1. What were the causes of WW1? (hint “isms”)
Warm-Up
What were the causes of WW1?
(hint “isms”)
- Imperialism- Getting colonies
- Militarism- Pride in military
- Nationalism- Thinking your country is better than everyone else
- Alliances- Offensive pacts – “you go to war, I go to war”

2. Who’s To Blame? Britain was in a power race with Germany
“The world needed a great statesman to keep them out of war, but no such statesman existed”
Britain was in a power race with Germany
Germany was a growing nation trying to prove it’s worth
France was worried about it’s declining importance on the international stage
Russia, Austria Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were old empires, fighting against new ideas

3. Lets write a summary:
At this point what do you understand about WHY the world went to war?

4. The Schlieffen Plan- Germany
France was identified as the German Empire’s most dangerous opponent
The Plan:
Attack France first, going through Belgium
6 Weeks
Once France was in hand, use the strong railway system to move troops to the Russian front
The Schlieffen Plan was daring but it had a number of glaring weaknesses:
The actions of Russia determined when Germany would have to start her attack on France even if she was ready or not.
It assumed that Russia would need six weeks to mobilizes.
It assumed that Germany would defeat France in less than six weeks.
In fact, the attack in August 1914 nearly succeeded and was only defeated by the first Battle of the Marne. Poor communication between the frontline commanders and the army's headquarters in Berlin did not help Moltke's control of the campaign. Also the withdrawal of German troops in response to a higher than expected threat on the Russian front, meant that the Germans did not have the military clout that Schlieffen had built into his original plan. It was a plan that nearly succeeded but its success could only be measured by being 100% successful. France had to be defeated - and this did not happen. Schlieffen's speedy attack and expected defeat of France never occurred - it's failure did usher in the era of trench warfare that is so much linked to World War One.

5. German Atrocities in Belgium bring Britain into the war.
August – September 1914 murder of civilians, mass executions, rapes, mutilations, arson
This behavior by the Germans helped encourage Britain to enter the war and turned neutral nations against Germany
Germany maintains that the Belgium's were fighting guerilla style warfare against them
August – September 1914 murder of civilians, mass executions, rapes, mutilations, arson

6. Lets write a summary:
At this point what do you understand about HOW the war actually started?

7. A Multi-Front War

9. 1917 Russian Revolution
Germany is surrounded, until Russia erupts in a civil war
Famine
Massive Deaths in WW1
People want a say in government
Now it looks like Germany might win!

10. April, 1917- America Enters the War
Sinking of the Lusitiana and the Zimmerman Telegram
The US could not longer stay out, Germany was bringing the fight to them.

11. The Armistice is Signed!
11 a.m., November 11, 1918
The Armistice is Signed!

12. Lets write a summary:
At this point what do you understand about HOW the war ended?

13. 9,000,000 Dead

14. World War I Casualties

15. Mock Treaty of Versailles Simulation
Video: Crash Course WW1

16. Step 1- Research
Using the questions and websites in your simulation packets, research your assigned country.
You are not limited to the websites I have given you.
Yes, I realize you will find what actually happened, but fill out your chart with what is in the best interest of your country.
The real Treaty of Versailles caused a Second World War. Can your group find a way to make every country happy to prevent WW2?

17. Step 2- Groups
Get into your country groups and spend 10 minutes reviewing the information you found in your research.
Fill out the right column of the chart on the second page, with what your group is going to fight for in the conference.
In your groups, count off 1-5.
You will now find those with similar numbers and sit with them. You should have a representative from each country. This is your peace conference committee.
As a committee, design the most fair peace treaty you can for WW1. It does not need to match what really happened.
Each group will present their peace treaty to the class.

18. Peace Treaty Conference
Desks have been arranged in teams. Please sit with your team and pick a spokesperson for each aspect of the treaty that we need to decide (Debt, Military, Land, Blame)
Once we start each country will be given a chance to state their proposal. After this you must work together as a group to come to a consensus on what you would like the peace treaty to say.
If you are not part of a country team, you are the treaty writers who must get enough clarification from the countries to write up the Peace Treaty.
Members of a country team may “tap out” their spokesperson at anytime if they feel they have something important to add.

