1. Treaty of Versailles

2. Wilson’s Fourteen Points
Wilson’s peace plan- “Peace without victory”
Goal was to eliminate the causes of wars
Called for an end to secret agreements and the web of alliances that drew the nations of Europe into war
Freedom of the seas- right of merchant ships to travel freely in international waters in times of peace and war

3. Wanted European countries to reduce their armaments, or weapons of war, instead of competing to make their military forces bigger and better
Ensure self-determination for ethnic groups so they could control their political future
Set up international organization called the League of Nations to ensure world peace
Member nations would agree to protect one another’s independence and territorial integrity.
League members would resolve conflicts before escalating into war

4. Wilson’s Unusual Decisions
Wilson travels to France for the peace talks
1918 mid-term election: calls for Americans to elect Democrats to Congress before he leaves
Republicans win a majority of Senate and House
Why is this important?
Weakens Wilson’s position just as he was to seek support of European leaders for his peace plan

5. Choice of other American delegates to conference
None of the delegates had the confidence of key Republican leaders in the Senate
The Senate has to ratify the treaty; this oversight would hurt the president

6. Who Showed Up? President Wilson David Lloyd George- Britain
Leaders of the four largest victorious nations made almost all the decisions
“The Big Four”
President Wilson
David Lloyd George- Britain
Georges Clemenceau- France
Vittorio Orlando- Italy
Representatives of Germany and the other defeated nations took no part in the talks
Russia, which made a separate peace with Germany after its revolution, did not attend

7. Ideals vs. Self-Interest
Other leaders liked Wilson’s vision of a peaceful world; yet more interested in protecting the interests of their own countries
French security
Wanted to weaken Germany to the point that they could never threaten France again
Reduce German army to 100,000 men
War-Guilt Clause
British insisted that Germany accept responsibility for starting the war
Demolished Wilson’s hope of “peace without victory”

8. Required Germany to pay $33 billion to the Allies
Reparations
Required Germany to pay $33 billion to the Allies
Payments demanded of a defeated nation by the victor to offset the cost of the war
Germans resented both the war-guilt clause and reparations
Payments would later cripple their economic recovery
Wilson reluctantly agreed to the harsh treatment of Germany in order to gain support for his most important point: The League of Nations

9. Self-Determination?
In the Fourteen Points, Wilson called for self-determination for the peoples of Europe
Collapse of Austria-Hungary left unclear the fate of many ethnic groups
Wanted these peoples to be free to determine their political futures
Some formed their own nations: Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, etc. gained independence

10. Problems?
Parts of Germany given to France and other countries with little thought to the desires of the people living there
In other areas, self-determination was ignored
Allies took control of German colonies in Asia and Africa

11. Treaty of Versailles signed on June 18, 1919
Treaty of Versailles signed on June 18, It included plans for the League of Nations. Wilson’s fight for the treaty was just beginning

12. Great Debate About Ratification
Wilson needs 2/3 vote of the Senate to ratify the treaty
Republicans hold majority of the seats in Senate
Reservationists
Would vote yes if a number of reservations, or changes, added to it
Concerned with collective security
Required member nations to work together- and even supply troops- to keep the peace

13. Henry Cabot Lodge was leader of the reservationists
Feared this would draw the US into wars without approval from Congress
Henry Cabot Lodge was leader of the reservationists
Hated Wilson
Debate gave Lodge and fellow Republicans an opportunity to embarrass the president and weaken the Democratic Party

14. Irreconcilables
Vote no for certain
Completely opposed to any treaty that included an international organization that might draw the nation into war
Internationalists
Supported the treaty
Believed greater cooperation among nations could work for the benefit of all

15. Wilson Takes His Case to the People
Public began to lose interest in the debate
Wilson decides to go directly to the public for support
Grueling speaking tour of the West; many speeches
President collapsed; stroke
Left him partly paralyzed

16. Partisanship Rivalry between political parties
Both sides put loyalty to their party above all else
Rep. added amendments to treaty which Wilson rejected
Senate did not vote to ratify the treaty

17. Problems with the Treaty
Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
Germany ordered to pay $33 billion in reparations
Germany barred from maintaining an army
War guilt clause
Russia lost the most territory even though they had lost the most people
Ignored calls for self-determination in colonies including SE Asia

18. In 1921, the US signed a separate treaty with Germany.
The League of Nations had begun by that time, but the nation whose president had created it was not a member.
Could the next war have been avoided if the United States had joined the League of Nations?