1. THE END OF WWI
PART 2

2. Aftermath of WWI By the Numbers: Estimated cost $338 billion
8.5 million soldiers died
21 million more wounded
Millions of civilians were killed

3. Aftermath of WWI U.S. 117,000 France 1,385,000 Britain 703,000
Russia 1,700,000
Italy ,000
Germany 1,718,000
Austria H 1,200,000

4. Effects of WWI World War I had four main effects:
Millions of lives lost
Countries bankrupted by war
Land, towns, and villages destroyed
“The lost generation”
Those who returned were scared, insecure, desperate, and many questioned the meaning of life

5. The Allies Meet at Versailles
On January 18, 1919 the allies met at the Paris Peace Conference.
32 countries attended but most of
the decisions were made by the
“Big Four”:
United States- Pres. Wilson
France- Georges Clemenceau
Great Britain- David Lloyd George
Italy- Vittorio Orlando
Germany and its allies were not invited.

6. The Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson’s plan to build a lasting peace in Europe
It was a speech that he delivered to Congress in January 8, before the armistice
Some believe it was part of the reason why the Central Powers eventually surrendered. They though the treaty would be a just one and based on Wilson’s 14 points
Very little of the 14 points were added to the final treaty. Britain and France thought it was too easy on Germany
Wilson won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1919 for his efforts

7. The Fourteen Points The key points: End of secret treaties
Freedom of the seas
Free trade
Reduced army and navy sizes
Self-determination
Other points were specific suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations

8. The Allies Dictate a Harsh Peace
Great Britain and France thought the Fourteen Points were too easy on Germany.
Georges Clemenceau (Premier of France) wanted to punish Germany by dismantling their army and making them pay for the war.

9. Discussion Question
What are two reasons that France may have wanted to punish Germany more than the United States did?

10. The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on June 28,1919 (exactly 5 years after the death of the Archduke)
The treaty had four major provisions:

11. The Treaty of Versailles Provision #1
League of Nations:
-International peace organization;
membership included Allied nations as well as 32 other ones
-Germany and Russia were excluded

12. Treaty of Versailles Provision #2
Territorial Losses:
Germany had to return Alsace & Lorraine to France. France’s border was extended to the Rhine River.
Germany had to give up all of its colonies in Africa and the Pacific.

13. Treaty of Versailles Provision #3
Military Restrictions
German army could be no
larger than 100,000.
Germany prohibited from manufacturing or importing weapons or war material.
Germany forbidden to build submarines or air force.

14. Treaty of Versailles Provision #4
War Guilt or War Reparations:
Responsibility for the war
was mainly placed on Germany.
Germany had to pay the Allies over $30 billion to cover the costs of the war
Today’s equivalent: $442 billion US dollars
Germany finally paid off this debt in 2010!
War payments were not only paid in cash, but also resources like coal, steel and intellectual property such as the Aspirin patent (owned by German company Bayer)
Heroin Bayer Advertisement- pre 1904 & Heroin Bottle (Heroin originally sold as a cough medicine)
Heroin was patented by Beyer and lost this patent, along with Aspirin as part of the Treaty of Versailles war guilt clause.

15. The Creation of New Nations
To split up the Central Powers, many new countries were created after WWI
New countries included:
Poland
Czechoslovakia
Yugoslavia

16. A Peace Built on Quicksand
The U.S. ultimately rejected the Treaty of Versailles, didn’t get 2/3 vote of approval in Congress
Many Germans were left with bitterness and hatred
Instead of building a lasting peace, the stage was set for World War II
President Wilson suffered a stroke and could not muster the leadership skills to push for acceptance of the treaty. Many Republicans rejected the treaty for various reasons (Irish Catholics and German Americans thought treaty too sympathetic to British and French, etc.)