Europe After World War I

Europe after World War I

World War I started in August 19 and lasted until November 19 . During World War I, two groups of countries fought for victory. The Allies initially included F ______, R______and G______B______. The Allies were later joined by I______and the U______S______. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary and ______. Eventually the Central Powers were defeated by the Allies and an a______(ceasefire) was signed by German politicians on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the _____ month.

When World War I ended in 1918, the victorious Allies met in the palace of V______in Paris to draw up a peace treaty. The Allies argued over how to treat Germany. The French led by Georges C______wanted revenge. They wanted to reduce the German army and take land to make sure that Germany never attacked France again. The British led by Lloyd G______wanted to weaken the German navy and make Germany pay for the war. The Italians, led by Vittorio O______, wanted the land in Austria that they had been promised for joining the war in 1915. The United States led by Woodrow W______did not agree with the French and British. The Americans did not want a harsh treaty. W______wanted Germany to be treated fairly. The US President put forward a 14 point programme as a way to preserve peace.

By 1919 after much discussion the Treaty of Versailles was ready. The Germans were not consulted and were very angry at the terms of the treaty.

The main points of the Treaty:

1.______

2.______

3.______

4.______

5.______

Problems with the Treaty

1. The Treaty was too harsh on Germany. The Treaty contributed to the rise to power of Hitler and was one of the main causes of World War I.
2. The Germans were unhappy that millions of Germans were living outside Germany in countries such as Czechoslovakia. They were annoyed with the War Guilt Clause, which they felt was unfair
3. The Reparations (compensation) clause ruined the German economy.
4. Even though they won the war the Italians were also unhappy. They were angered that they did not get all the land they had been promised for entering the war.

The League of Nations

As part of the Treaty of Versailles the League of Nations was set up in G______in 19__ to help nations solve their problems around a table rather than on a battlefield. The League would stop powerful countries from attacking weaker ones (Collective Security). The League was hindered from the start by the refusal of ______to join. The League failed completely in its main aim to prevent future wars

Mr D Vaughan – St Flannan’s College, Ennis