1. The Aftermath

2. Steps Toward Peace
The “war to end all wars” had lasted four long years, and it was now time for peace
The leaders of the victorious nations gathered at the palace in Versailles, outside Paris, to negotiate the terms

3. Wilson’s Plan
Wilson arrived in France with an idealistic vision for peace, including the establishment of a League of Nations

4. - Wilson was praised just about everywhere he went, until he arrived at Versailles - The allied leaders held too much resentment towards Germany to agree to Wilson’s idealistic peace proposal, his “Fourteen Points”, which Wilson had presented to Congress before the end of the war

5. Fourteen Points
The first five points were necessary to prevent another war:
1. No secret treaties among nations
2. Freedom of the seas maintained for all
3. Tariffs and economic barriers should be abolished to promote free trade
4. Arms should be reduced to the lowest safe point
5. Colonial policies should consider the interests of colonial peoples as well as interests of imperialist powers

6. 8 Points
The next eight points dealt with boundary changes, trying to follow historically established boundary lines based on nationality and self- determination

7. League of Nations
Wilson’s 14th and final point called for the creation of a national organization to deal with diplomatic crises, a “League of Nations” – a forum for nations to discuss grievances without having to resort to war

8. League of Nations
Wilson ended up conceding on most of his Fourteen Points in return for the establishment of the League of Nations

9. The peace conference at Versailles did not include:
The Participants
The peace conference at Versailles did not include:
The defeated Central Powers
Russia
Smaller Allied Nations

10. The Participants It did include:
Georges Clemenceau, the French Premier, who had already lived through two German invasions of France
David Lloyd George, British prime minister who was voted into office on the slogan “Make Germany Pay”
Vittorio Orlando, Italian prime minister, who wanted control of Austrian territory as per their agreement during the war, which had flipped Italy to the Allied side
Woodrow Wilson – President of the United States

11. What the Treaty did:
Established 9 new nations from the defeated nations, including Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland
Shifted the boundaries of other nations
Gave 5 areas of the Ottoman Empire to France and Britain as mandates, temporary colonies

12. It also barred Germany from maintaining an army
It also required Germany to give Alsace- Lorraine back to France
It also required Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, of $33 billion to the Allies

13. Treaty Weaknesses
Humiliation of Germany, including forcing them to sign a war- guilt clause, admission of sole responsibility for the start of WWI
Germany’s colonial possessions were taken away, which guaranteed their inability to pay their reparations

14. Though Russia had fought with the Allies and lost more men, they were excluded from the Peace Conference, and lost more territory than Germany did
The treaty ignored the rights of colonized peoples for self- determination

15. Many Americans opposed the Treaty, because:
Opposition
Many Americans opposed the Treaty, because:
It was too harsh
It was a sell out to imperialism, trading one set of colonial rulers for another
Boundaries established did not satisfy all of the ethnic groups

16. The League of Nations sparked debate over:
Whether it would spoil US policy of isolationism
Suspicion over joint economic and military action against aggression
Right of Congress to declare war was not included

17. Uncompromising
Wilson refused to compromise about the League of Nations
On a campaign tour, exclaiming its virtues, Wilson suffered a stroke
The League of Nations was passed through Congress twice, and both times failed to gain enough votes for ratification

18. Legacy of the War
Warren G Harding, the new American President, tried to soothe the American people by advocating a return to “normalcy”
However, the world had been too transformed by war
What things had changed that would never change back?

19. War had changed things in the US, including: - strengthened the military and the government - accelerated changes socially, especially for blacks and women - propaganda had provoked fear and antagonism that had no other outlet

20. War had changed things in Europe, including: - destruction caused severely damaged social and political systems - war created political instability and violence - communism and fascism started to rise