ch. 29 sec. 4

Georges Clemenceau

President of France.

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States.

What was the goal of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points?

The guiding idea behind these points was self determination or choice of government structure.

Create a list of five interview questions a reporter might ask Wilson or Clemenceau about the Paris Peace Conference. Then write the possible answers to those questions.

1) What pushed you to keep Russia out of the conference? A= Russia was in the middle of a civil war and for such reason they are not enoughly stable like to take part in a peace conference. (World War I was over. The killing had stopped. The terms of peace, however, still had to be worked out. On January 18, 1919, a con- ference to establish those terms began at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris. Attending the talks, known as the Paris Peace Conference, were delegates repre- senting 32 countries. For one year, this conference would be the scene of vigor- ous, often bitter debate. The Allied powers struggled to solve their conflicting aims in various peace treaties.) (As the Paris Peace Conference opened, Britain and France showed little sign of agreeing to Wilson's vision of peace. Both nations were concerned with national security. They also wanted to strip Germany of its war-making power. The differences in French, British, and U.S. aims led to heated arguments among the nations' leaders. Finally a compromise was reached. The Treaty of Versailles between Germany and the Allied powers was signed on June 28, 1919, five years to the day after Franz Ferdinand's assassination in Sarajevo. Adopting Wilson's fourteenth point, the treaty created a League of Nations. The league was to be an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations. The treaty also punished Germany. The defeated nation lost substantial territory and had severe restrictions placed on its military opera- tions. As tough as these provisions were, the harshest was Article 231. It was also known as the "war guilt" clause. It placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany's shoulders. As a result, Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies. All of Germany's territories in Africa and the Pacific were declared mandates, or territories to be administered by the League of Nations. Under the peace agreement, the Allies would govern the mandates until they were judged ready for independence.)

Treaty of Versailles

A peace agreement between Germany and the Allied powers signed on June 28, 1919.

Why might the European Allies have been more interested in punishing Germany than in creating a lasting peace?

Because they European allies faced more loses and had their land ruined, and they have to live next to Germany.

Why did the United States reject the Treaty of Versailles?

Many Americans objected to the settlement and especially to President Wilson's League of Nations. Americans believed that the United States' best hope for peace was to stay out of European affairs. The United States worked out a separate treaty with Germany and its allies several years later.

Fourteen Points

President Wilson's peace proposals outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace. The first four points included an end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduced national armies and navies. The fifth goal was the adjustment of colonial claims with fairness toward colonial peoples. The sixth through thirteenth points were specific suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations. The fourteenth point proposed a "general association of nations" that would protect "great and small states alike."

What was the "war guilt" clause in the Treaty of Versailles?

The treaty also punished Germany. The defeated nation lost substantial territory and had severe restrictions placed on its military operations. As tough as these provisions were the harshest was Article 231. It was also known as the "war guilt" clause. It placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany's shoulders. As a result, Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies.

Was the United States right to reject the Treaty of Versailles? Why or why not?

There was strong sentiment toward isolationism in the US following World War I because of a fear of "entangling alliances" that could suck the US into another world war. For example, the US rejected joining the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations. While Congress never ratified the Treaty of Versailles, and instead passed an act recognizing the end of WW I, I believe the US was correct in its assessment of the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was a disaster and a primary cause of WW II and Hitler's rise to power.

Were the Versailles treaties fair? Consider all the nations affected.

Were the Versailles treaties fair? Consider all the nations affected. No. Germany didn't have a say and it left a legacy of bitterness and hatred in the hearts of German people, America though the best hope for peace was to stay out of European affairs, and Russia didn't agree either./

Self-determination

allowing people to decide for themselves under what government they wished to live under.

League of Nations

was to be an international association whose goal would be to keep peace among nations.