Chapter 13 Section 4: A Flawed Peace

Chapter 13 Section 4: A Flawed Peace

Main Idea

• After winning the war, the Allies dictated a harsh peace settlement that left many nations feeling betrayed

• Hard feelings left by the peace settlement helped cause World War II

Introduction

• World War I was over

• Terms of peace had not yet been worked out

• Delegates met at the Paris Peace Conference to discuss peace treaties

• The Allied powers struggled to solve their conflicting aims in various peace treaties

The Allies Meet and Debate

• The Big Four hammered out the major decisions of the Paris Peace Conference

• - Woodrow Wilson (US)

• - Georges Clemenceau (France)

• - David Lloyd George (Great Britain)

• - Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

• Russia and Germany were not represented

• The Big Four - George, Orlando, Clemenceau, and Wilson

Wilson’s Plan for Peace

• Before the war ended, Wilson drew up a series of peace proposals - the Fourteen Points

• - Outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace

• First four points – end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduced national armies and navies (all causes of WWI)

• 5th goal – adjusted colonial claims with a fairness to the native people

Self-determination

• 6th – 13th points – specific suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations

• - The guiding idea behind these points was self-determination

• 14th point – proposed a “general association of nations” that would protect all states

• - Peacefully negotiate world conflicts

• - This would become the League of Nations

Open Ended

How would the implementation of Wilson's Fourteen Points create a lasting peace?

The Treaty of Versailles

• Britain and France didn’t want to agree to Wilson’s vision of peace

• - They wanted to make sure Germany was stripped of its war-making power

• The compromise – the Treaty of Versailles

• Signed between Germany and the Allies on June 28,1919 (Germany was forced to sign)

• Created a League of Nations - an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations

The Treaty of Versailles

• Also punished Germany

• - Lost substantial territory, severe restrictions on military operations

• “War Guilt” clause – placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany

• -- Left a legacy of bitterness and hatred in the Germans

• -Pay reparations to Allies - money paid by a defeated nation to compensate for damage or injury during a war

• All of Germany’s territories were managed by the League of Nations

Multiple Select

Why might the European Allies have been more interested in punishing Germany than in creating a lasting peace? Select two answers

• They had suffered greatly in the war (both financially and in terms of lives)

• Britain and France had been punished by Germany in the past and wanted revenge

• The Allies hated Wilson and refused to do anything he wanted

• They wanted to make sure Germany wouldn't be able to attack them in the future

Creation of New Nations

• Western powers signed peace treaties with defeated nations - led to huge land losses for the Central Powers

• New countries created out of the Austro-Hungarian empire: Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia

• Ottomans gave up their entire empire, except present day Turkey

• Russia also suffered losses – Romania and Poland were created out of Russian territory

• Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became independent from Russia

“A Peace Built on Quicksand”

• Treaty of Versailles did little to build a lasting peace

• U.S. was considered to be the dominant nation in the world and rejected the treaty

• Many Americans objected to the agreement and to the League of Nations

• Americans just wanted to stay out of European affairs (isolation)

“A Peace Built on Quicksand”

• Japan and Italy both had entered the war to gain territory

• - Neither gained as much as they wanted

• League of Nations weak because they were not backed by the U.S

• Germans were greatly angered

• Settlements in Versailles were but “a peace built on quicksand”

• - In less than two decades, the treaties’ legacy of bitterness would help plunge the world into another catastrophic war

WWII Preview

• Allies v. Axis 

• - Allies – Great Britain, Soviet Union and U.S

• - Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan

Open Ended

Was the Treaty of Versailles fair? Consider all of the nations involved. Explain your answer.