The End of the Great War

1
The End of the Great War
2

• November 11, 1918
• An armistice was signed at Compiegne between
  Germany and the Allies, the terms of which were
  determined by the Allies
• At 1100 am the hostilities ended on the Western
  Front.

3

• Wilsons 14 Points
• Establish a League of Nations to keep world peace
• Ending of secret treaties
• Freedom of the seas
• Removing economic barriers to trade
• Reducing the size of national armies and navies
• Change colonial claims so native people living in
  these areas have more rights

4

• The Big Four
• Woodrow Wilson- The United States
• David Lloyd George- England
• George Clemenceau- France
• Vittorio Orlando- Italy

5

• United States
• Just/fair division of territories, keeping in
  mind the smaller countries
• Spirit of forgiveness toward Germany
• Great Britain
• Germany to pay penalties
• African colonies taken away from Germany
• Ottoman Empire to be divided between
  France/Britain

6

• France
• Weaken Germany to avoid further aggression
• Wanted to take back Alsace and Lorraine and
  demilitarize the French and German border
• Ottoman Empire to be divided between
  France/Britain
• Italy
• Land to be taken away from Austria and given to
  Italy (The Allies promised them land if they
  entered into WWI)

7
Treaty of Versailles

• Different Allied Objectives
• The Big Four who dominated the peace conference
  all had different objectives
• After months of argument and compromise emerged
  the Treaty of Versailles
• Territorial
• Germany surrendered Alsace-Lorraine to the French
• Germany and Austria-Hungry also lose other lands
• Austria-Hungry become two separate nations

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• Colonial
• Germany lost all its colonies to the Allies to be
  held by the League of Nations
• Disarmament
• German army was limited to 100,00 volunteer
  soldiers
• The Rhineland between France Germany was
  demilitarized
• German navy was reduced to a few small ships
• Submarines, military crafts, and war industries
  were prohibited

9

• War Guilt and Reparation
• Germany accepted sole responsibility for causing
  the war
• Agreed to pay reparations for all damages
• League of Nations
• International organization of countries formed
  after WWI to promote peace
• The United States would not join
• It will later turn into the United Nations

10
Effects of WWI

• Social
• 10 million soldiers were killed and over 20
  million were wounded
• Millions of civilians die due to hostilities,
  famine and disease
• World was left with hatred, intolerance and
  extreme nationalism

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• Economic
• War cost 350 Billion, so people were taxed
  heavily to pay for the war debt
• Trade suffers
• Communists seize power in Russia and introduce
  new economic system
• Economic problems due to the war will help cause
  the Great Depression

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• Political
• The United States emerges as a world power
• Three major European Dynasties were dethroned
• Russia, Austria-Hungry, Ottoman Empire
• New nations states arose in Central Europe
• Austria, Hungry, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia,
  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland
• The League of Nations was established
• Many European nations will turn to dictatorships
  due to economic/political problems

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Closing/Reflection

• What is an armistice?
• What were Woodrow Wilsons 14 pts?
• Why was Wilsons 14 pts unsuccessful?
• According to the Treaty of Versailles, who was
  the cause of WWI?
• What were some of the social/economic effects of
  WWI?
• How could the Treaty of Versailles have helped
  cause WWII?