The War’s End And the Aftermath Chapter 12 Section 4 The War’s End And the Aftermath

Revolution in Russia The entry of the U.S. in the war came none too soon for the Allies Russia had been hit hard by the war In March 1917, workers in Petrograd, unable to buy bread, began a protest. Demanding a change in government and an end to the war the Russian people overthrew the czar {Led by Vladimir Lenin, a group of radical Socialists, called the Bolsheviks took control.} In March 1918 the Bolsheviks signed a treaty with the Central Powers that allowed Germany to concentrate their forces on the western front

Vladimir Lenin

Germany’s Last bid for Victory On March 21, 1918, about 1 million German soldiers launched an attack against the Allies, pushing them back yet again General Pershing Agreed to place U.S. troops in the command of Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France It made a difference, after fierce fighting the German advance was halted The Germans put everything into a final assault around Reims, but Allied lines held. Foch ordered a counter attack three days later and were able to push the Germans back

Marshal Ferdinand Foch

Allied Victory Foch seized the initiative and ordered a major attack along the western front, continually pushing the Germans back Allied forces pushed through the Argonne Forest, facing artillery and machine-gun fire the whole way. The Americans suffered 120,000 casualties in the Battle of the Argonne Forest African American troops received a French military honor called the Croix de Guerre, or “Cross of War”, for their bravery and their role in the victory in the Battle of the Argonne Forrest

The Brave Men of the 369th Infantry with their Cross of War metals

Continued…. In the fall of 1918 distention broke out in the German forces German civilians were rioting and demanding food In October, German chancellor finally asked Wilson for a cease fire On November 9th Kaiser Wilhelm gave up the throne The Allies demanded the Germans evacuate Belgium, France and Luxembourg and surrender an enormous amount of military equipment {At 11:00am on November 11th both parties signed the armistice and the cease fire went into effect}

Soldiers on their way to Paris

Wilson’s Fourteen Points Wilson invited a group of scholars to advise him on peace terms. Wilson developed the Fourteen Points, a program for world peace Nine of the points dealt with the issue of self-determination or the right of the people to govern themselves The other points focused on the causes of modern war The final point, the establishment of the League of Nations, was an international body designed to prevent offensive wars The Allies were not enthusiastic about the points, and the Germans rejected the program outright

German Prisoners in a French Prision

The Paris Peace Conference On Dec. 4, 1918, Wilson boarded the USS George Washington for Europe, becoming the first president to cross the Atlantic while in office The peace conference was dominated by the {Big Four which consisted of Wilson: United Stated, David Lloyd George the British Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau the French Premier and Vittorio Orlando the Italian Prime Minister.} After six months of debate they agreed to a peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles took place on June 28, 1919.

Continued…. German colonies and the Ottoman Empire were divided among the Allied nations. Wilson required them to report to the League of Nations though It created the new nations of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia and reestablished Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland France regained the strip between them and Germany And Germany was disarmed and forced to admit full responsibility for the war, and charged billions of dollars in reparations Above all Wilson wanted to make sure the League of Nations was included

The Treaty in the Senate Wilson returned to the U.S. and had to convince the Senate to accept the Treaty of Versailles. He was pretty sure he had the Democratic vote but needed the Republicans to make the 2/3 vote 35 of the 49 Republican Senators said they would consider it if Article 10, which stated that the U.S. would go to war if any League Member needed us, was taken out Wilson refused to compromise the League In Colorado while giving a speech, Wilson collapsed of a near fatal stroke, and was confined to the White House for the remainder of his term

The Global Impact of the War While the U.S. debated the Treaty of Versailles, Europe struggled to recover More than 8.5 million people had died in battle and another 21 million were wounded They experienced food shortages. Also the businesses that did survive could not produce enough to meet demand Arab nations sided with the Allies in hopes of wining independence from the Ottoman Truks. Instead they found themselves living under French and British rule Tensions grew after Britain the Balfour Declaration, which declared British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine

Review Questions This man led a group of radical Socialists, called the Bolsheviks took control of Russia At 11:00am on November 11th both parties signed this and the cease fire went into effect This group consisted of Wilson United Stated, David Lloyd George the British Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau the French Premier and Vittorio Orlando the Italian Prime Minister.