1. The End of World War I

2. The Last Year of the War
1917 had been a bad year for the Allied forces
Offenses on the Western Front had been badly defeated
Russian Revolution led to Russia leaving the war
Entry of the United States gave the Allied forces the psychological boost and supplies they needed to carry on the war effort

3. New German Offensive
German was encouraged by the withdrawal of Russia from the war
Erich Ludendorff  a military strategist who came up with idea to have a large offensive in the west to break the stalemate
Attack launched in March 1918
German forces stopped at the Second Battle of Marne on July 18
French, Moroccan, and American troops pushed the Germans back across the Marne

4. New German Offensive Second Battle of Somme  August 8
“August 8 was the black day of German history of this war” – Ludendorff
One million American troops came into France and began an advance towards Germany
September 29, 1918  Ludendorff told German leaders that the war was lost and to ask for peace at once

5. Collapse and Armistice
Germans found the Allies unwilling to peace with the autocratic and imperial government of Germany
November 3, 1918  sailors in Kiel, Germany mutinied
Emperor Wilhelm II gave in to public demands and left the nation on November 9
Friedrich Ebert announced the creation of a democratic republic in Germany
November 11, 1918  an armistice, or a trust or agreement to end the fighting, was signed by the new German government

6. Revolutionary Forces
A group of radical socialists, unhappy with the reforms of the party in charge, formed as the German Communist Party in December 1918
Communists tried to seize power in Berlin
Social Democratic government crushed rebellion and murdered Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht (leaders of the Communist Party)
Left middle class with a deep fear of communism
Austria-Hungary experienced disintegration and revolution
Empire broken into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia

7. Peace Settlements
January 1919, representations of 27 Allied nations met in Paris to make an official settlement of World War I
Reasons for fighting the war had changed from the beginning of the war to the end
1914: territories
1918: idealistic reasons

8. Wilson’s Proposals
Wilson outlined his “fourteen points” to the United States Congress
Reaching peace agreements openly rather than through secret diplomacy
Reducing armaments (military forces)
Ensuring self-determination
Believed that absolutism and militarism were the enemies of liberty
Wilson called for a new world order based on democracy and international cooperation

9. Paris Peace Conference
Secret agreements and treaties made before the war had led to the belief of territorial gains
David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of Britain, had won his position on the promise of making the Germans pay for the war
Georges Clemenceau, Premier of France, wanted revenge against the Germans for the suffering of the French people
Wanted security against future German attacks
Germany should be stripped of all weapons and reparations (large payments) should be made to cover the cost of the war
Separate Rhineland should be established as a buffer state between France and Germany

10. Paris Peace Conference
Big Four Powers  Great Britain, France, United States, and Italy
Made almost all of the decision about peace agreements
Germany was not invited to attend
Russia could not attend because of the civil war
Wilson wanted to create the League of Nations to prevent future wars
Clemenceau and Lloyd George wanted to punish Germany

11. Council of Four at the Versailles Peace Conference: Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Georges Clemenceau, President Woodrow Wilson

12. Paris Peace Conference
January 25, 1919  conference accepted the idea of the League of Nations
Wilson agreed to make compromises over territorial gains
Clemenceau compromised by giving up the separate Rhineland for a defensive alliance with Britain and the United States
US Senate refused to ratify the agreement, which weakened the Versailles peace settlement

13. Treaty of Versailles
Final peace settlement was made up of five separate treaties with Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey
Treaty of Versailles with the Germans was most important
War Guilt Clause  declared Germans were responsible for starting the war
Germany had to pay reparations for all damages to the Allied powers
Germany must reduce army to 100,000 men, cut back its navy, and eliminate its air force
Alsace and Lorraine would be given back to France
Sections of east Germany would be given to the new Polish state
Demilitarized zone along the Rhine River

14. New Maps of Europe
Treaties made after the war redrew the map of eastern Europe
Germany and Russia lost much territory
Austro-Hungarian Empire disappeared
New countries developed from these lost lands:
Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary
Romania gained new lands and Yugoslavia combined Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes

17. Legacies of War
Almost every eastern European nation was left with ethnic minorities
Germans in Poland; Hungarians, Poles, and Germans in Czech.; Hungarians in Romania; Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in Macedonia; Albanians in Yugoslavia
Ottoman Empire had been broken up after the war
Allied powers had promised Arab nations recognition after the war
But, France still controlled Syria and Britain controlled Palestine and Iraq

18. Mandate System Territories in the Middle East became known as Mandates
In this system, a nation officially governed a territory on a temporary basis as a mandate on behalf of the League of Nations
Nation did not own the territory

19. Impact of War Shattered liberal, rational society in Europe
Deaths of almost 10 million people, along with the destruction caused by war, undermined the progress previously made
Powers of government over people increased following the war
Personal freedoms were limited
Strong central authorities became common