Download Paper One - Australian International School

Paper One
Aims of the Participants and
peacemakers: Wilson and the
fourteen points
Aims of the Participants
The United States
• Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress in
January 1918 – he presented his aims for a
peace settlement. They became known as the
Fourteen Points.
• Idealistic – create a world peace that would
eliminate war
Write down what those aims were!
Aims of the Participants
United States
14 Points
• Freedom of navigation in the waterways, seas, oceans
• Democracy and self – determination
• Free trade
• Stop treaties being made in secret
• Disarmament
• League of Nations – Collective Security
• Germany on probation – some payment for starting the
war. After all, the Americans did fight them!
Aims of the Participants
France
• Had suffered disastrous losses
during the war
• Feared Germany would attack again – with a rebuilt strong
economy
• Wanted to weaken Germany (was partially successful in
achieving that aim)
• Demilitarize Germany (Yes, won that argument)
• German territorial reductions (Yes, got that!)
• Reparations to weaken Germany and pay for the damage
(yes, but for France, they wanted Germany to pay more!)
Aims of the Participants
France
• Rhineland to be taken from
Germany and set up as an
independent state (Didn’t get that!)
• Take the Saar region from Germany as financial compensation (Didn’t
get that either)
• Control Belgium and Luxembourg (Nope, and not that!)
• Regain Alsace Lorraine (yes, France got that back!)
• Make the West area of the Rhine a French puppet state in case of
future German attack (No, not getting that!)
• Wanted a guaranteed agreement with the US and the UK to form an
alliance in case of a future German attack (didn’t have that close a
friendship)
Did France get what it wanted? Why or why not?
Aims of the Participants
Britain
• Electoral promises were made in the
1918 General Elections to the British
public that Germany would be made to pay for
the damage it caused
• Germany to pay extensive reparations
• Stop Germany taking control of Europe
• Stop Germany becoming a potential source of
conflict
• Get rid of the German fleet
Aims of the Participants
Britain
• Germany to return territories it had taken
during the war
• Self-Government for the nations of the former
Austro-Hungarian Empire and the non-Turkish
people of the Ottoman Empire
• The creation of a Polish state
HOWEVER…..
Aims of the Participants
Britain
• Wanted to rebuild the German economy –
a strong Germany = a profitable trading partner
Pre-war Germany was a good buyer of British
goods.
• Wanted to keep a balance of power in Europe
• Did not support France to expand beyond Alsace Lorraine
– did not want France to dominate Europe
• Did not guarantee an alliance with France. Believed in
freedom of action
• Would only intervene if the balance of power was
threatened
Aims of the Participants
Italy
• Wanted territories that had
been promised in the Treaty
of London (Do you know about the Treaty of London?)
• Did not take into account national selfdetermination
• When Italy was denied these territories it
walked out of the Versailles Conference
Aims of the Participants
Japan
• Wanted to be recognised for its dominant position in
China
• Wanted possession of the former German territories in
China and the Pacific
• Wanted to secure a larger empire for security and
economic strength
• Did not support self determination
• Wanted to be one of the major powers
• Wanted racial equality in the peace settlement
AND….the USA wanted to curb Japanese expansion!