Module 26: Lesson 3: Results Of The War

​Main Ideas

1. The League of Nations was formed, but it had mixed success.

2. The Treaty of Versailles changed the map of Europe.

3. Resentment and economic problems developed in Germany after World War I.

​Key Terms and People

Treaty of Versailles: peace treaty signed near Paris in 1919 that ended World War I

League of Nations: organization created after World War I so that countries could try to solve problems peacefully

reparations: money that nations have to pay for causing damage during war

​League of Nations

When the Treaty of Versailles was signed, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson hoped an organization would promote democracy and prevent future wars. He called this group the League of Nations. President Wilson thought member countries could combine their economic and military power together to maintain peace.

​Some members of Congress did not agree with President Wilson about the League of Nations. They thought the United States should make its own decisions. They also did not want to become involved in European politics. President Wilson could not convince Congress to change its mind, so the United States never joined the group.

The League of Nations could not stop nations from doing what they wanted. Japan and Italy both invaded other countries, but they did not allow the League of Nations to help settle those disputes. Germany began to gather military resources again even though The Treaty of Versailles stated that was not allowed.

​New National Borders

The Allies redrew the map of Europe after World War I. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were created from areas that Germany had controlled. Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia came from part of Austria-Hungary. Russia gave up some territory to create Finland, and the borders of Poland were redrawn, too. Some countries increased in size, while others lost land. One small piece of the Ottoman Empire became the nation of Turkey.

​People had fled or settled into new places during and after the war. New nations and movement from place to place meant that different ethnic groups were now living together in the same country.

​Economic Penalties

A clause in the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay large amounts of reparations for World War I. Germany thought this was unfair, but France believed the payments should be high. The French did not want the Germans to become powerful again. Germany also had to reduce the size of its army and navy.

​Resentment began to build in Germany. It had borrowed lots of money to pay for weapons and war expenses. Germany could not pay those debts and the reparations that it owed. Many Germans believed that the terms of the Treaty Versailles were too harsh. The economic problems and geographic changes in Europe caused tension that led to future conflict.