Download The End of WWI

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Argument over whether the
US troops should be its own
army or scattered amongst
the French and British
troops
General John J. Pershing
was against scattering the
soldiers and also demanded
giving the volunteers
training before fighting
He was allowed to give 3
months of intense training
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November 1917 the Bolsheviks
overthrew the Russian
government led by Vladimir
Lenin
Communist- equal distribution
of wealth and the end of all
forms of private property (2)
Russia was falling apart both
militarily and economically (3)
◦ 8 million Russians had died or were
ruined during the war
◦ Soldiers were deserting
◦ Food riots raged because of lack of
food (which was saved for the
soldiers)
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Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
was between Russia and
the Central Power
A Civil War broke out
between the Communists
and the czar (monarchy)
supporters
The Allies sent aid to
support the czar
supporters, but Russia
was out of the war.
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Because of Russia’s removal,
Germany was able to send all
their troops from the eastern
front to the western front in
an attempt to smash the
Western front
While Germany was pushing
forward, the US forces finally
joined the fight
March 21, 1918- Germany
began to attack blasting
6,000 heavy guns at Allied
troops along the Somme
River
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Germany drove 40 miles
into the Allied lines
They attacked the Marne
River and were able to
push forward to Paris
However, the Americans
joined the French, and
added energy and vigor,
which the Germans weren’t
expecting
Germans were stopped 50
miles from Paris, and the
Allies were able to slowly
drive them back
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Convoy system- Protected
shipping, the merchant ships
began to travel in groups with
destroyers protecting them (6)
July 1918 the Germans made a
last ditch attempt to get to
Paris across the Marne River,
but were pushed back
September 1918- the Allies
won battles at Saint Mihiel on
the border of France and
Germany and also along the
Meurse River and in the
Argonne Forest near the
Belgium border
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November 1918- Allies were
making rapid advances to
Germany
Examples of US bravery
◦ Alvin York- October 1918- killed
25 and captured 132 prisoners
(5)
◦ Harlem Hellfighters- African
American soldiers of the 269th
Infantry saw the most combat
time of the American soldiers
and were the first the reach the
Rhine River/German Border
◦ Because of this the were awarded
the Cross of War by the French
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Germany tired of war
Food was scarce (800 civilians
died each day from starvation)
Food strikes and riots occurred
Running out of soldiers (killed,
wounded, and captured)
Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire
surrendered in the Fall of 1918
Austria-Hungary signed peace
agreement on November 3
Kaiser Wilhelm II (Leader of
Germany) gave up his throne
and fled to the Netherlands
The fighting officially ended
the 11th hour of the 11th day of
the 11th month of 1918
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Massive Casualties
◦ Entire generation of young
men are dead
◦ Total: 8.5 million, 5 million
Allied, 3.5 million Central
Powers
◦ France- 90% of their young
men served in WWI, and 7
out of 10 were killed or
wounded
◦ US- 116,000 dead and
200,000 wounded
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Financial Disaster to much of Europe
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Factories and Farmland is in ruins
$30 billion worth of property was destroyed
Allies spent $145 billion on the war
Central Powers spent $63 billion on the war
EVERYONE is in debt
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1918 worldwide epidemic
Was around for 2 years
Killed approx. 30 million people- more than the
War itself
Started in a Kansas Army Training camp, and
spread rapidly
Went from soldiers to civilians and eventually to
Europe
Killed many who were young and strong (that
were left from the war)
Quarantines were attempted to stop the spreadno public gatherings (including school classes)were instituted in many places
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Wilson’s Fourteen Points (11)
◦ Specific proposals for postwar peace
Points would settle national border
disputes, military cutbacks, lower
tariffs, banned secret agreements, and
allowed for self-determination
(settlement for colonial people who
wished to be independent- i.e. no
longer a colony, and chose their own
political status)
Last (and biggest) Idea was the League
of Nations- which was an international
assembly of nations whose focus was to
settle international disputes and
encourage democracy (12)
Only point agreed to in the peace treaty
was the League of Nations
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Only France, UK, Italy, and the US were allowed to
attend- no one from Russia or the Central Powers
(13)
Allied leaders defended their own interests and
wanted to severely punish Germany
War Guilt Clause- demanded that Germany take
entire blame for WWI (14)
Demanded reparations (money to the winners)
Took large parts of Germany’s territory- both
colonies and parts of actual Germany
Limited Germany’s military
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Signed by France, Britain, and Italy
League of Nations was established
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia became their
own countries
Central Powers turned their colonies over to
League of Nations who assigned them to the
other European Countries
Wilson reluctantly agreed to it hoping that
while the other points were rejected, that the
League of nations would solve the remaining
problems
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Do you think that there would be any future
problems that come because of the Treaty of
Versailles?
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Constitutionally, the US
Senate still had to ratify the
Versailles Treaty before it was
official for the US
Wilson could not get 2/3rds
of the Senate to agree to
ratify
Republicans dissatisfied with
the fact that Germany agreed
to it
◦ “No peace that satisfies Germany
in any degree can ever satisfy
us”
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Demanded changes to the
Treaty (mainly to League of
Nations ability to use military
force) before ratification
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Wilson refused to
compromise and tried to
pressure the (15)
Republicans
Wilson demanded that the
Democrats not agree to the
changes
Neither party would
compromise, and the Treaty
of Versailles was defeated
US made separate peace
treaties with each of the
Central Powers and never
joined the League of
Nations