PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES WORLD WAR I PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE The Big Four and their objectives France – Georges Clemenceau Wants to severely punish Germany and make sure it is never again a threat Also wants to kill the kaiser and dismember Germany United States – President Woodrow Wilson Wants “peace without victory” States that the war had been fought to “make the world safe for democracy” Wants the treaty to include his Fourteen Points

Great Britain – David Lloyd George Wants to punish Germany, but not totally weaken Germany States he is between “Jesus and Napoleon” Italy – Vittorio Orlando Wants to gain territory Russia, Germany, and the other Central powers not invited

Wilson’s Fourteen Points This is the list of Wilson’s goals for peace End to secret treaties Freedom of the seas and free trade Reduced armies and navies Self-determination = allow people to decide for themselves under what gov’t they wish to live Adjust colonial claims, change borders, and create new nations Also includes a League of Nations – an international organization that would regulate nations and keep global peace

TREATY OF VERSAILLES (JUNE 28, 1919) Extremely harsh on Germany Territorial losses France gets Alsace-Lorraine Loses overseas colonies, which are given to Allied Powers Parts of Germany go to form new nations, such as Poland Military restrictions Limits on army (100,000) and weapons No navy or air force Demilitarized zone along the French border

War guilt Germany assumes sole responsibility for the war Must make reparations = payments made to the victors to cover the costs of the war Amounts to 33 billion dollars League of Nations Germany and Russia are excluded The U.S. also doesn’t join The U.S. Senate refuses to ratify the treaty because it contains the League of Nations They don’t want to get involved in another war World War I was supposed to be a war to end all wars Instead it will be a main cause of World War II

German reaction to Article 238 It is demanded of us that we shall confess ourselves to be along guilty of the war. Such a confession from my lips would be a lie. We are far from declining all responsibility for the fact that this great World War took place or that it was fought in the way that it was. . . But we energetically deny that Germany and its people, who were convinced that they fought a war of defense, were alone guilty. No one would want to assert that the disaster began only at that disastrous moment when the successor of Austria-Hungary fell a victim to murderous hands. In the last fifty years, the imperialism of all European states has chronically poisoned international relations. Policies of retaliation, policies of expansion, and disregard for the right of people to determine their own destiny, have contributed to the European malady which came to a crisis in the World War. The mobilization of Russia deprived statesmen of the opportunity of curing the disease, and placed the issue in the hands of military powers.

Other Treaties Made separate treaties with the other Central Powers Lands of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire broken apart Formed the independent nations of Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Turkey Former Ottoman lands in the Middle East turned into mandates France gets Syria and Lebanon as mandates Britain gets Palestine and Iraq Europeans are only supposed to control the mandates until the territories are able to govern themselves