Chapter 27 – World War I and Its Aftermath Section 5 – Making the Peace

Setting the Scene Just weeks after the Great War ended, President Wilson boarded a steamship bound for France. He had decided to go in person to Paris, where Allied leaders would make the peace. Wilson was certain that he could solve the problems of old Europe. "Tell me what is right," Wilson urged his advisers, "and I'll fight for it." Sadly, it would not be that easy. Europe was a shattered continent. Its problems, and those of the world, would not be solved at the Paris Peace Conference, or for many years afterward.

I. The Costs of War More than 8.5 million people were dead and over 21 million had been wounded Let us use arithmetic for World War I – 9,000,000 dead young men equal 1,350,000,000 pounds of bone and flesh 27,900,000 pounds of brain matter 11,250,000 gallons of blood 414,000,000 years of life that will never be lived 22,500,000 children who will never be born The dry if imposing figure "9,000,000 dead" seems a little less statistical when we view it from this perspective. Dalton Trumbo, author of Johnny Got His Gun

I. The Costs of War The devastation was made worse in 1918 by the influenza pandemic, which killed more than 20 million Emergency hospital during influenza epidemic, Camp Funston, Kansas

I. The Costs of War The costs of rebuilding and paying off war debts were huge, and famine threatened many regions Ypres, France

I. The Costs of War Governments collapsed in Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman empire

I. The Costs of War Unrest swept through Europe's colonies, who had hoped for independence

II. The Paris Peace Conference Woodrow Wilson’s talk of self-determination and democracy raised hopes for a just and lasting peace

II. The Paris Peace Conference Wilson urged "peace without victory," and wanted the Fourteen Points to be the basis of the peace Representatives at the Paris Peace Conference included, left to right, British prime minister Lloyd George, Italian foreign minister Giorgio Sonnino, French premier Georges Clemenceau, and U.S. president Woodrow Wilson

II. The Paris Peace Conference British PM David Lloyd George knew his people demanded harsh treatment for Germany

II. The Paris Peace Conference French leader Georges Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany so it could never threaten France again

III. The Treaty of Versailles In June 1919 at Versailles, the Germans were ordered to sign the treaty drawn up by the Allies

III. The Treaty of Versailles Germany was forced to assume full blame for causing the war and pay reparations totaling over $30 billion

III. The Treaty of Versailles The treaty limited the size of the German military, returned Alsace and Lorraine to France, and stripped Germany of its colonies Lady Germania chained to a torture pole. German political picture, June 1919.

III. The Treaty of Versailles New nations included the Baltic states, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and Poland regained independence

III. The Treaty of Versailles In the colonies, the treaties created a system of mandates administered by western powers League of Nations Mandate - Middle East & Africa

III. The Treaty of Versailles More than 40 nations joined the League of Nations and agreed to negotiate disputes rather than resort to war