World War 1 The Aftermath

Blockade ► Allies maintained blockade of Germany after the war ► Food shipments were allowed in but they came slowly ► Blockade was not lifted until the treaty was signed

Treaty of Versailles ► Paris Peace Conference of 1919 ► 440 articles in treaty ► Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting the war ► Germany had to pay heavy economic reparations ► Treaty included a clause to create a League of Nations

Woodrow Wilson and Peace Commission

Influenza Pandemic ► Flu epidemic began in US and was spread to Europe by armed forces personnel ► From US and Europe, it spread around the Globe ► 20 to 40 million deaths ► Stanley Cup Final in 1919 was cancelled due to the death of star defenseman Joe Hall of the Montreal Canadians

Geopolitical and Economic Consequences ► Russia ► Germany ► Austria-Hungary ► Ottoman Empire ► United Kingdom ► United States ► France ► Italy

Russia ► Revolution and Civil War killed 15 million people ► Communist Government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany to end their involvement in the war ► Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia gained Independence ► Lost Bessarabia to Romania

Russia ► Independent states of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were established ► Taken back by the Soviets in 1922

Austria-Hungary ► As the war began to turn, peoples of these states began to lose interest ► Empire began to break up and there were several Declarations of Independence ► Austria and Hungary become separate states ► Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia formed the new Czechoslovakia.

Austria Hungary ► Galicia was transferred to Poland. ► The South Tyrol and Trieste were granted to Italy. ► Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia-Slavonia, Dalmatia, Slovenia, and Vojvodina were joined with Serbia and Montenegro to form the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later Yugoslavia. ► Transylvania became part of Romania.

Ottoman Empire ► Ottoman Government collapsed at war’s end ► Treaty of Sevres divided the empire up among the Entente powers ► France was given mandates over Syria and Lebanon ► Britain was given mandates over Iraq and Palestine ► Italy and Greece were given parts of Anatolia

United Kingdom ► War had been costly for Britain but some of the costs had been offset by new investments ► Many of Britain’s “colonies” developed a stronger sense of independence and their own identity after the war leading to a breakdown of the Old British Empire

United States ► Became “isolationist” after the war ► Experienced a period of economic depression after the war ► Depression was followed by a boom until the stock market crash of 1929 ► During the boom years, ties were made with German business ► This became an embarrassment when the Nazi party came to power in Germany

France ► Alsace Lorraine region was returned ► France sought reparations from Germany after the war and this led to the occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 ► Dawes Plan 1923 – Young plan 1929 ► Pro-Independence groups began forming in colonies

France ► Ferdinand Foch wanted the Rhine river to be the border between France and Germany ► "This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years."

Italy ► With the disintegration of Austria Hungary, Italy’s main rival was reduced to a collection of smaller states ► Italy claimed a number of smaller territories in the treaty and expanded their borders

Europe and Middle East in 1914

Europe and the Middle east in 1919

Other Effects ► Social Trauma ► Remains of Ammunition ► War Memorials ► Tomb of the Unknown Soldier