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The Last Year of the War
The new German republic and the Allies signed an
armistice, ending the war on November 11, 1918.
The Last Year of the War (cont.)
• After the withdrawal of the Russians,
Germany had a renewed hope for a victory.
• Erich Ludendorff
decided to make one
last grand offensive in
the west to end the
military stalemate.
• The Germans launched
their final attack in
March of 1918 but were
defeated at the Second
Battle of Marne.
The Last Year of the War (cont.)
• The Allies refused to make peace with the
autocratic imperial government of Germany.
• Sailors in Kiel mutinied while
councils of workers and
soldiers took over civilian and
military offices.
• The Social Democrats, led by
Friedrich Ebert, announced
the creation of a democratic
republic and signed an
armistice with the Allies on
November 11, 1918.
The Last Year of the War (cont.)
• After the war, the German Communist Party
formed in opposition to the Social Democrats
and tried to seize power in Berlin and in
Munich.
• The revolts were crushed and
the leaders of the Communist
were captured and killed.
• Austria-Hungary collapsed as
ethnic groups achieved
independence forming Austria,
Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and
Yugoslavia.
The Peace Settlements
The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany,
established new nations, and created a League of
Nations to solve international problems.
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• In January 1919, representatives from 27
victorious Allied nations met in Paris to make
a final settlement of World War I.
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson became the
spokesman for a new world order based on
democracy and international cooperation.
• David Lloyd George of Great Britain and
Georges Clemenceau of France wanted
German reparations.
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• Germany was not invited to the conference
and Russia could not attend because of its
civil war.
• The conference
accepted Wilson’s
proposal of an
international
peacekeeping
organization, a
League of Nations,
to prevent future
wars.
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• The Treaty of Versailles with Germany:
– The War Guilt Clause
declared that Germany and
Austria were responsible for
the war.
– Harsh reparations were to be
paid to Allied governments for
all war damages.
– Reduction of Germany’s navy
and army and elimination of
its air force
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
– Return of Alsace and Lorraine to France
– Sections of eastern Germany were given to
a new Polish state.
– A demilitarized zone along the Rhine River
to protect France from future German
invasions
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• New nation-states emerged from the
German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian
empires: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and
Hungary.
• Romania acquired
more land, and
Serbia formed the
center of a new state
called Yugoslavia.
The Peace Settlements (cont.)
• Compromises had to be made during the
peace talks. As a result, almost every
eastern European state was left with ethnic
minorities.
• The Ottoman Empire was
also divided up and taken
as mandates by the France
and Great Britain.
• France took control of
Lebanon and Syria. Britain
received Iraq and Palestine.
Questions to
answer about
World War I
Do you think that redrawing countries’ borders
after a war contributes to future wars?
A. Yes
B. No
What happened to Austria-Hungary as a
result of World War I?
A. It became a democratic
republic.
B. It came under German
control.
C. It was divided into two regions:
Communist and non-Communist.
D. It ceased to exist and was replaced by four
independent nations.
The End