This lesson contains 43 slides, with interactive quizzes, text slides and 4 videos.
Items in this lesson
1.4: Picking up the pieces after the war
9. The Time of World Wars
Slide 1 - Slide
What is this lesson about?
After World War I, the leaders of 27 nations met at the Paris Peace Conference to decide on the fate of Europe and large parts of the world. They signed different treaties with the losing Central Powers. The former Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire were divided. The Treaty of Versailles shaped the fate of Germany. The Germans felt humiliated because they were severely punished. It immediately led to new tensions.
Slide 2 - Slide
The Big Three
Clemenceau
prime minister
France
Lloyd George
prime minister
Great Britain
Wilson
president
USA
Slide 3 - Slide
Word Duty
Fourteen Points: US president Wilson’s principles for peace to be used for the peace negotiations in order to end World War I
Treaty of Versailles: peace treaty that brought World War I to an end and in which the Allies
defined the future of Germany
war reparations: compensation paid by a defeated nation for the damage it inflicted during a war
League of Nations: international organisation founded in 1920 to maintain world peace and to prevent future wars; in 1946 replaced by the United Nations
national self-determination: the right of nations to form their own nation state
secular: not related to religion; in a secular state there is a separation between Church and State
WORD DUTY
Slide 4 - Slide
Important date in this lesson:
1919: June 28th: Signing of Peace Treaty of Versailles
1920: founding of the League of Nations
Slide 5 - Slide
What you will learn in
this lesson
that Germany was heavily punished by the Treaty of Versailles
how the map of Europe changed after the war
recognise the impact of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany
Use these questions to make your own summary
Slide 6 - Slide
Introduction
On 11th November 1918, an armistice was signed. With this it came an end to World War I and the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. In Russia, a revolution raged. While the victors celebrated, Eastern Europe seemed to balance on the edge of chaos. A heavy burden lay on shoulders of the Allied leaders: they had to reconstruct the world.
The signing of the treaty of peace at Versailles, 28 June 1919
Slide 7 - Slide
The Paris Peace Conference
The people of Europe were relieved that the Great War was over. They looked with great expectation towards the future. Most of them hoped that Woodrow Wilson, the president of the USA, would bring freedom and democracy. Wilson put himself in the position of peacemaker and had put his ideas of a better world onto paper in his Fourteen Points.
He predicted a new era: a time of freedom, peace and democracy. To reach his goals he had to negotiate with the other Allied victors.
American president Wilson was enthusiastically greeted by the people of Paris in 1919
Slide 8 - Slide
1a. Wilson's "Fourteen Points" were his plan to punish Germany after the war.
A
TRUE
B
FALSE
Slide 9 - Quiz
1b. Look at Wilson's "Fourteen Points". Which 2 points were likely to meet with disapproval from Britain?
A
1 & 14
B
2 & 5
C
4 & 7
D
5 & 13
Slide 10 - Quiz
1c. Explain the answer of question 1b.
Slide 11 - Open question
On 18 January 1919, the Paris Peace Conference started. Wilson and delegates of 26 other countries met at the Palace of Versailles. Every nation had its own expectations and agenda, but although hundreds of representatives were invited, the real power lay with
The Big Four: Wilson himself and the prime ministers of France, Britain and Italy. During the peace conference different treaties were signed, but the most difficult issue they faced was the future of Germany. The French felt that their long time rival Germany had to be punished severely, because it had been the first to declare war. Prime Minister of France Clemenceau fanatically tried to convince the conference to keep Germany weak to ensure that it would never rise again. With this, he went against Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The USA and Great Britain were not as radical as France. They predicted that harsh punishments would trigger another war, but still felt that Germany should take the blame.
The Big Four, 27th May, 1919. From left to right: Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Premier Vittorio Orlando (Italy), French Premier Georges Clemenceau, US President Wilson.
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= attitude towards Germany
= reasons for this attitude
= main aim
Make a schematic overview in your notebook of the information in this task
Treat Germany harshly. Make the bastards pay for what they did. No mercy.
Treat Germany harshly, but don’t cripple it
Don't treat Germany too harshly.
we suffered the least.
A crippled Germany might be vengeful and start another war in the future.
A crippled Germany is less likely to become democratic.
we want to trade again with Germany, so Germany’s economy must be rebuilt quickly.
We suffered the most
. We are closest to Germany, so we fear the most of a possible future aggressive Germany.
keep our colonies safe by taking away Germany’s fleet and colonies.
Turn Germany into a peaceful, democratic
country. That’s the best way to preserve peace in the future.
Cripple Germany, make Germany pay reparations, get Alsace Lorraine back
Slide 13 - Drag question
1d. Upload a picture of the schematic overview you made
Slide 14 - Open question
Slide 15 - Video
2a. Which Allied country sustained the most damage during the war?
A
France
B
Britain
C
Italy
D
USA
Slide 16 - Quiz
2b. Which country needed to fear a future powerful Germany the most?
A
France
B
Britain
C
Italy
D
USA
Slide 17 - Quiz
2c. Which country wanted the harshest treatment for Germany?