19. The Treaty of Versailles
June 1919

20. The Big Four Woodrow Wilson USA David Lloyd-George Great Britain
Vittorio Orlando Italy
Georges Clemenceau France

21. The Big Four at Versailles in 1919

22. Clemenceau : The Tiger What did France want from the treaty? Security
Revenge
Reparations
Clemenceau wanted to make sure that Germany could not invade France in the future. He was determined that Germany should be made to pay for the damage that had been caused in northern France by the invading German armies.
Clemenceau : The Tiger

23. David Lloyd-George What did Britain Want?
In public Lloyd-George said he wanted to punish the Germans. The British public was very anti-German at the end of the war.
In private he realised that Britain needed Germany to recover because she was an important trading partner.
He was also worried about the “disease from the east”, communism. The Russian government had been overthrown by a communist revolution in Lloyd-George believed that the spread of communism had to be stopped. A strong Germany would be a barrier against it.
David Lloyd-George

24. What did America Want?
Woodrow Wilson wanted the treaty to be based on his Fourteen Points
He believed Germany should be punished but not severely. He wanted a just settlement that would not leave Germany feeling resentful
Wilson wanted to set up an international organization called The League of Nations which would settle disputes
Woodrow Wilson
The American public did not support him. They were fed up with involvement in European affairs. The USA became more isolationist.

25. What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
To do with Germany’s armed forces :
The German army was to be reduced to 100,000 men. It was not allowed to have tanks.
Germany was not allowed an air force
The area known as the Rhineland was to be de-militarised
The Allies were to occupy the west bank of the Rhine for fifteen years
The German navy was to have no submarines or large battle-ships

26. 100,000
De-militarised
The Military Clauses

28. Territorial Losses Germany lost ALL of her overseas colonies
Alsace-Lorraine was given to France

29. Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium
North-Schleswig was given to Denmark

30. Posen was given to Poland so that she would have access to the Baltic Sea. This area became known as the Polish Corridor. It meant that East Prussia was cut off from the rest of Germany.

31. The Rhineland was to be de-militarized

32. The Saar coalfields were given to France for fifteen years
The port of Danzig was made a Free City under the control of the League of Nations

34. GERMANY ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR STARTING THE WAR
The War Guilt Clause
"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm, and Germany accepts, the responsibility of Germany and her Allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associate Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of a war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her Allies."
Article 231
GERMANY ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR STARTING THE WAR

35. REPARATIONS
Germany agreed to pay for the damage caused by her armies during the war. The sum she had to pay was later fixed at £6.6 billion ($US33 billion or 7,000 kilograms of gold)

36. Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria

37. How did Germans React to the Treaty?
Germans thought the Treaty was a “diktat” : a dictated peace. They had not been invited to the peace conference at Versailles and when the Treaty was presented to them they were threatened with war if they did not sign it.
The Treaty was NOT based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points as the Germans had been promised it would.
Most Germans believed that the War Guilt Clause was unjustified. The French and British had done just as much to start the war
The loss of territory and population angered most Germans who believed that the losses were too severe.
Many Germans believed the German economy would be crippled by having to pay reparations.

38. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June It officially ended the 1st World War. Many historians believe that it was a major cause of the 2nd World War.
Most Germans were horrified by the harshness of the Treaty. There was anger amongst all groups in Germany, no matter what their political beliefs. Some German newspapers called for revenge for the humiliation of Versailles.
However anger was also directed against the government in Germany. Already there was a myth growing in the country that the German army had been “stabbed in the back” by politicians…the so called “November Criminals”. Now these same politicians had signed the “Diktat”, the dictated peace. The new democracy in Germany was now closely linked with the humiliation of Versailles.

39. SAQ- 15 Minutes
After analyzing all we have talked about regarding the creation of the Treaty of Versailles, what do you feel were the biggest three things the treaty needed to accomplish to help Europe recover? How well did the Treaty accomplish those three things?