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Treaty of Versailles and the Paris Peace Conferences 1919 Text pp. 59-64 Who ran it? U.S. President Woodrow Wilson British Prime Minister David Lloyd George French President Clemenceau Georges Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando • Clemenceau and Orlando were realists; they wanted to punish Germany to make sure it could never go to war again. • Wilson and Lloyd George were idealists; they did not want Germany punished severely Each leader had their own goals for the Peace Conferences 1) Clemenceau • Germany’s military must be restricted. • Germany must pay for the war. 2) Orlando • Italy switched sides to get Austrian territory. • Italy got Tyrol and Trieste, but Orlando left in a huff when he didn’t get more. 3) Lloyd George • Germany’s navy had to be strictly limited. • German colonies should be given to Britain. • Germany did have to pay for the war, but Britain wanted to trade with Germany in the future, so reparations should not be too burdensome. 4) Wilson • Wilson’s notions were the most idealistic. • They can be seen in his Fourteen Points, which he thought would be the basis for a lasting peace. 1) No more secret treaties! 2) Freedom of the seas—everyone gets to use it 3) Free trade—no economic barriers 4) Disarmament—only up to “basic safety” 5) Decolonization and selfdetermination—no more imperialism and an equal voice to colonized people 6) Russia—let them figure themselves out with their civil war 7) Belgium—restore it to what it was before the war. 8) Give Alsace-Lorraine to France 9) Redraw Italian borders by nationality 10) Give nationalities within Austria-Hungary autonomy 11) Balkans to be decolonized; Serbia given access to the sea 12) Non-Turkish peoples of the Ottoman Empire given autonomy 13) Poland given access to the sea—the Polish Corridor 14) League of Nations—an international association of countries organized to keep peace. These were Wilson’s ideas that he brought to the Peace Conferences. Two main ideas dominated the conferences: • National self-determination • German war guilt—the War Guilt Clause: - The war is Germany’s fault. - Germany has to pay for the war. Look at p. 61 for the Provisions of the Treaty of Versailles Many of the provisions were very harsh towards Germany: • Germany had to accept the War-Guilt Clause. • Germany lost territory (Alsace-Lorraine and the Polish Corridor). • Their armed forces were limited to 100,000 men, and their navy and air force were restricted. Many of the provisions hurt Germany economically: • The German merchant fleet was given to the allies as reparation for U-Boat activities. • The Rhine River Valley was occupied by allies; much of German industry was located here. New Map of Europe Before WWI After the Treaty of Versailles Assignment: what were the flaws to the Treaty of Versailles?