History Soars at Pheonix  

The Treaty of Versailles

 

Why Versailles?

 

The ______________ wanted to crush Germany in the same place where Bismarck formed it in 1871. 

 

The “Big Three”

 

Although there were delegates from _______ nations at the conference, the important decisions were made by the leaders of the three strongest _________ powers: the US, Britain, and France.

 

United States

Wilson wanted “peace without ___________,” and wanted defeated nations to be treated well to avoid a war of _________________ in the future. 

 

Wilson introduced America’s goals his _______________ _______________, which were admired by the Germans, but not the other Allies.

 

Wilson wanted to eliminate the basic causes of war, such as conflicts over _________________ and ___________________.

 

Wilson also called for an end to ________________, a ___________________ of military arms, and self-determination.

 

__________________________________ – the idea that the peoples of Eastern Europe would chose their own form of government.

 

Wilson also argued for freedom of the ________, and the formation of the ________________________________.

 

League of Nations – a group of countries with the goal of settling disputes through ____________, rather than war.

 

France

The __________ of Wilson was Clemenceau from France who was nicknamed the “Tiger” for his fierce war policy.

 

Clemenceau wanted to ______________ the Germans so that they could never again ________________ France.

 

Clemenceau felt that Wilson wanted to be too ________ on Germany and said, “Wilson has Fourteen Points…God Almighty has only ten!”

 

Great Britain

Lloyd George of Great Britain held a ________________ position between Wilson and Clemenceau. 

 

While promising to make the Germans pay, Lloyd George knew that ___________________ Germany would not be good for __________________.

 

Lloyd George helped work out many of the _______________________________ in the treaty.

 

 

 

Punishing the Central Powers

 

Germany

Germany’s punishment in the Treaty can be remembered as: _________

 

 

1.  Germany had to accept the _______________ for starting the war in the form of a “war guilt” clause.

 

 

2.  Germany had to pay over $33 billion in _____________________, or fines.

 

 

• The reparations covered the ______________________ caused by the war, pensions for millions of Allied soldiers, widows and families.

 

 

3.  Germany was forbidden to have an ___________ over 100,000 men, no submarines, and no air force.

 

 

4.  Germany lost ___________________ and colonies to Britain and France.

 

 

• Alsace and Lorraine were returned to ________________, land was lost to Poland, and the Rhineland was to be occupied by Allied troops.

 

 

Austria-Hungary

The break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire led to the independence of four new nations: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and __________________________. 

 

 

______________, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Montenegro made up Yugoslavia.  ______________, deprived of its entire empire, became a small nation.

 

 

Ally _____________ gained land, while Central Power ____________ lost land.

 

 

Ottoman Empire

The weak Ottoman Empire (__________) was also broken up.

 

 

Some of the territories were given _____________________, while others such as Palestine, Iraq, and Syria were given to ______________ and France.

 

 

Communist Russia

Since Russia’s new __________________ government left the war early, they were not invited to Versailles. 

 

 

The Allies wanted to _________________ Russia to keep communism from _____________________ westward.

 

 

_________ new nations gained independence from Russia: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Russia also lost __________ to Poland and Romania.

 

 

 

League of Nations

 

Wilson’s Creation

President Wilson ________________ in forming the League of Nations.

 

 

The countries that joined the League promised to take cooperative ________________ and __________________ actions against any aggressive country.

 

 

Although Wilson’s idea, the United States ______________ rejected the League because Americans feared it would pull them into future European ________. 

 

 

The lack of the US severely _________________ the League. 

 

 

Anger over Versailles

 

Many nations were __________ with the Treaty of Versailles, and felt their goals had not been achieved.

 

 

• ________________ was horrified by their reparations, reduced military, and territorial losses.

 

 

• __________________ also felt the Treaty was too harsh on Germany, and the US Congress refused to approve it.

 

 

• ________ wanted to gain more land from Austria than it received. 

 

 

• __________ was angry because the Allies did not recognize all of its claims in China.

 

 

• ___________ was angry that Japan had been given Germany’s sphere of influence.

 

 

• ______________ was angry they were not invited to Versailles, and upset over losing Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

 

 

Unfortunately, the treaty that ended the “war to end all wars” merely provided the motivation for _________, just twenty years later.