AICE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY REVIEW Chapter 2

The League of Nations & President Wilson

  • President Wilson's Fourteen Points should form the basis of peace negotiations after WWI.
  • Fourteenth point: an international organization (League of Nations) where nations could discuss disagreements and negotiate instead of resorting to war.

The League of Nations and International Relations in the 1920s

  • Topics:
    • Difficulties in reaching agreement on and implementing the peace settlement terms after WWI.
    • Attempts to ease international tensions during the 1920s: Why and how?
    • Successes and failures of attempts to improve international relations during the 1920s.
    • Analysis of the League of Nations' creation, early development, and effectiveness during the 1920s.

The Treaty of Versailles

  • A peace proposal presented to Germany, who felt horrified but had no alternative but to accept to avoid continued war and potential invasion.
  • Terms:
    • Germany lost around 70,000 square kilometers of land and about 7 million people.
      • Land ceded to France, Belgium, Denmark, Saar Valley (administered by the League of Nations for 15 years as a heavily industrialized region).
      • Rhineland (German territory bordering France) was demilitarized: no troops allowed.
      • Land (Prussia) given to Poland, providing sea access via the “Polish Corridor,” which divided Germany from East Prussia.
    • Countries gained through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk were established as independent states.
    • Germany lost its African colonies, which became mandates under the League of Nations (LON).
    • Military restrictions: German army limited to 100,000 troops max, no tanks, military aircraft, or submarines, and a maximum of 6 battleships.
    • The ‘War Guilt Clause’: Germany and its allies were blamed for causing WWI, justifying reparations.
    • Reparations: Imposed on Germany to weaken its economy and prevent future threats to other countries.

Treaty of Versailles & Sister Treaties

  • After the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, the Paris Peace Conference addressed other defeated nations like Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria, granting independence and self-determination.
  • The disintegration of empires led to new states. The Paris peacemakers formalized this resulting chaos.
  • The decisions formally recognized new national states: Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary, termed ‘successor states.’
  • Sister Treaties: Each defeated nation was treated separately via four treaties:
    • Treaty of Saint-Germain
    • Treaty of Neuilly
    • Treaty of Sevres
    • Treaty of Trianon

Reparations

  • Dissatisfaction with the peace treaty settlements of 1919 stemmed from:
    • The ‘War Guilt Clause’ in the Treaty of Versailles, which legally justified expecting Germany and its allies to pay reparations.
    • The significant economic and human suffering endured by Germany's enemies during WWI.
    • France's demand for compensation: Most battles occurred on French soil, devastating towns, villages, and the industrial region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
    • Reparations intended to facilitate reconstruction in France and other war-affected countries like Belgium.
    • Reparations caused disagreements among the “Big Three” (Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau) at Versailles. Wilson opposed imposing reparations, fearing resentment and a desire for revenge in Germany.

Reparations (Cont'd)

  • Most reparations imposed on Germany and Bulgaria.
  • The Sister Treaties (Saint-Germain, Trianon, Sevres) acknowledged Austria-Hungary and Turkey’s limited resources and difficulty in paying.
  • Germany faced the heaviest burden: 6.66.6 billion pounds in reparations.
  • Problem: Germany's economy was devastated after WWI and could not meet these demands.

Problems in Successor States

  • Maintaining commitment to self-determination proved complex.
  • Wilson believed nationality could be determined by language, but this was considered too simplistic.
  • Eastern Europe's situation was complex due to numerous ethnic groups with conflicting ambitions.
  • Redrawing the map of Eastern Europe resulted in around 30 million people living as minorities under foreign rule, causing inevitable disputes.
  • The