U.S. History World War I comes to and end Objective 8.02

Objective 8.02 Identify political and military turning points of the war and determine their significance to the outcome of the conflict.

Armistice Truce or “cease fire” ended World War I Germany did not surrender

Wilson’s Goals Make the world safe for democracy Achieve “peace without victory” Wanted to conclude WWI without using military power to crush the opposition

Wilson comes up with a plan Before the war was over, Wilson came up with a plan for a lasting peace after the war. Wilson delivered his 14 Points speech to Congress in January, 1918

Fourteen Points Divided into 3 parts First five were issues that Wilson believed had to be addressed to prevent another war

1st five Points 1. There should be no secret treaties among nations 2. Freedom of the seas should be maintained for all. 3. Tariffs and other economic barriers among nations should be lowered or abolished in order to foster free trade. 4. Arms should be reduced “to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety, thus lessening the possibility of military responses” during diplomatic crises 5. Colonial policies should consider the interests of the colonial peoples as well as the interests of the imperialist powers.

Points 6-13 Dealt with boundary changes Based on principle of self-determination Idea of self-rule for nations Groups that claimed distinct ethnic identities were to form their own nation-states or decide for themselves to what nations they would belong

Fourteenth Point Called for the creation of an international organization to address diplomatic crises League of Nations – would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their grievances without war

Who was negotiating the peace? “The Big Four” Woodrow Wilson – US Georges Clemenceau – France David Lloyd George – Great Britain Vittorio Orlando - Italy

Why was Russia left out of the negotiations? Russian and Bolshevik Revolutions – led to the Russian pullout from the Allied Powers during WWI – caused resentment among the remaining Allies Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Provisions of the Treaty of Versailles Established nine new nations Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia

Provisions of the Treaty of Versailles (continued) Barred Germany from maintaining an army Required Germany to return Alsace-Lorraine to France Required Germany to pay reparations (war damages) - $33 billion to Allies

Treaty’s Weaknesses Humiliated Germany – contained a war-guilt clause – forced Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting war. Did this happen? Germany stripped of colonial possessions Russia (excluded from peace negotiations) – lost more territory than Germany did Ignored claims of self-determination

Opposition to the Treaty Many in the United States were opposed to the Treaty of Versailles Herbert Hoover Economic consequences for Europe Ethnic groups

Many Americans opposed League of Nations Many believed that the League threatened the US foreign policy of isolationism Conservative senators (Henry Cabot Lodge) suspicious of joint military and economic action

Reservationists vs Irreconcilables Wilson refused to make any concessions Wilson put it to the people – they gave it to Republicans Collapsed on a Western tour, eventually had stroke

Failure to ratify Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles U.S. never joined League of Nations, just an official observer

Wrapping up the war Many Americans wanted a “Return to Normalcy” Warren G. Harding - 1920

Domestic Consequences of WWI p. 609 Accelerated America’s emergence as the world’s greatest industrial power Contributed to the movement of African-Americans to Northern cities (the Great Migration) Intensified anti-immigrant and anti-radical sentiments among mainstream Americans Brought over 1 million women into the work force

Unresolved issues in Europe from the “War to End All Wars” Treaty of Versailles settled nothing Austrian Adolf Hitler wrote about mistreatment in the Treaty…

17th Amendment Direct Election of Senators

18th Amendment Prohibition

19th Amendment Women’s suffrage