The Peace of Paris 1919

17.90

Introduction

No Russia Conflict and threat of revolution in new

republics Allied blockade continued Smaller side treaties Woodrow Wilson and western idealism

Russian Revolution of 1917

Nicholas abdicates in 1917 after losing the trust of the people and the military

A brief provisional government was republican

Bolsheviks seize power 11/1917 Sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Lost Poland, Ukraine, Finland, and the Baltic provinces

The Fourteen Points

An idealistic attempt to remove the causes of WWI

Stood for liberal democracy and ideas of the Enlightenment

Problems France wanted revenge England wanted control of the seas Germany installed a liberal government hoping

for the best. (Weimar Republic)

The Big Four

Elected leaders of the western world Wilson David Lloyd George- England Georges Clemenceau- France Vittorio Orlando- Italy

Negotiations Points

League of Nations France wanted security

Buffer zone in Rhineland Alsace and Lorraine returned

Poland was re-created to buffer Europe from Russia

Germany

Lost all colonies Lost its navy Was disarmed Had to pay huge reparations Gave up merchant marine fleet Make coal deliveries to the rest of Europe Gave up all private property owned by Germans

abroad War guilt clause

Treaty of Versailles

Germany was insulted and refused to sign End of Russian, Austrian, and Turkish

Empires Seven new independent states

Significance

National self-determination Mixed populations and irredentism

The failure of Versailles Too severe on Germany or not severe enough?

Dissatisfaction No nation was happy with the Treaty

League of Nations A good step, but the U.S. doesn’t join and was viewed

as tool to maintain French and British authority

Impact of WWI

Ended the last institutions of aristocratic feudalism

Victory for democracy Did not answer the questions of industrialism,

nationalism, economic security, and international stability

Europe was weaker