Chapter 27 Lesson 3 Notes: The Paris Peace Conference – Jan., 1919

 THE “BIG FOUR” VICTORIOUS ALLIED POWERS: Prime Minister Lloyd George representing Britain Premier Clemenceau representing France

Premier Orlando representing Italy (but angrily leaves early because Italy does not receive the promised land from defeated Austria as Italy had been secretly promised by the Allies at the beginning of the war); President Woodrow Wilson representing the U. S. (Orlando’s absence leaves the “Big Three” to work out the details of the peace conference with their subsequent peace treaties)

 WILSON’S DESIRE FOR A “PEACE OF JUSTICE” IS EMBODIED IN HIS 14 POINTS: no secret treaties freedom of trade and freedom of the seas armament reduction for all countries self-determination: people have right to rule themselves 14th POINT: to establish an international organization called the League of Nations, made up of large and small states, to negotiate conflict rather than go to war

 DEFEATED GERMANY’S TREATY OF VERSAILLES SIGNED BY THE NEWLY FORMED WEIMAR REPUBLIC OF GERMANY: “peace of vengeance” forced upon Germany rather than using President Wilson’s suggestion for a “peace of justice” or a “peace without victory” toward defeated Germany Germany is forced to accept the “war guilt” clause, having to take full responsibility for the war and its aftermath

Germany is forced to accept the “blank check” clause; reparations (amounts of money to be paid for damages caused) are determined later to be $30+ billion Germany must relinquish (turn over) the iron & coal-rich territories called Alsace / Lorraine to France

Germany must relinquish the Polish Corridor along the Baltic Sea to Poland; the purpose for this strategy is to not only give land-locked Poland access to a port called Danzig for trade, but as important, to divide the German population to prevent its future German unity Germany is forbidden to produce any additional war materials

Germany is forbidden to station troops in the Rhineland, a strip of German land next door to France Germany is forced to relinquish the Sudetenland (a moun- tainous region of 3 million Germans) to Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in E. Europe, and again, the purpose is to separate the German population

An Anschluss (union) is forbidden between Germany and Austria

 EX-ALLIED POWER, RUSSIA, IS PUNISHED MOST SEVERELY: Because Communism becomes the most feared political system, the Allies provide a buffer zone between Russia and the rest of Europe by taking Russian lands along the Baltic Sea so that…

former Allied Power, Russia, loses more land than any other belligerent in WW I: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania become independent Baltic states Russia also loses Poland Russia, too, loses more soldiers, its most valuable resource, than any other belligerent as a result of WWI

 UNITED STATES’ INVOLVEMENT IN WORLD AFFAIRS AFTER WW I: returns to a policy of isolationism refuses to join the League of Nations signs 5 separate peace treaties with each of the defeated Central Powers