Stalemate  By 1917 both sides were fighting a defensive war  Neither could put together a massive attack  Trench warfare was wearing on the soldiers health and morale  Mutinies in French, British, and German armies

Trench warfare

Russia exits war  Political problems in Russia  People hate the Russian czar  Russian revolution removes the czar  Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed in 1918 to end the war between Russia and Germany  Russia gives up a massive amount of land

Germany’s breakdown  Failure at the 2 nd battle of the Marne (July-August 1918)  Turning point for allies  They began to have food shortages and soldiers were losing willingness to fight

Armistice  An armistice is an agreement between parties to stop fighting before a treaty is composed  Germany agrees to an armistice on November 11, 1918  The allies win (Great Britain, France, and the U.S.)  The central powers lose ( Germany, Belgium, Austria- Hungary)

Paris Peace Conference  Delegates from nations all over the world meet in Paris to negotiate the terms of the peace treaty  Russia and Germany were not invited to attend  Purpose of the conference was to negotiate a lasting peace to avoid a war of this magnitude from ever happening again

The Big 4 1.The United States: represented by President Wilson 2. Great Britain: represented by Prime Minister David Lloyd George 3.France: represented by Georges Clemenceau 4.Italy: represented by Vittorio Orlando

Goals of the Big 4  France  Security  Revenge  Great Britain  Balance of power  Remove threat of German navy  Italy  Gain territory  United States  Advocate Wilson’s 14 points  Create League of Nations

Wilson’s 14 points and League of Nations  An outline to maintain peace after WWI  Promote free trade  Promote freedom of the seas  No secret alliances  League of Nations will act as a governing world body

Treaty of Versailles  Signed on June 28, 1919  Germany was forced to pay allies $33 billion in reparations to the allies over 30 years  Germany was forced to take full responsibility for the war  Germany’s military is limited  Germany loses territory

Germany after the Treaty of Versailles

Results of peace treaty  Germany, Russia, Italy, and Japan feel cheated by peace treaty  U.S. becomes more isolationist  Large reparations destroy German economy  The stage is set for WWII

WWI’s effects on Texas  Soldiers were offered new experiences in Europe  Many were eager to find better lives after their serviec  Women helped with the war effort as nurses, factory workers, and farmers  Ranchers had prospered because Texans had produced products like cotton and wool for tents and uniforms for the military  After the war cotton prices fell

Effects continued..  Texas was on it’s way to becoming an urban state  Many were moving away from the rural countryside  School attendance laws became more strict and there was greater enforcement of child labor laws  Fewer children worked outside the home