Chapter 13 Section 4: A Flawed Peace

After winning the war, the Allies dictated a harsh peace settlement that left many nations feeling betrayed

Hard feelings left by the peace settlement helped cause World War II

World War I was over

Terms of peace had not yet been worked out

Delegates met at the Paris Peace Conference to discuss peace treaties

The Allied powers struggled to solve their conflicting aims in various peace treaties

The Big Four hammered out the major decisions of the Paris Peace Conference

- Woodrow Wilson (US)

- Georges Clemenceau (France)

- David Lloyd George (Great Britain)

- Vittorio Orlando (Italy)

Russia and Germany were not represented

The Big Four - George, Orlando, Clemenceau, and Wilson

Before the war ended, Wilson drew up a series of peace proposals - the Fourteen Points

- Outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace

First four points – end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduced national armies and navies (all causes of WWI)

5th goal – adjusted colonial claims with a fairness to the native people

6th – 13th points – specific suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations

- The guiding idea behind these points was self-determination

14th point – proposed a “general association of nations” that would protect all states

- Peacefully negotiate world conflicts

- This would become the League of Nations

Britain and France didn’t want to agree to Wilson’s vision of peace

- They wanted to make sure Germany was stripped of its war-making power

The compromise – the Treaty of Versailles

Signed between Germany and the Allies on June 28,1919 (Germany was forced to sign)

Created a League of Nations - an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations

Also punished Germany

- Lost substantial territory, severe restrictions on military operations

“War Guilt” clause – placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany

-- Left a legacy of bitterness and hatred in the Germans

-Pay reparations to Allies - money paid by a defeated nation to compensate for damage or injury during a war

All of Germany’s territories were managed by the League of Nations

Treaty of Versailles did little to build a lasting peace

U.S. was considered to be the dominant nation in the world and rejected the treaty

Many Americans objected to the agreement and to the League of Nations

Americans just wanted to stay out of European affairs (isolation)

Japan and Italy both had entered the war to gain territory

- Neither gained as much as they wanted

League of Nations weak because they were not backed by the U.S

Germans were greatly angered

Settlements in Versailles were but “a peace built on quicksand”

- In less than two decades, the treaties’ legacy of bitterness would help plunge the world into another catastrophic war

Allies v. Axis 

- Allies – Great Britain, Soviet Union and U.S

- Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan