMILIATION GUARANTEES FUTURE CONFLICT In his autobiography, Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote about hearing of Germany’s defeat: “The burning in my eyes could not match the hate burning in my heart. From that moment, I knew I should enter politics.” THE SEEDS ARE SOWN FOR AN EVEN BLOODIER CONFLICT

WORLD WAR I and WORLD WAR II: THE SAME WAR? World War I was definitely not “The War To End All Wars” The way this war ended guaranteed a future conflict Only 21 years after World War I ended, World War II would begin Many historians consider WWI and WWII to be the same war, but with an “intermission” World War II would far surpass World War I in terms of death and destruction