A
France
B
Britain
C
Italy
D
USA
Slide 18 - Quiz
2d. Use the answers of questions 2a,b,c to explain France's attitude during the peace negotiations.
Slide 19 - Open question
2e. What argument did Britain and the USA present for treating Germany not too harshly?
Slide 20 - Open question
Study the source, a political cartoon about Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
3a. Who do you think ‘Wilhelm’ is?
The caption says:
‘It’s the only way out, Wilhelm!’.
On the bottom step ‘The Fourteen Principles of Wilson’s peace terms to the Imperial German government’. At the top of the stairs ‘The way to peace’.
Political cartoon, 1918.
Slide 21 - Open question
Study the source, a political cartoon about Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
3b. What does the artist means with this cartoon? Try to discuss this with a classmate before writing down your answer.
The caption says:
‘It’s the only way out, Wilhelm!’.
On the bottom step ‘The Fourteen Principles of Wilson’s peace terms to the Imperial German government’. At the top of the stairs ‘The way to peace’.
Political cartoon, 1918.
Slide 22 - Open question
Germany: the main culprit
On 28th June 1919, the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles. In it was decided that Germany:
was not allowed to have an army bigger then a hundred thousand soldiers; its fleet had to be given to the Allies
had to give its colonies to France and Britain; Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
had to give up ten percent of its territory
had to pay for the damage, caused by the war (War Reparations)
had to accept the full blame for WW1 (Alleinschuld)
It was mostly out of an emotion and feelings of revenge that Germany was ordered to pay 132 billion gold marks (around 380 billion euros today) as war reparations, a huge amount. The Germans were astonished that they were not allowed to participate in the meeting. As expected they were outraged when they read the treaty. They felt humiliated and refused to sign it. Eventually they agreed, but only because the Allies threatened to continue the war.
signing of the Treaty on June 18th, 1919, exactly 5 years after the assassination of the archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
Slide 23 - Slide
Slide 24 - Video
4. Tom and Maggie are discussing this cartoon. According to Tom, the artist agrees that Germany should pay a lot of war reparations. Maggie disagrees; she says that the artist shows that Germany should pay an unreasonable amount of money. Who is right?
On the bag ‘Reparations $ 55,000,000,000’. Underneath ‘Germany’. American political cartoon about the German war reparations, c. 1921.
A
Tom
B
Maggie
Slide 25 - Quiz
5a. The Treaty of Versailles is often named as one of the causes of Hitler’s rise to power. How do you think the Treaty of Versailles played a role in Hitler’s rise of power?
Slide 26 - Open question
5b. Hitler, and many Germans with him, referred to the Treaty of Versailles as "Das Diktat von Versailles". What did he mean by that? use internet to find out.
Slide 27 - Open question
Slide 28 - Video
Slide 29 - Slide
Slide 30 - Slide
6. Germany had hoped for peace terms based on Wilson's "14 points". Was the Treaty of Versailles better or worse for Germany, compared to the "14 points" ? Explain your answer.
Slide 31 - Open question
A League of Nations
One of president Wilson’s most important objectives in his Fourteen Point plan was the idea of a League of Nations. He wanted a future in which countries gathered and discussed hostilities and possible conflicts before using violence. He hoped that it would cause transparency and end the secret alliances. Wilson dreamed of a more peaceful world in which countries would disarm their militaries, so global wars could be prevented. However, his League of Nations did not become what he had expected. Germany was not allowed to participate and the newly formed Soviet Union (Russia) did not want to be involved. Even Wilson’s own country, the USA, did not agree with his plans. Membership to the League was declined by the congress. It was not until after World War II that this plan was brought back to life, when the United Nations were founded.
The official opening of the League of Nations, 15 November 1920
Slide 32 - Slide
Slide 33 - Slide
Slide 34 - Slide
7a. Which of the following countries was a member of the League of Nations when it started in 1920?
A
Great Britain
B
Russia
C
USA
D
Germany
Slide 35 - Quiz
7b. Why were the other three countries not members?
Slide 36 - Open question
7c. From what year till what year was Germany a member of the League of Nations?
A
Germany never joined
B
1920 - 1945
C
1933 - 1945
D
1926 - 1933
Slide 37 - Quiz
The 1918 Flu pandemic
In 1918 and 1919, a terrible epidemic held the world in its grip. Known as Spanish flu, this extreme form of influenza was most deadly for young adults. Tens of thousands of soldiers fell ill in their trenches, but it became even worse when the war ended and the soldiers returned home. They started to spread the disease all over the world, which resulted in a total of 500 million people being infected - a fifth of the world’s population! In the Netherlands, around 30,000 people did not survive the epidemic. Scientists estimate that more than 50 million people died, which is more than all victims of World War I combined, thus making Spanish flu one of the deadliest disasters in human history.
This warehouse was converted to keep the infected people quarantined. The patients are suffering from the 1918 Influenza pandemic. Dated 1918.
Slide 38 - Slide
8. How could it be possible that soldiers who returned home infected almost the entire world, while most of the fighting in the Great War was done in Europe?
Slide 39 - Open question
Finally, here you can write down a question about something from this lesson that you don't fully understand yet.