Pass up your TAKE HOME TEST (WWI Paper II)

Answer the following questions in your ICEBREAKER section of your binder:

Can you list 3 problems that needed solving at the end of WWI?

Can you name 3 of the main leaders who attended the Paris Peace Conference and their aims?

List 3 things in the Treaty of Versailles that would have angered the German people

9/16 – 9/17

Imagine you run a German newspaper that is angry with the Treaty of Versailles. In teams design a front page that includes:• A powerful headline that captures the

mood of ordinary Germans• A strong opening paragraph that

sums up the treaty• A summary of the main points of the

Treaty• An explanation of why so many

Germans are shocked and angry• A comment on the Big Three – if you

like as a cartoon.

Your task

What were the aims of the participants and peacemakers of the Paris Peace Settlement?

Paris Peace Conference….Day #2

Defeated Colonies

A 3 Tiered system was agreed upon:◦ A) Virtual independence,

but with military and administrative assistance – used in the case of Arab areas taken from Turkey.

◦ B) Administration by a western country to protect the natives.

◦ C) Administration as a virtual colony of the mandated power – to be used in the case of thinly populated or remote areas.

The Middle East

Three key issues dominated discussions:◦ Arab self determination

had to be addressed. Promises were made by the British. Would they be met?

◦ Britain and France had imperial designs on the region. Control of oil was already an issue.

◦ Britain made war-time promises to Zionists. Would a Jewish homeland be granted? Did this mean a Jewish country?

The Middle East In the final

compromise, A-type mandates were set.

Britain got Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq (including Kuwait).

France got Syria and Lebanon.

The Jews did not get a homeland.

The Middle East - Turkey

War between Turkey and Greece ensued, with the Turks triumphant.

Ethnic cleansing occurred on both sides.

These countries have resented each other ever since.

The Military Commission There was serious

infighting here. France wanted German

power permanently broken.

In a compromise, German power would be limited – but the powers would also commit themselves to disarmament in the future.

Would they actually follow through?

Germany’s armed forces would be tiny: 100,000 men; no air force, a minimal navy with no capital ships.

The Western Agreement

France wanted control of the Rhineland, but LG felt this would just repeat the Alsace-Lorraine problem of the pre-war years.

LG proposed an American-British guarantee of France against unprovoked German attack. This would end the age old British fear of a continental commitment.

The Western Agreement The Allies nearly fell out

on this. Wilson threatened to quit the conference and sign a separate peace with Germany.

Finally a compromise was reached.◦ The Saar would be under

League of Nations control for 15 years – followed by a plebiscite.

◦ The Rhineland would be demilitarized and temporarily occupied, until it was clear that Germany was obeying the treaty.

The Eastern Agreement

Clearly events in Russia would strongly influence this.

In 1919, the outlook was distinctly unclear.

The Delegates at Paris strongly wanted to isolate the Soviets to bring about their defeat.

The Eastern Agreement - Poland France wanted a

strong Poland – allied with France against Germany – a replacement for the lost Russian ally.

Britain wanted a small, cohesive Poland.

Wilson, thinking about the Polish vote in America, was sympathetic to the Poles.

The Eastern Agreement - Poland Poland was given a

generous deal.◦ It won access to the

sea as it was granted German populated East Prussian territory.

◦ It was granted considerable territory in the East – at the cost of Russia.

The Eastern Agreement - Czechoslovakia Britain was sympathetic

to the Czechs, as many former Russian prisoners fought for the British after gaining freedom.

Problems existed though:◦ 3 million Germans lived in

the Sudeten area, claimed by the Czechs.

◦ Other ethnic minorities existed throughout the former Austro-Hungarian lands.

The Eastern Agreement – AustriaTreaty of St. Germain

Old Austria was thoroughly dismembered.

It would emerge a tiny nation of 7 million – fully 2 million in its ethnically diverse capital.

Vienna, once hub of a great empire, was now cut off

The country might not be economically viable.

Anschluss – union with Germany – was expressly forbidden.