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Why did the Great War become World War I?

Why did the Great War become World War I?. Unpacking the Treaty of Versailles. Part I. Motives for the Treaty: the Trauma of World War I. Casualties. Casualties: First World War. Funeral services for Lusitania victims at Queenstown, Ireland.

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Why did the Great War become World War I?

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  1. Why did the Great War become World War I? Unpacking the Treaty of Versailles

  2. Part I • Motives for the Treaty: the Trauma of World War I

  3. Casualties

  4. Casualties: First World War

  5. Funeral services for Lusitania victims at Queenstown, Ireland Motor transports in front of the ruins of cathedral at Varennes, France Deserted trenches outside the ruins of Montfaucon, France Destruction of the Cloth Hall, Ypres, Belgium

  6. Ruined city hall, Peronne, France French Premier Georges Clemenceau walking through the ruined streets of Noyo Houses destroyed by aerial attack at Padua, Italy Ruins of Ortelburg, East Prussia

  7. Serbian women burying the dead after a battle American troops marching through Vaux, France Damage caused by German airship raid on Scarborough, England

  8. What level of destruction do these pictures indicate? • What are some emotions evoked when viewing these images? • Why is it significant that major civic buildings such as the Courthouse (Palace of Justice), cathedral, and City Hall (Hotel de Ville) were destroyed? • Can you envision what these buildings and towns may have looked like before the war? • How long do you think it would take to rebuild these buildings and communities? • How much do you think it would cost? Can a community ever really recover from such destruction?

  9. In 1921 the total cost of these reparations was assessed at 132 billion Marks (then $31.4 billion or £6.6 billion, roughly equivalent to US $442 billion or UK £284 billion in 2013), a sum that many economists at the time, notably John Maynard Keynes, deemed to be excessive and counterproductive. The argument by Keynes that the terms were too harsh—too "Carthaginian"—convinced many British and American leaders, but left the French unmoved. (Wikipedia)

  10. Part II • Drawing Up the Treaty: France and the United States

  11. Wilson’s Fourteen Points

  12. After reading the top two paragraphs: • What does Wilson say are the goals of the United States? • What is his hope for the world and for the postwar talks?

  13. After reading the B paragraph: • What is Wilson's stated attitude toward Germany? • How would this attitude differ from France's? • Why might the U.S. be more inclined than France to take an idealistic perspective?

  14. Part III • The Terms of the Treaty

  15. What did the Big 3 Think? •US - Woodrow Wilson: Wanted a 'fair and lasting peace' and had written a plan – the Fourteen Points – to achieve this. He wanted the armed forces of all nations reduced, not just the losers, and a League of Nations created to ensure peace. •France - Georges Clemenceau: Wanted Germany to pay dearly for the war, including being stripped of land, industry and their armed forces. Also wanted heavy reparations. •UK - David Lloyd George: While he personally agreed with Wilson, he was affected by public opinion in Britain which agreed with Clemenceau.

  16. Territory • Alsace Lorraine, captured by Germany in 1870, was returned to France. • The Saar, an important German coalfield, was to be given to France for 15 years, after which a plebiscite would decide ownership. • Poland became an independent country with a 'route to the sea', a corridor of land cutting Germany in two. • Danzig, a major port in East Prussia (Germany) was to be under international rule. • All German and Turkish Colonies were taken away and put under Allied control. • Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Czechoslovakia were made independent. • Austria-Hungary was split up and Yugoslavia was created.

  17. After reading 42 - 50 • Why were these clauses probably inserted? • What benefits did these clauses give France? • Was it reasonable to establish the demilitarized Rhineland buffer zone? • How would the terms regarding the Saar Basin affect the German economy? • How would Germany probably react to these terms?

  18. Arms • The left bank of the Rhine was to be occupied by Allied forces and the right bank demilitarised. • The German army was cut to 100,000 men. • Wartime weapons were to be scrapped. • The German Navy was cut to 36 ships and no submarines. • Germany was banned from having an Air Force • An anschluss (union) between Germany and Austria was banned.

  19. After reading Military, Naval and Air Clauses: • What were the terms for Germany? • What sovereign powers did Germany lose? • How might these clauses have satisfied France? • How would Germany probably react?

  20. Reparations and Guilt • In the 'war guilt' clause Germany has to accept total blame for the war. • Germany had to pay £6,600 million in compensation. ARTICLE 231. The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.

  21. After reading Article 231 • Why does it single out Germany and not the other Central Powers? • Is this clause accurate? Does Germany warrant more responsibility than other countries? • Do the Allies bear any responsibility? • How much was Germany to pay? • How might this affect the German economy?

  22. Reactions • Germany lost 13% of its land, 12% of its people, 48% of its iron resources, 15% of it agricultural production and 10% of it coal. Perhaps understandably, German public opinion soon swung against this 'Diktat', while the Germans who signed it were called the 'November Criminals'. Britain and France felt the treaty was fair – they actually wanted harsher terms imposed on the Germans – but the United States refused to ratify it because they didn't want to be part of the League of Nations.

  23. Results • The map of Europe was redrawn with consequences which, especially in the Balkans, remain to the modern day. • Numerous countries were left with large minorities groups: there were three and a half million Germans in Czechoslovakia alone. • The League of Nations was fatally weakened without the United States and its army to enforce decisions. • Many Germans felt unfairly treated, after all they had just signed an armistice, not a unilateral surrender, and the allies hadn't occupied much of German territory.

  24. Adolf Hitler Speech on the Treaty of Versaiiles – April 17, 1923

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