The Armistice and Treaty of Versailles

1. The Armistice and Treaty of Versailles

2. On March 18th 1918 the Ludendorff Offensive began. (AKA: German’s last chance before the American’s arrived) • In the early stages it seemed like the offensive would be a success. • Despite the German attacks the Allies managed to establish and hold a new front line. • The Allied attack of August 1918 was successful because they used the element of surprise and a creeping barrage. • The arrival of US troops and the failure of attacks had a negative impact on German morale. • German sailors went on strike and riots started in Germany in late October 1918. • The German Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland on the 9th of November 1918. • A new German government asked for a ceasefire on the 9th November 1918. • At 11.00am on November 11th 1918 an armistice (ceasefire) was signed. World War One was over.

3. The First World War ended on the 11th of November 1918 with the German surrender. • People all over Europe celebrated the end of this long conflict. • It would soon become apparent the human cost of the war – around 10 million soldiers killed. • At least 5 men died every minute of the war.

4. The Armistice that signalled the end of the Great War was signed in a railway carriage in France. • Representatives from the major powers were present. • Germany had to agree to an immediate withdrawal from France and Belgium, the release of prisoners of war and the surrender of weapons, U-Boats and war ships.

5. Armistice Day

7. Soldiers Cheering on the Western Front

8. The Treaty of Versailles The Paris Peace Conference: Terms and Conditions of German Surrender The Palace of Versailles, France

9. The Paris Peace Conference • The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors, following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. • It took place in Paris during 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities. • Canada was awarded 2 non-voting seats. • The "Big Four" were the President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson; the Prime Minister of Great Britain, David Lloyd George; the Prime Minister of France, Georges Clemenceau; and the Prime Minister of Italy, Vittorio Orlando. They met together informally 145 times and made all the major decisions, which in turn were ratified by the others.

10. The major decisions were : • the creation of the League of Nations • the five peace treaties with defeated enemies, including the Treaty of Versailles with Germany • the awarding of German and Ottoman overseas possessions as "mandates," chiefly to Britain and France; reparations imposed on Germany • the drawing of new national boundaries • The Treaty of Versailles was name for the peace treaty which punished Germany at the end of the war. • There were other treaties to deal with the other defeated nations.

11. Wilson’s 14 Points • Woodrow Wilson, the American President, had realised before the war was over that a harsh peace treaty on the Germans would create long term problems in Europe. • He proposed that any peace settlement should be fair and not humiliating for the defeated nations. • Wilson's diplomacy and his Fourteen Points had essentially established the conditions for the armistices that had brought an end to World War I. • In January 1918 he published his ‘Fourteen Points’. This was his ideas about how to achieve a lasting peace in Europe by tackling the real causes of the war.

12. Wilson’s Advice • No alliances. • Every country should reduce their army and navy (Disarmament). • The Allies should not share out the German colonies amongst themselves. • Minority peoples within the Austro Hungarian Empire should be given independence (Self-Determination). • A League of Nations should be created to negotiate future quarrels through discussion.

13. The terms of the Treaty • The terms of the treaty can be divided into four main areas: • Territorial terms • Military terms • War Guilt • Reparations • Many feel that the terms of the treaty of Versailles were very harsh on the Germans. • Some even go as far to suggest that this caused the rise of the Hitler in the 1930s and ultimately the Second World War.

14. Was the Treaty of Versailles a Fair and Just Settlement to the War? Main Clauses: 1) Germany and its allies were to accept full responsibility for the outbreak of the war ( the War Guilt clause) 2) All German overseas investment and territory was taken away and given to the allies. 3) Germany was required to demilitarize the Rhineland (along the French border). 4) Germany was required to give up control of the coal mines of the Saar basin. 5) Germany was required to give Alsace and Lorraine back to France and some territory to Belgium. 6) Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria and to acknowledge the independence of Czechoslovakia. 7) Germany was ordered to reduce its army to 100,000 and to eliminate its airforce and navy. 8) Germany was to pay billions in war reparations, primarily to France but also to the other victorious powers. The amount was not actually set at the time the Treaty was signed.

16. Clauses of the Treaty: Territorial • Alsace-Lorraine (given back to France) • The League of Nations also took control of Germany's overseas colonies.Germany had to return to Russia land taken in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. • Austria-Hungary dismantled

17. Clauses of the Treaty: Financial • The loss of vital industrial territory would be a severe blow to any attempts by Germany to rebuild her economy. Coal from the Saar and Upper Silesia in particular was a vital economic loss. • Reparations forced Germany to repay Allied countries for their financial expenditures during the war. • It seemed that the Allies wanted nothing else but to bankrupt Germany

18. Germany’s Reaction to the Treaty • After agreeing to the Armistice in November 1918, the Germans had been convinced that they would be consulted by the Allies on the contents of the Treaty. This did not happen. • Germany was given two choices:  1) sign the Treaty or 2) be invaded by the Allies.

19. No German representatives were allowed at the conference. They could not defend themselves. Germany felt that many of the specific terms of the treaty were unfair. Why did Germany think that the Treaty of Versailles was harsh and unfair? Germany was told that if they did not sign the treaty the naval blockade and the war would begin again The Germans called the treaty a ‘Diktat’ which means a dictated peace

20. Canada and the Treaty of Versailles • The Treaty of Versailles enhanced our national status in the international arena. • Robert Borden insisted that Canada should have the same representation as Belgium and other small countries at the Conference; and in the end Canada was given, representation on the British Empire delegation • We were given two seats at the Conference, and signed the treaty under the UK. • as a result of the treaty, Canada obtained separate representation in the Assembly of the League of Nations.

21. Consequences of the Treaty French General in Chief of Allied Armies commented on the Treaty… “This is not a peace treaty; it is an armistice of 20 years.” He was right: Adolf Hitler started World War II just 20 years and one month later. Source: DesRivieres, Denis, et al. Experience History: Canada Since WWI. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2006. Adolf Hitler