Reflection

In your groups come up with 3 or 4 points that your country would want for the treaty after the war.

Reflect upon the hardships that your country faced.

CONCLUSIONS AND RESTORING PEACE

After the carnage of WWI.

Americans in War

First Americans landed in France in June 1917 Gen. Pershing kept

his troops back until they could receive more training

Joined an American Expeditionary Force to preserve identity and avoid Allied disagreements over strategy

Spring of 1918

American units helped block against Germans at several battles

Sept. 12, 1918 half a million soldiers and a smaller number of French soldiers overran the German stronghold at Saint-Mihiel in 4 days

Turning the Tide

French offensive stalled Mutinies and desertions

Flanders British offensive, but Germans pushed them

back further from where started Southern Front

Italians lost morale and started to desert

End of Fighting

Spring of 1918 allied troops under French General Ferdinand Foch The Germans mounted their offensive

wanted to split the Allies and drive the British to the sea came to within 37 miles of Paris before being stopped by the

Allies they were low on reserves and morale

the Allies had high morale and high reserves because of the US entering the war the Allied forces pushed the Germans back and slowly one

by one the resistance of the Central Powers fell November 11 at 11am the Germans signed the Armistice The Germans had lost the war while its troops still held territory

from France to the Crimean Peninsula

Restoring Peace

Europe is shattered Millions dead, more wounded Country boundaries changed People looked to President Woodrow Wilson for

hope

What the Germans hoped for

Germany saw that their time had come and they wanted an armistice

They hoped that Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points would be used

Fourteen Points Peace plan whose

terms included international recognition of freedom of the seas and trade, limitations of arms, an end to all secret alliances

Settlements of colonial claims

General assembly of nations created

Restoring Peace

Germany thought that the 14 points would be used in the peace process with them

Britain wanted control of the seas, didn’t want freedom of the seas

France wanted reparations (payment for damages) to be included in any and all peace settlements

Allied leaders didn’t want them (14 points) French Premier Clemenceau “President Wilson

and his 14 points bore me. Even God Almighty has only 10.”

Results

116,500 Americans died 2.2 million Germans died 1.7 million Russians died 1.4 million French died 1.2 million Austro-Hungarians died 1 million British died Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919

Victims literally died in their own bodily fluids 1/50 died, generally ages 20-34 years of age 25 million died world wide

Paris Peace Conference January 1919 delegates

from 27 nations gathered in Paris to work out 5 separate peace treaties know as the Peace of Paris

Representatives from Russia and the Triple Alliance were not invited France and Britain

actually funded against them in the Civil War

Big Four= Pres. Wilson (US), Prime Minister Clemenceau (France), Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Britain), Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

Treaty of Versaille

The Germans had surrendered on the basis of Wilson’s 14 points, not knowing that the other sides had already divided Germany up in secret treaties When Wilson threatened to negotiate peace

on his own, finally Allies agreed to terms Britain refused to hear anything about

freedom of seas, only Germany had to disarm, and a “guilt clause” made the Germans responsible to pay off all war debts

Treaty of Versailles

German Punishments Military

Army reduced, conscription prohibited

Navy limited Forbidden to have an

air force or build weapons of aggression

Territorially Reduced and

restricted Alsace-Lorraine

returned to France Poland established Danzig freed Barred from uniting

with other German speaking peoples

Stripped of colonial possessions

Treaty of Versailles

Economically Pay property damages, costs of the war and

soldiers pensions of the French and British Signed in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles

June 28, 1919 Only 4 of Wilson’s original 14 points and 9

supplemental principles emerged intact in the treaty League of Nations

“It is definitely a guarantee of peace” -Pres. Wilson

Other Settlements

Separate peace treaties signed with Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey Greatest attention was territorial

Broke up Austria and Hungary Austria was left small and economically weak

Italy received from Austria territory near Brenner pass in the Alps

New nations emerged: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia Considered the “cordon sanitaire” or quarantine line France would use it as a buffer against any potential

threat from Russia or Germany

The Battle for the Treaty

While most Americans favored the League of nations, Wilson’s rival (Henry Cabot Lodge) was against it He was afraid the LON would force American

to bend to the will of other nations March 3, 1919 Henry Cabot Lodge was

able to get enough signatures to block the treaty Wilson’s only hope was compromise

He went on campaign across the nation to tell people why it was necessary

In 1919 he gave the best speech of his life, then had a stroke from which he never fully recovered

The Battle for the Treaty

One of the major arguing points was Article X to aid League members, but Wilson refused to accept any changes

March 1920 enough Democrats broke from the president to produce a majority, but not a required 2/3

The Treaty of Versailles was dead in the US. Not until July 1921 did Congress enact a joint resolution ending the war The US which had fought separately from the

allies, made separate peace as well

Legacy of War

Settlement left Europe and the world troubled

Those who fought became the “lost generation”

Peace settlements failed to heal old wounds and opened new ones as well

No freedom of the seas Economic barriers not lowered Only defeated powers were required to

disarm Provisions against Germany were too

harsh to expect reconciliation with Britain and France, but not harsh enough to destroy Germany completely

Assessment

How did/does your country feel as a result of the treaties?

Were there any common goals? Were compromises made? Which country was most pleased with

how the negotiations turned out? Most displeased?

Does your country feel it achieved its most important goals?

Were there any particular impasses or impediments to agreements?

Red Scare

May Day 1919 six months after the war ended mobs in a dozen cities broke up socialist parades, injured hundreds and killed 3 people

Many Americans believed they were under attack by homegrown and foreign-sponsored radicals Menace of radicalism was overblown

Radicals hoped that the success of the Russian Revolution would lead to better feelings in the US Most Americans found the idea of Bolsheviks

threatening

Red Scare

1919 the left split Radical socialists formed the Communist

Labor party Slavic radicals created a separate Communist

party Together they had no more than 40,000

members April 28, 1919 Mayor Hanson received a

small parcel which he thought was from an admirer of his tough patriotism Homemade bomb

20 such packages were sent (including to J. D. Rockafeller, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the postmaster general )

The Bombs

June 2 bombs exploded simultaneously in 8 different cities One demolished the front porch of A. Mitchell

Palmer, the attorney general of the US Bomb thrower was blown to bits but enough of

him remained for identification Italian anarchist from Philadelphia

Americans assumed that an organized conspiracy was being mounted to overthrow the government

Attorney General Palmer

In response to the bombing he launched raids in over 30 cities Invaded private homes, meeting halls, pool

parlors taking several thousand alleged communists into custody without warrants and beating those who resisted

Placed prisoners in jail and over 200 (with no criminal records) were deported to the USSR

NY expelled 5 duly elected Socialists in 1919 Many people denounced the action

“demented radicals”

Palmer predicted an uprising in May, but nothing happened til Sept. Americans saw it as the work of a few demented radicals

35 deaths, 200 injuries