World war I – Lesson 4 WWI Ends pgs. 285-289

30. Germany’s Last Offense March 1918 attack on Paris Led by Erich Ludendorff, the German’s tried to take advantage of Russia’s withdrawal from the war. German troops were within 50 miles of Paris before they were stopped at the second Battle of the Marne on July 18. By September 1918, with the influx of American troops and hundreds of tanks, Ludendorff realized the war was lost and asked the gov’t for peace.

31. armistice a truce or an agreement to end fighting The Allied Powers refused to make peace with the autocratic rulers of Germany. The German people were tired and angry and formed councils of workers and soldiers who took over civilian and military offices. Emperor William II left the country and the social Democrats created a democratic republic under the leadership of Friedrich Ebert. War was over in Germany and A-H but there great civil unrest in both countries.

32. Woodrow Wilson & Fourteen Points U.S. president and his open plan for lasting peace His proposal included reducing armaments (military forces or weapons) and ensuring self-determination (groups to have their own nations – no empires). He believed WWI was a war on absolutism and militarism.

33. reparations A payment made to the victor by the vanquished (defeated) to cover the costs of war The French premier, Georges Clemenceau, felt that the French people had suffered the most (due to German aggressions) and wanted to see Germany stripped of all weapons, reparations, and a separate Rhineland to act as a buffer between Germany and France.

34. “The Big Three” United States – Woodrow Wilson (est. lasting peace) Georges Clemenceau – France (make Germany pay) David Lloyd George – Great Britain (make Germany pay) They made the most important decisions at the Paris Peace Conference. Germany was not invited to attend and Russia could not be present because of its civil war.

35. League of Nations International peace keeping organization, Jan 25, 1919 This was Wilson’s wish for keeping peace (he believed it could later fix any unfair settlements) but he had to make compromises in order to get it. While the League of Nation’s was Wilson’s plan the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the agreement ultimately weakening Versailles peace settlement. (The U.S. didn’t want to be forced into a conflict that wasn’t their concern.)

36. Treaty of Versailles The treaty to end the war, it consisted of five separate treaties with the defeated nations of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey. The treaty with Germany was the most important. Germany was outraged by the dictated peace but accepted the treaty. They were forced to take responsibility for starting the war, pay reparations, and reduce their army to 100,000 men. Lands taken by Germany during the war were returned or given to others. Treaty of Versailles

* The Legacies of War German and Russia Empires lost considerable territory in Eastern Europe The A-H and Ottoman Empires disappeared Many new nations appear on the map While self determination was the goal it was impossible to achieve because of the mixtures of peoples in Eastern Europe so there were many compromises and many nations left with ethnic minorities that will cause conflict later on.

37. mandates A territory temporarily governed by another country on behalf of the League of nations. Wilson opposed outright annexation of colonial territories and so the mandate system was set up. Although prior to the war Western allies promised to recognize the independence of Arab states once part of the Ottoman Empire.