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Wilson’s 14 Points
The “Fourteen Points” were a statements given by President Woodrow Wilson after World War I, stating that the war was being fought for a moral cause. The purpose of the speech was to call for postwar peace after World War I. The peace that was called for occurred in Europe, as well as the USA. Website -
Summary of Wilson's 14 Points
VideoWebsiteReliance on open diplomacy,Freedom of seas, Free trade, Reduce the military forces and weapons, Govern colonies fairly, Allowing Russia to self-determine its own government, Respect Belgium's Integrity, Restore French Territory, Italy receives territory based upon ethnicity, Austria-Hungary receives fair development opportunities, and Independence for Balkan states. -
Treaty of Versailles
VideoWebsiteIn January, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Prime Minister of Britain Lloyd George, along with representatives of 29 other victorious nations, held a conference to create a peace treaty for the end of World War I. The treaty was based on Wilson’s Fourteen Point Programme for Peace. It established the conditions that Germany had to agree with in order to declare peace. -
Paris Peace Conference
VideoWebsiteThe Paris Peace Conference was a meeting of all of the Allied victors after the end of World War I in order to set the peace terms for the Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. This conference occurred in Paris in 1919 and consisted of diplomats from over 32 countries and nationalities. -
Paris Peace Treaties
WebsiteThese treaties were created by the diplomats of over 32 countries and nationalities during the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. They reshaped the map of Europe, adding and removing borders and countries, and imposed war guilt and financial penalties on Germany. -
Statistics on What Germany Lost in the Treaty of Versailles
Germany lost 10 percent of their land when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. They also had to surrender all overseas colonies. 16 percent of German coalfields were confiscated, along with half of the iron and steel industries. 12.5 pecent of the population was lost, too, whether it be from the war or from the population fleeing to other countries. Wesbite -
Article 231
WebsiteThe article, in which Germany was assigned the responsibility for damages caused by World War I, serves as a justification for the obligations put upon Germany in the remainder (Articles 233 through 247) of Part VIII, which was concerned with reparations. The article was written by US diplomats Norman Davis and John Foster Dulles. -
The French and British Approach
WebsiteFrance and Britain controlled empires, had power over the subjects around the world, and yearned to be dominant colonial powers. The French and British attempted to appease the American President by agreeing to the establishment of his League of nations, however, due to the strength in the isolationist sentiment and the contradiction of the articles in the League and the US constitution, the US never ratified it. -
American Approach
WebsiteIn Europe, many of President Wilson’s points created conflict with other powers. The US did not support that the responsibility for the war that Article 231 placed on Germany was just. Not until 1921, during Harding’s presidency, did the US finally establish a peace treaty with Germany, Austria, and Hungary. The United States hoped to create a more liberal and diplomatic world, similar to the Fourteen Points. -
Why Germany Signed the Treaty of Versailles
WebsiteAlthough they were outraged by the unfair requirements of the treaty, they signed it. Two German representatives reluctantly signed the treaty on June 28. They continued to complain about being mistreated, yet they still signed the Treaty of Versailles, unwilling to risk having the war continue on for another couple years. -
New Countries Formed
WebsiteGerman and Russian empires lost much land in the Treaty of Versailles. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was eliminated. Because of this land loss, many new nation-states emerged - Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary. Romania received more land from Russia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Serbia formed a new state, Yugoslavia, combining Serbs, Croates, and Slovenes. -
What Did People in Italy Think of the Treaty?
WebsiteAlong with the Germans, Italy believed that they were mistreated in the Treaty of Versailles. 460,000 Italians were killed in the war, but this was almost 100% ignored in the treaty.Italy had not been granted land promised to them in the Secret Treaty of London. Italy was also in an immense amount of debt (mostly to the US), but this was also ignored, leading to unemployment from the end of World War 1 and on. -
The Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, declaring peace among the winning and losing countries of the First World War. Germany was the country that lost the most when the treaty was made. When two representatives from Germany signed the document, celebrations erupted from all sides of the globe. Website -
How Germany Felt About the Treaty of Versailles:
WebsiteThe Germans thought that this treaty was a harsh peace. Article 231, also known as the “War Guilt Clause” declared that Germany and Austria caused World War I. The treaty commanded that Germany pay for all the damage that the Allied governments and their people had suffered because of the war, since the war was Germany's fault. The military and territorial provisions enraged Germany, as well. -
How Germany was Affected
WebsiteThey were required to reduce the army numbers to 100,000 men, cut back the size of the navy, and remove the Air Force altogether. Germany had to return two cities, Alsace-Lorraine, to France (taken in 1871). Parts of Eastern Germany were given to a new Polish state. Land on Rhine River were demilitarized, in hopes to decrease the chances that Germany would try to fight back in the future. -
League of Nations
WebsiteThe League of Nations, also known as the LN, was founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that brought an end to the First World War. The League of Nations has the title of being the first international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace.
