background to the Paris Peace Settlements

when did the leaders of the victorious nations I’m WW1 meet in Paris?

at the beginning of 1919

what problems threatened to destabilise Europe after WW1?

hunger, disease and revolution

why couldn’t life return the way it was before WW1

around 10 million people were killed, many more wounded, empires had collapsed, and an influenza epidemic continued to kill people

which empires collapsed at the end of WW1?

the German, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires

which country experienced the most radical revolution after WW1?

Russia

which political change occurred in Russia after WW1?

the upper and middle classes were overthrown, and a communist state was established

why were European leaders worried about the Russian revolution?

they feared the spread of communism in Europe

who were the main three leaders at the Paris Peace Conference?

David Lloyd George (GB), Georges Clemenceau (F) and Woodrow Wilson (US)

what three aims did the leaders share?

1: punish Germany

2: prevent another major war

3: restore order in Europe to stop the spread of Communism

what did Clemenceau want for Germany?

to punish and weaken Germany so it could never threaten France again

How did Clemenceau want to punish Germany?

through huge reparations, loss of recourse-rich areas and disbanding its military

what was Lloyd George’s main concern about punishing Germany too harshly?

it could damage Britain’s future trade with Germany and hurt the economy

what did Lloyd Georges government promise the British people

to make Germany ‘pay’ and ‘squeeze them like a lemon’

what were Woodrow Wilson’s ‘14 points’?

proposals for world peace that addressed the causes of WW1

what was Wilson’s key principle for peace?

self determination - allowing to govern themselves

what organisation did Wilson propose to prevent future conflicts?

the League of Nations

what was the purpose of the League of Nations

to help countries settle disputes peacefully before they turned into wars