Meanwhile, in central Europe....

The Treaty of Versailles

The Who’s and What’s

The Big Four at the Paris Peace Talks (1919)

• Woodrow Wilson - President, United States

• Georges Clemenseau - Premier of France

• David Lloyd George - Prime Minister of Britain

• Vittorio Orlando – Foreign Minister of Italy

Woodrow Wilson

• Idealist - thought WWI would be “war to end all wars”

• Fourteen Points (plan for lasting peace)– self-determination– peace without victory– disarmament– fair treatment of colonial peoples– League of Nations

Georges Clemenceau

• France had been destroyed in WWI– wanted protection from further German attacks – get rid of German military– make Germany pay for war

David Lloyd George

• Most afraid of German u-boats– wanted to get rid of German navy– wanted German colonies– wanted to get paid for losses

Vittorio Orlando

• Italy entered war because Britain promised to give them cities in Austria.– Was given Tyrol and Trieste– demanded more but when others refused he

walked out.– The Big Four became the Big Three

Treaty of Versailles

• 1919 Weimar Republic, German democratic government, was forced to sign it.

War Reparations• 226 billion 1918 marks (German currency)• In 1921 it was reduced to 132 billion marks,

equal to 31.4 billion US ($445 billion in 2014).

Germany Disarmed

• 100,000 soldiers• 6 warships• no planes• no submarines

●The Allies occupy German Rhineland

●Bordered Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg

●Industrial and coal mining region

War Guilt Clause

• Germany must accept full blame for starting the war, and for all damage.

War Guilt Clause

How could this be taken by the Germans in contrast with President Wilson's 14 points?

War Guilt Clause

● The most hated part of the treaty.

Mandate system

• Mandates - colonies of former Central Powers to be given to Allied nations

• To be given their independence sometime in future.

• From Ottoman Empire:– Syria, Lebanon (France)– Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine

(Britain)

German Colonies Transferred●Asia-Pacific split between Japan (north of the equator) and Australia (south)●Africa split between France, Britain, and Belgium ….................................and a tiny slice for Portugal

German Colonies Transferred

Italy gets no new colonies

European Borders changed

• New countries– Austria and Hungary split– Yugoslavia – Czechoslovakia– Poland (Polish corridor split Germany in two)– Latvia– Estonia– Finland

International Reaction to the Treaty

● France thinks it wasn't harsh enough

● British public opinion mixed but mostly positive

● U.S. President Wilson satisfied but Congress refuses to ratify it, or to join the League of Nations

● Italy, Japan and China upset - Japan wanted more of China, China wanted more autonomy (they all join League of Nations anyway)

It was signed and went into effect, but...

International Reaction to the Treaty

●Russian communism was the 'Elephant In The Room'

●The Allies slowly, quietly let Germany get out of many of the Treaty's terms – they didn't want the Weimar Republic to go Communist

●Many in Germany remained angry and nationalistic

It was signed and went into effect, but...

“This is not peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years.”

--French Marshal Ferdinand Foch