Unit VI. The Great War

D. The End WWI

D. The End of World War I

1. Major Turning Points of the Wara. Entry of the United States, April 6, 1917

*U.S. had an isolationist foreign policy so had decided to remain neutral during WWI

*The gov’t had allowed American ships to carry supplies to the Allies

*In 1917, Germany used unrestricted submarine warfare*Entry of the U.S. refreshed Allied troops

and

helped win the war

b. Russia’s Withdrawal

*Dissatisfaction with the imperial gov’t and major economic issues resulted in the Bolshevik or Communist Revolution in 1917

-Czar Nicolas abdicated, he and his family were assassinated

-Early 1918, Russia’s new leader, Vladimir

Lenin signed a treaty with Germany that

took Russia out of the war

E. The End of the Great War (cont’d)2. Costs of the War

a. On November 11, 1918, an armistice was declared

b. Human Casualties

*The cost of the war in terms of human lives were staggering

-More than 8.5 million people had died

-More than 17 million had been wounded

-Famine threatened most regions of Central Europe

-Disease was widespread and rampant in many regions (e.g. Influenza)

c. Economic Losses

*All over the world economic and political losses plagued nations

-Factories, farms, and home had been destroyed

-Nations had huge war debts to repay

-The Allies, bitter at the destruction, insisted that the central Powers make reparations

-Europe was “re-zoned” in many areas, new nations created

E. The End of the Great War (cont’d)

3. The Treaty of Versailles, Jan 1919

a. The Paris Peace Conference

*Victorious Allies gathered at the Palace of

Versailles to work out terms of peace

*Each had different goals and expectations

-United States wanted to stress self-determination; wanted to create an international peace-keeping organization

-Britain and France wanted to punish Germany and prevent it from becoming a threat again

b. Harsh Provisions for Germany

*Britain and France governed most of the treaty’s provisions

*Territorial Losses

-Land taken from Germany; lost most of it’s overseas colonies

*Military Restrictions:

-Germany’s army and navy were drastically limited

-Had to remove its troops from the Rhineland

*War Guilt:

-Germany had to accept full responsibility for war and pay huge reparations

E. The End of the Great War (cont’d)

4. The League of Nationsa. Formed by the Treaty of Versailles

*Pushed heavily by Pres. Wilson, but never joined by the United States

-Many Americans feared the League would drag the U.S. into future European conflicts

-By refusing to join, the U.S. weakened the League

*Made up of more than 40 nations that hoped to settle problems and conflict through negotiation, not war

-These nations promised to take cooperative economic and military action against any aggressor states

-Was largely unsuccessful due to its lack of military backing

“All bark and no bite”