 1915: Tsar Nicholas takes command of the army  Political vacuum in St. Petersburg  Provincial government created  Tsar steps down & eventually murdered 2 Cossacks slaughter people of Odessa, 1905

 Provisional government was short-lived  Lenin and the Soviets assume power  Treaty of Brest- Litovsk: Russia withdraws from WWI 3 Lenin at the Second Congress of the Soviets, 1917

 The US armed forces trained for 3 months before sending troops to aid Britain and France.  In March 1918, Russia withdrew from the fighting after 1.8 million Russians were dead and wounded.  After the U.S. entered the war, it was quickly over. The allies defeated the Germans on land and sea. › Many Americans, including African Americans, were regarded as heroes and awarded medals of honor for their service in the war.  Germany was out of soldiers and food.

 The Central Powers were eager to get out of the war.  The Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria withdrew in the fall of Then Austria-Hungary signed a peace agreement with the Allies.  Finally, Germany agreed to an armistice, or truce, On 11/11/1918 at 11:00am. (Veteran’s Day)

 November 11, 1918  Temporary agreement to stop fighting  Peace negotiations and treaty followed 6 Crowds of people celebrating the armistice

 Over 8 million people were dead and over 20 million were wounded.  The US suffered over 116,000 deaths.  Many European countries had borrowed money to fund the war and now they were in debt.  The total cost was over $200 billion.  US businesses had a huge boost from the war and many countries owed the US billions of dollars.

Central Powers 8 Allied Powers A British first aid station near Cambrae, 1918

9 Central PowersAllied Powers German soldier lies dead next to his machine gun

 “Big Three” ( U.S., France, & England )  27 countries participated  Defeated powers were not invited  Six months to reach treaty agreement on Germany 10 The “Big Three + 1” at the Paris Peace Conference Paris Peace Conference, 1919

 Wilson wanted to prevent another World War from happening.  He made a list of specific proposals for postwar peace and called it Wilson’s Fourteen Points. › Some points settled national border disputes, Military cutbacks, Lower tariffs, and banning secret agreements  The last point called for the creation of the League of Nations, an assembly of nations whose goals would be to promote democracy and settle international disputes.

 European countries rejected the Fourteen Points, because they wanted Germany to pay.  Many Allied leaders met at a peace conference and drafted the Treaty of Versailles, the peace settlement of WWI.  Terms of the treaty: › Germany was held responsible for the war and forced to pay $33 billion in damages. › German Military was limited to 100,000. › European boundaries were redrawn. Much of Germany was given to other countries and many territories became independent. The Ottoman Empire was broken up. › The League of Nations was created and Wilson thought this would solve some of the international problems. › Germany resented the treaty, and they would never forget or forgive.

June 28, 1919: Weimar Republic signed treaty in utter defeat 13 Yugoslav delegates at Paris Peace Conference Hall of Mirrors during the peace signing

 The US Constitution requires a 2/3 vote by the Senate on all treaties.  The Republicans in the US rejected the League of Nation’s power to use military force because it interfered with Congress’ power to declare war.  Wilson refused to negotiate and wanted the treaty accepted exactly as it was.  When the Senate voted, the treaty was defeated.  The US signed separate treaties with Austria, Hungary, and Germany. They never joined the League of Nations.

 Ireland  Poland  Division of Austria-Hungary 1. Austria 2. Hungary 3. Czechoslovakia 4. Yugoslavia 5. Other portions went to Romania, Poland, and Italy 15 Sinn Fein members in British Parliament, 1918

Europe 1914Europe 1918

 Return to isolationism – didn’t want to be involved in European affairs again  Americans feared a communist revolution like in Russia – Red Scare  Anti-socialist, anti- communist  The Palmer raids – Led raids on suspected radicals in U.S.  Great Depression – became even more isolationist to focus on our own economic problems 17 U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer