 Argument over whether the US troops should be its own army or scattered amongst the French and British troops  General John J. Pershing was against scattering the soldiers and also demanded giving the volunteers training before fighting  He was allowed to give 3 months of intense training

 November 1917 the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian government led by Vladimir Lenin  Communist- equal distribution of wealth and the end of all forms of private property (2)  Russia was falling apart both militarily and economically (3) ◦ 8 million Russians had died or were ruined during the war ◦ Soldiers were deserting ◦ Food riots raged because of lack of food (which was saved for the soldiers)

 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was between Russia and the Central Power  A Civil War broke out between the Communists and the czar (monarchy) supporters  The Allies sent aid to support the czar supporters, but Russia was out of the war.

 Because of Russia’s removal, Germany was able to send all their troops from the eastern front to the western front in an attempt to smash the Western front  While Germany was pushing forward, the US forces finally joined the fight  March 21, Germany began to attack blasting 6,000 heavy guns at Allied troops along the Somme River

 Germany drove 40 miles into the Allied lines  They attacked the Marne River and were able to push forward to Paris  However, the Americans joined the French, and added energy and vigor, which the Germans weren’t expecting  Germans were stopped 50 miles from Paris, and the Allies were able to slowly drive them back

 Convoy system- Protected shipping, the merchant ships began to travel in groups with destroyers protecting them (6)  July 1918 the Germans made a last ditch attempt to get to Paris across the Marne River, but were pushed back  September the Allies won battles at Saint Mihiel on the border of France and Germany and also along the Meurse River and in the Argonne Forest near the Belgium border

 November Allies were making rapid advances to Germany  Examples of US bravery ◦ Alvin York- October killed 25 and captured 132 prisoners (5) ◦ Harlem Hellfighters- African American soldiers of the 269 th Infantry saw the most combat time of the American soldiers and were the first the reach the Rhine River/German Border ◦ Because of this the were awarded the Cross of War by the French

 Germany tired of war  Food was scarce (800 civilians died each day from starvation)  Food strikes and riots occurred  Running out of soldiers (killed, wounded, and captured)  Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire surrendered in the Fall of 1918  Austria-Hungary signed peace agreement on November 3  Kaiser Wilhelm II (Leader of Germany) gave up his throne and fled to the Netherlands  The fighting officially ended the 11 th hour of the 11 th day of the 11 th month of 1918

 Massive Casualties ◦ Entire generation of young men are dead ◦ Total: 8.5 million, 5 million Allied, 3.5 million Central Powers ◦ France- 90% of their young men served in WWI, and 7 out of 10 were killed or wounded ◦ US- 116,000 dead and 200,000 wounded

 Financial Disaster to much of Europe ◦ Factories and Farmland is in ruins ◦ $30 billion worth of property was destroyed ◦ Allies spent $145 billion on the war ◦ Central Powers spent $63 billion on the war ◦ EVERYONE is in debt

 1918 worldwide epidemic  Was around for 2 years  Killed approx. 30 million people- more than the War itself  Started in a Kansas Army Training camp, and spread rapidly  Went from soldiers to civilians and eventually to Europe  Killed many who were young and strong (that were left from the war)  Quarantines were attempted to stop the spread- no public gatherings (including school classes)- were instituted in many places

 Wilson’s Fourteen Points (11) ◦ Specific proposals for postwar peace  Points would settle national border disputes, military cutbacks, lower tariffs, banned secret agreements, and allowed for self-determination (settlement for colonial people who wished to be independent- i.e. no longer a colony, and chose their own political status)  Last (and biggest) Idea was the League of Nations- which was an international assembly of nations whose focus was to settle international disputes and encourage democracy (12)  Only point agreed to in the peace treaty was the League of Nations

 Only France, UK, Italy, and the US were allowed to attend- no one from Russia or the Central Powers (13)  Allied leaders defended their own interests and wanted to severely punish Germany  War Guilt Clause- demanded that Germany take entire blame for WWI (14)  Demanded reparations (money to the winners)  Took large parts of Germany’s territory- both colonies and parts of actual Germany  Limited Germany’s military

 Signed by France, Britain, and Italy  League of Nations was established  Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia became their own countries  Central Powers turned their colonies over to League of Nations who assigned them to the other European Countries  Wilson reluctantly agreed to it hoping that while the other points were rejected, that the League of nations would solve the remaining problems

 Do you think that there would be any future problems that come because of the Treaty of Versailles?

 Constitutionally, the US Senate still had to ratify the Versailles Treaty before it was official for the US  Wilson could not get 2/3rds of the Senate to agree to ratify  Republicans dissatisfied with the fact that Germany agreed to it ◦ “No peace that satisfies Germany in any degree can ever satisfy us”  Demanded changes to the Treaty (mainly to League of Nations ability to use military force) before ratification

 Wilson refused to compromise and tried to pressure the Republicans  Wilson demanded that the Democrats not agree to the changes  Neither party would compromise, and the Treaty of Versailles was defeated  US made separate peace treaties with each of the Central Powers and never joined the League of Nations (15)