World War I A Flawed Peace and The Legacy of the Great War

After winning the war, the Allies dictated a harsh peace settlement that angered many nations. Hard feelings left by the peace settlement helped cause WWII.

The Paris Peace Conference January 18, 1919 at the Palace of Versailles, France – delegates of 32 nations attended. Russia and Germany Excluded. The Big Four - Woodrow Wilson (US), Georges Clemenceau (France), Davis Lloyd George (Britain), and Vittorio Orlando (Italy). Wilson’s Fourteen Points – Wilson’s proposals to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Wilson’s Fourteen Points The first four points included an end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduced national armies and navies. The fifth goal was the adjustment of colonial claims with fairness toward colonial peoples. The sixth through thirteenth points were specific suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations. Point 14, an international organization that could negotiate solutions to world conflict.

The Allies Dictated a Harsh Peace Treaty of Versailles German Punishment – Germany lost land, had to adhere to military restrictions, had to admit war guilt and pay reparations totaling $33 billion dollars. The League of Nations – International peace-keeping organization. Germany and Russia excluded.

The Creation of New Nations Austro-Hungarian Empire – Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Ottoman Empire reduced to present day Turkey. Mandate System – Palestine, Iraq, and Transjordan came under British control, Syria and Lebanon controlled by France. Russia lost territory – Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became independent nations. Romania gained Russian territory.

“A Peace Built on Quicksand” U.S. Refused to Sign Treaty of Versailles War-guilt clause left Germans embittered and impoverished. Colonies in Africa and Asia angered by mandate system. Japan and Italy had hoped to gain more territory League of Nations ineffective, World War II

The Legacy of The Great War Total War The War’s Extreme Cost Human Cost – 8.5 million soldiers died, 21 million wounded. Millions of civilians killed due to starvation, disease, and flu epidemic. Monetary Cost - $338 billion – destroyed landscape/farmland ‘The Lost Generation’ – Insecurity and despair dominated art and literature of the time. World War I would haunt future generations for years to come, one of its more immediate impacts was to help ignite the Russian Revolution.