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start studying the infographic and use it to answer the questions on your handout. You may complete the paper copy on your desk or the copy on Google Classroom

Treaty: an agreement between countries, usually used to end a war & make sure countries behave a certain way

Ending WWI: The Treaty

of Versailles

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Armistice: Nov 11, 1918

Armistice celebration in London, 1918

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Georges

Clemenceau

(France)

Vittorio

Orlando

(Italy)

David Lloyd

George

(Britain)

Woodrow

Wilson

(US)

Although there were delegates from 39 nations at the conference, the important decisions were made by the leaders of the three strongest Allied powers: the US, Britain, and France.

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How is a Treaty Ratified?

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Treaty of Versailles

war guilt clause: Germany accepts blame for war
Germany pays reparations for cost of war
Germany must reduce army
Germany loses land to France & Poland & gives up colonies
League of Nations (similar to today’s United Nations) set up

Next Step: Wilson Must Get Congress to ratify

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14 Points: Wilson’s Vision for the Postwar World

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“peace without victory”

avoid a war of revenge in the future.

introduced Fourteen Points

eliminate the basic causes of war, such as conflicts over nationalism and imperialism.
end to alliances, reduction of militaries/weapons
Self-determination – the idea that the peoples of Eastern Europe would chose their own form of government.

League of Nations – a group of countries with the goal of settling disputes through negotiation, rather than war.

United States

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How did Wilson use the 14 Points to Try to Address the Causes of WWI?

1. Open diplomacy (no more secret treaties)

2. Freedom of the seas (ships can travel safely during peace or war)

3. End international trade barriers (free trade/countries can trade freely with each other)

4. Reduce armaments, including the size of armies and the weapons they have

5. Negotiate each country’s claim to colonies fairly

6-13: Nations should have the right to self-determination (self-government and independence, the ability to determine their own government & affairs) without interference or control from other countries.

14. Create an international organization, the League of Nations, to settle disputes between nations & keep peace

Causes of WWI

Militarism – The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests
Alliance system – nations formed partnerships to help protect and defend themselves.
Imperialism – stronger nations began to take over weaker nations.
Nationalism – the desire to be an independent nation & the feeling that one’s nation is the best
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand--Serbia refused to apologize & Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, declared war

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organization of major world powers
settle disputes between nations
members must reduce armies & provide troops for League if needed
nations could not go to war without first letting the League mediate
US never joined

weakened effectiveness of League

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Senate Opposition: �Irreconcilables & Reservationists

Irreconcilables: refuse to sign the treaty at all costs
reservationists: willing to negotiate on certain terms for the League

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Article X of the League Covenant

“The Members of the League undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all Members of the League.”

All members of the League must send troops if a member nation is threatened.
Today, this would be the equivalent of the United Nations sending troops into Syria to fight ISIS.

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Central Historical Question

Why did senators oppose joining the League of Nations in 1919?

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Document A: Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, 1919

The following is from an address delivered by Massachusetts senator Henry Cabot Lodge on February 28, 1919. Lodge, a “reservationist,” was the leader of the Republicans in the Senate at the time.

“[By ratifying the Treaty of Versailles], we abandon entirely the policy laid down by Washington in his Farewell Address and the Monroe Doctrine. . . . Washington warned against permanent alliances. . . . Now, the Washington policy is to be entirely laid aside and we are to enter upon a permanent alliance?

If we put aside forever the Washington policy, we [will also put aside] the Monroe Doctrine and Europe and Asia will be allowed to take part in settling disputes in the Americas [North and South]...

. . The armies and the fleets of the navy made necessary to enforce the terms of the League of Nations are to be filled and manned by the sons, husbands, and brothers, of the people of America. . .

We now in this draft bind ourselves to submit every possible international dispute...That includes immigration, a very live question, to take a single example. Are we ready to give to the other nations the power to say who shall come into the United States? . . . If we accept this plan for a league, this is precisely what we promise to do.

I have always loved one flag and I cannot share that devotion [with] a mongrel banner created for a League...The United States is the world's best hope, but if you [involve] her in the interests and quarrels (fights) of other nations, if you tangle her in the issues of Europe, you will destroy her power for good and endanger her very existence...

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Document B: Speech by Senator Norris to the United States Senate, November 11, 1919 This is from a speech by Senator George Norris of Nebraska to the Senate on November 11, 1919. Norris was a Republican and was among the “irreconcilables” who opposed the Treaty of Versailles at all costs. “The real object of article X (10) is to maintain the world supremacy of the British Empire. . . . It is there to stifle (suppress) the cry of freedom from Ireland (a British possession fighting for independence at the time); it is there to keep in subjection the 400,000,000 of people in India (another British colony). . . . By its terms we are bound to turn a deaf ear to the struggling cry of freedom...and instead send our American boys to fight for the League and uphold the cruel aristocratic reign (rule by elites) of greedy kings and pagan (unChristian) monarchs (kings or queens) in colonies and dominions all over the world.”

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Document C: “Interrupting the Ceremony,” 1919 cartoon in Puck Magazine

Man labeled “US Senate” interrupting the ceremony with a document labeled “constitutional rights”

The minister’s script for the marriage ceremony, labeled “League of Nations

The bride, labeled “foreign entanglements,” which means complicated involvement

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Document D: “The Treaty Debate,” Give Me Liberty! By Eric Foner, 2010 The following is from a textbook passage written by historian Eric Foner. “Wilson viewed the new League of Nations as the war’s finest legacy. But many Americans feared that membership in the League would commit the United States to an open-ended involvement in the affairs of other countries. Wilson asserted that the United States could not save the world without being continually involved with it. His opponents, led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts, argued that the League threatened to deprive the country of its freedom of action. A considerable majority of senators would have accepted the treaty if Wilson added some “reservations” that would ensure that the obligation to assist League members against attack did not override the power of Congress to declare war. However, convinced that the treaty reflected “the hand of God,” Wilson refused to negotiate with congressional leaders. In October 1919, while touring the country to get support for the League, Wilson suffered a serious stroke. The seriousness of his illness was kept secret, but he remained debilitated for the rest of his term and was unable to continue trying to gain support for the treaty. His wife, Edith, essentially headed the government for the rest of his presidency. In November 1919 and again in March 1920, the Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty.”

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Major Outcomes of the Treaty

League of Nations forms, but the US does not join. Instead, the US attempts to return to isolationism after WWI.
Germany is forced to sign the “war-guilt clause”

Germany must disarm its military
Germany is also forced to pay $31.4 billion (equal to $442 billion today) in reparations to Allied nations
Germany must give up certain colonies & territories

The Mandate System: former colonies of Germany were given to members of the League of Nations. They became “mandates,” meaning they were essentially controlled by countries in the League of Nations. Most significantly, the Middle East was divided up between France and England.

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