Focus 1: The Paris Peace Conference & Treaty of Versailles (TOV)
Aims of the Paris Peace Conference/ Big Three
USA
Britain
France
Terms of the TOV & Impact on Germany
War Guilt Clause / Article 231
Reparations
Territorial reductions
Demilitarisation
Not invited to join the League of Nations
Terms of Paris Peace Conference & impact on Europe
Breakdown of old empires & new borders
E.g. German Empire (Rhineland, Alsace-Lorraine & Saar, Danzig)
E.g. Austria-Hungary Empire (Became Austria & Hungary)
E.g. New borders (Czechoslovakia and Poland)
Self-Determination – Creation of the League of Nations
Focus 2: The League of Nations (LON)
Aims of the LON – Resolve international disputes & to disarm.
Concerns for the weakness of the LON - Members had different aims.
Different aims in disarmament.
Lack of ability to stop aggressors.
Membership issues
X USA, X Germany, X USSR
Key successes and failures of the LON
E.g. Success (Upper Silesia 1921 and The Greek-Bulgarian Border 1925)
E.g. Failure (Vilna 1920 and Corfu 1923)
Focus 3: Other attempts at Peace outside of the LON
Agreements & Outcomes
Rapallo Treaty 1922 --Success
The Dawes Plan 1924 -- Success
The Locarno Treaties 1925 -- Partial Success
The Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 -- No outcomes
The Young Plan 1929 -- Failure
Was it because of the competition for power?
Or was it for to fight for more territories?
Or was it due to the alliance that pushed for more aggressive behaviour?
Why do countries engage in War?
Then what happened after WWI?
The aftermath of World War I saw drastic political, cultural, economic, and social change across the world even in areas outside those that were directly involved.
Empires collapsed due to the war, old countries were abolished, new ones were formed, boundaries were redrawn, international organizations were established,.
The victorious powers met up toiscuss the terms of peace and Germany’s amount of compensation. Treaty of Versailles was the political settlement that arose out of the Conference.
The “Big Three” were David Lloyd George of Britain, Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of America. David Lloyd George of Great Britain
Established on January 10, 1920, at the initiative of the victorious Allied powers at the end of World War I and was formally disbanded on April 19, 1946.
The League's goals included disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiation diplomacy and improving global welfare.
Click here to read more about the successes and failures of the LON.