World War I

1. World War I The Major Results of the War

2. Military Aspects • Worldwide Involvement • New Weapons • Naval Warfare • Europe: major theater of war • Eastern Front • Southern Front • Western Front • American Military contribution • German Surrender

3. President Wilson’s Fourteen Points • Open Treaties • Freedom of Seas • Removal of International Trade Barriers • Reduction of Armaments • Impartial adjustments of colonial claims with due respect to native peoples • -13 Adjustment of European boundaries with due respect to the accordance of the principle of nationality self-determination regarding government and independent state. 14. Establishment of a League of Nations

4. The Treaty of Versailles with Germany (1918) • Different Allied Objectives- The “Big Four,” the allied leaders who dominated the peace conference, each sought different objectives. • David Lloyd George- prime minister of Britain, sought to expand Britain’s colonial empire, preserve its naval and industrial supremacy, and “make Germany pay for the war.” • Georges Clemenceau- premier of France, sought to ensure France’s security against future German invasion and to weaken Germany by imposing military limitations, financial payments, and territorial losses

5. The Treaty of Versailles with Germany (1918) cont’d… • Vittorio Orlando- premier of Italy, sought to enlarge Italy’s territory in Europe and expand its empire overseas • Woodrow Wilson- president of the United States, sought to provide a just peace and create a better world by implementing the Fourteen Points

6. The Treaty of Versailles with Germany (1918) cont’d… 2. Major Treaty Provisions • Territorial- Germany surrenders: • Alsace-Lorraine to France • The Saar Valley to L of N authority and Saar coal mines to French control with the provision that, after 15 years, the Saar inhabitants decide their political future by a plebiscite • 1. 1934 vote for union with Germany • Minor border regions to Denmark and Belgium • Parts of Posen and West Prussia, including a corridor to the Baltic Sea, to the new Polish Republic • 1. This “Polish Corridor” cuts of East Prussia from the rest of Germany • Danzig, a Baltic seaport bordering on Poland, placed under the L of N as a free city for Polish use

7. The Treaty of Versailles with Germany (1918) cont’d… • Colonial-Germany ceded all its colonies to the Allies to be held as League of Nations mandates. • Disarmament- the German army was limited to 100,000 volunteers. Conscription was forbidden. The Rhineland was demilitarized. The Germany navy was reduced to a few small ships. Submarines, military aircraft, and war industries were prohibited. • These restrictions were intended to prevent Germany from waging war again • War Guilt and Reparations- Germany accepted sole responsibility for causing the war and agreed to pay reparations for all damages. • Payments made until 1931 and afterwards repudiated the debt • League of Nations- The first article of the treaty provided for the establishment of the League of Nations

8. Differing Views of the Treaty Arguments Against: A Harsh Treaty that Planted the Seeds of World War Arguments For: A Fair Treaty that was NOT Enforced The treaty transferred German territory chiefly based on the basis of nationality, assigned German colonies as L of N mandates with the objective of eventual independence, disarmed Germany as a start toward world disarmament, and provided a League of Nations. The treaty transferred German-inhabited territory, seized all colonies of Germany , and compelled Germany to accept sole war guilt. It forced Germany to be unarmed while other nations remained armed, and it wounded German pride.

9. Social Results of WWI • Almost 10 million soldiers killed, 20+ million wounded • Millions of civilians die due to hostilities, famine and disease • The world was left aflame with hatred, intolerance, and extreme nationalism

10. Economic Results of WWI • The total cost of the war was >$350 billion. Paying for the war brought heavy taxation & lower living standards to European peoples • International trade suffered because nations raised tariffs and sought economic self sufficiency • In Russia the Communists seized power and introduced a new economic system • Economic dislocations caused by the war helped bring on the 1929 depression.

11. Political Results of WWI • The US emerged as a leading world power though reluctant to assume international responsibilities • 3 major European dynasties were dethroned • Hohenzollerns of Germany • Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary • Romanovs of Russia • New national states arose in central Europe. • Several contained subject nationalities, especially the German-speaking populations of Poland and Czechoslovakia

12. Political Results of WWI cont’d… • The League of Nations was established to solve international problems and advance world peace. • Many European nations, beset by economic and political discontent, turned to dictatorship