1. The Legacy of War

2. The First World War Known as the ‘the war to end all wars’
Hostilities of WW1 ended with the signing of an armistice on Nov.11, 1918
Agreement amongst warring countries to stop fighting and move to a peace conference

4. Legacy of War
Early next year, delegates from the belligerents (countries who participated in the war) met in Paris to discuss the terms of peace
Victors of the war set the terms of peace

5. Legacy of War The task was daunting
Peacemakers wanted to design an international system to make another war unlikely

6. Building the Peace Fourteen Points
President Woodrow Wilson of the US, released a document called the fourteen points
Originally released to convince the American public that the sacrifices made during the war were justified

7. Woodrow Wilson

8. Fourteen Points
President Wilson then took these same fourteen points to the Paris Peace Conference.
Tried to convince the Europeans that these points could be the foundation for a lasting peace.
The points were organized into two categories

9. Group One
Points were a new idea about how countries should work together.
Idea was called Internationalism
For internationalism to work countries would have to put aside selfish feelings (nationalism)
Ethnic groups would be allowed to create new countries based on nationalist desires

10. Group 2
Points explained how the lands that Germany conquered should be dealt with
Points referred to the ethnic desires of the people living in Central and Eastern Europe.
Would give Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, and Poles a homeland.
These people given their own country, and must be fair to avoid more conflicts.
Austria-Hungary empire would no longer exist

11. The Paris Peace Conferences – The Treaty of Versailles
Possibly most important international agreement of the 20th century
Representatives from Allied Powers met at the Paris Peace Conferences to decide what would happen to the defeated countries
Very difficult to do, wanted to prevent another war from occurring

12. Paris Peace Conference
Realism vs. Idealism
Realists believed Germany should be dealt with very harshly so they would physically not be able to go to war again
Idealists argued that punishing Germany would cause the Germans to become bitter and may cause them to seek revenge

13. Realism vs Idealism President Woodrow Wilson (US) was an idealist
Prime Minister Georges Clemensceau (France) was a realist
These two represented the two sides at the conference

14. Realist France
Because France was located next to Germany, they wanted Germany to be crippled/dismantled.
France wanted Germany to pay for all the damage they caused during the war
Paying for these damages was called reparations

15. Neutral Britain
Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Britain fell between idealism and realism
Wanted revenge on Germany
But didn’t want to cripple them because they wanted to trade with them in the future

16. The Treaty of Versailles
In the end, the treaty that was signed was a compromise between both sides.
Arguably the worst of both
Two very important ideas emerged
1. Self-determination
2. The War Guilt Clause

17. Self-Determination
Self-Determination meant that ethnic groups could vote on the issue of whom they would prefer to live with or be governed by
To implement self-determination each ethnic group in Europe had to have their own homeland

18. Self-Determination
Finding land for each ethnic group was extremely difficult, and the borders of European countries already existed, making it much harder
Two new states (countries) were created
Czechoslovakia
Yugoslavia

19. Self-Determination

20. Self-Determination
President Wilson didn’t expect that German people would have right to self-determination
Many significant groups were not given a homeland, but were forced to live in another country

21. Self-Determination
Unfulfilled self-determination led to future conflict (as we will see)
Some exceptions were
Sudetan Germans in Czechoslovakia
1 million Poles in Czechoslovakia
Germans in Polish corridor
50-50 split of Germans and French people in Alsace-Lorraine
The Irish

22. Polish Corridor

23. The War Guilt Clause
The War Guilt Clause stated that Germany alone must accept responsibility for causing the war
Included to justify the punishments the allies wanted to place against Germany

24. The War Guilt Clause

25. The War Guilt Clause Caused No protests worked Germans to protest
German Chancellor to resign
German sailors scuttled (sank) the German fleet so the Allies couldn’t have them
No protests worked
Germans had to sign the Treaty of Versailles or the Allies would resume hostilities (fighting)

26. The War Guilt Clause

27. Summary of Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
1. The War Guilt Clause
2. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
3. Poland was given a strip of land (from Germany) to give them access to the sea - called the Polish Corridor
4. Germans and other central powers had to surrender all of their colonies to the League of Nations

28. Alsace-Lorraine

29. Europe 1914

30. Europe 1919

31. Summary of Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
5. German army was limited to 100,000 men, navy also very restricted in size
6. Germany also forced to surrender entire merchant fleet to compensate for Allies shipping losses during the war

32. Summary of Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
7. West bank of Rhine River Valley (on border of France and Germany) was to be demilitarized.
Allied armies occupied this bank for 15 years after WW1.
Rhineland area known as a ‘buffer zone’ since Germany was not allowed to have military activity in this area

33. Europe 1919

34. Summary of Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
8. Union between Austria and Germany was forbidden
9. The constitution of the League of Nations was to be included as part of the treaty

35. Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles had many shortcomings
These problems helped cause WW2

36. Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
Examples
groups left without a homeland kept a strong feeling of nationalism that can lead people to war
Germans were angry that they were blamed for the war, and left so crippled after the Treaty of Versailles.
Forced to pay extreme penalties for ‘starting the war’

37. Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler will use his view point of the treaty to gain support and to get help overthrowing the German government.
Treaty that ended WW1 was a major cause of WW2