The 1st World War had devastating consequences for Europe. Over 10 million soldiers died and 20 million were wounded. The Treaty of Versailles established harsh terms for Germany, including war guilt, loss of territory, military limitations, and heavy reparations. This caused outrage in Germany and contributed to economic and political instability. Overall, the peace settlements redrew the maps of Europe but failed to achieve a lasting peace, as many were unhappy with the outcomes.
1. The 1st World War
The aftermath of the
war María Jesús Campos
Chusteacher
Wikiteacher
2. Losses and casualties
• “Total war”: the
combatants mobilised all
their resources, military,
industrial and human.
• The number of men
mobilised by both sides
during the war totalled
over 65 million.
• Historians estimate that
up to 10 million men died
on the battlefield and
around 20 million were
wounded.
3. The Aftermath of World War I
• The Armistice was signed 11 • After the war:
of November of 1818 – The political map of
• Everybody felt that the First Europe would be
World War should be the redrawn (the Ottoman
“war to end all wars”. and the Habsburg
Empires dissapeared)
– European countries
suffered a difficult
economic situation.
Some countries had
been devastaded.
4. The mood in 1919
• People felt that Germany
should be blamed and
pay for the war.
• Not only because they
thought Germany has
caused the war but
because of the harsh
conditions of the Treaty
of Brest-Litovsk signed
between Germany and
Russia.
5. The Paris Peace Conference, 1919-20
• Took place in Versailles
• 32 nations were
represented but not
the defeated countries
• The “Big Three” (Great
Britain, USA, France)
took all the important
decissions.
6. The “Big Three”
George Woodrow David Lloyd
Clemenceau, Wilson, George, Great
France Britain
USA
- France had been - Was usually in the
devastated and 2/3 - Believed in
middle ground
soldiers had been peaceful
between Clemenceau
injured or Killed cooperation
and Wilson
among nations
- Germany should and the right to - Germany should be
be harshly self- punished but not
punished and pay determination harshly to prevent a
for the war new war
7. Treaty of
Versailles
- 1919
Treaty of
Sevres 1920 - Germany Treaty of Saint
Germain
Treaty of
- 1919
Lausanne 1923 - Austria
Turkey
Peace Treaties
of the First
World War
Treaty of Treaty of
Trianon Neuilly
- 1919 - 1919
- Hungary - Bulgaria
8. Treaty of Versailles, 1919
Germany had to accept:
• War guilt: accept the blame
of the war
• Reparations: pay for the
damage (lifes and
infrastructures) caused to
the Allies
• Army: limited to 100.000
soldiers, 6 battleships, no
tanks, submarines or
aircraft Punch, 19 February 1919. Caption: German
Criminal to Allied Police: Here, I say, stop! You’re
hurting me! [Aside: If I only whine enough I may
be able to wriggle out of this yet.]
11. • The Treaty of Versailles also included the creation
of the League of Nations, an international
organization to keep peace and prevent war
• Germany was not allowed to become a member
until demonstrating “it was a peace-loving
country”
12. German reaction to the Treaty of Versailles
• Outrage: Germans did not feel that they had started
the war or that they had lost it as its country has not
been occupied.
• Germany lost 10% of its land which meant a 12.5% of
its population.
• Reparations were too heavy for Germany’s weak
economy.
Mass demonstration against the
Treaty of Versailles before the
Reichstag in Berlin
13. • The new socialist
government, led by
Ebert, reluctantly
signed the Treaty on
28 June 1919
• The German
democratic
government was
fragile:
– The Communists
attempted a coup
d’etat: the Spartacists
uprising
– The radical right-wing
attempted a coup
d’etat: the Kapp putsch
14. The impact of the Treaty on Germany
• Germany fell behind on its
reparation payments in
1922
• The Ruhr region was
occupied by France and
Belgium weakening
German’s economy even
more.
• To pay the workers the
German government
printed more money which
caused and hyperinflation
(money became worthless)
• Germans blamed the Treaty
for their problems.
15. Nobody liked the Treaty of Versailles
• Germany blamed the
Treaty for their difficulties
• France thought the Treaty
was not harsh enough
with Germany
• Great Britain feared that
it would bring a new war
• USA’s Senate refused to
be a member of the
League of Nations and
ratify the Treaty
16. Treaty of Saint Germain, 1919
Austria had to accept:
• Disarmament and
Reparations
• The Habsburg Empire was
divided into different
states (Austria, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslavia…)
• Populations from other
nationalities remained in
Austria
17. Treaty of Sevres, 1920 & Lausanne, 1923
Turkey :
• Ataturk, nationalist leader, rejected the terms of the Treaty of
Sevres.
• The Treaty of Lausanne recognized the Turkish rights over
Smyrna and most of Anatolia.
• In exchange, Turkey had to cede Lebanon and Syria to France and
Palestine, Irak and Trasjordan to Great Britain.
18. Other consequences of the Treaties
New states appeared:
• Czechoslovakia (which became a strong industrialized state)
• Poland (whose borders were not recognized by the USSR)
• Yugoslavia (which merged Serbia with populations from Austria
and Hungary)