The End of the War &

The Treaty of Versailles

June 1919
Who fought?
• Over 100 different
countries were
involved in WWI.
• Approx. 40 countries
sent troops.

• Others sent
supplies/money.

• Many were drawn in

because they were
colonies of a leading
power.
 Country Standing Mobilized Forces
Army/Reserve August 1914-1918
1914
Russia 5,971,000 12,000,000
France 4,017,000 8,410,000
Great Britain 975,000 8,905,000
United States 200,000 4,355,000
Italy 1,251,000 5,615,000
Japan 800,000 800,000
Romania 290,000 750,000
Serbia 200,000 707,000
Belgium 117,000 267,000
Greece 230,000 230,000
Portugal 40,000 100,000
Montenegro 50,000 50,000
Germany 4,500,000 11,000,000
Austria-Hungary 3,000,000 7,800,000
Turkey 210,000 2,850,000
Bulgaria 280,000 1,200,000
Economic Cost of the War
• Total $ spent:
• Allies: 125,690,477,000
• C.P.’s: 60,643,160,000
• Total: 186,333,637,000

• That’s more than 3

Trillion in today’s
money.
Death’s & Casualties
• 8-10 million soldiers
die

• 7-13 million civilians

die

• 38 million casualties

• True numbers are

unclear as record
keeping difficult.
 Military Deaths
Country Estimated Deaths
Russia 2,000,000 +
Britain 886,000
France 1,387,000
Italy 651,000
United States 126,000
Germany 1,873,000
Austrian Empire 1,212,000
Total Military Est. 9,838,000
Civilian Deaths (1914-1918) Est. 10,000,000
Cease Fire & Treaty of Versailles
• Cease Fire called on
Nov. 11, 1918

• Treaty of Versailles
signed on June 28,
1919.

• Treaty of Versailles:
• Peace treaty that ended
WWI and assigned blame
and punishment for the war
to Germany.
Discussion Question
• Pretend you are the leader of Britain, France, or the USA
and have just won WWI. Millions of your young men have
been slain in battle, the French countryside has been
ravaged, and millions upon million of people have lost
their lives. Now it is your job to decide who is to blame
and what the consequences should be for those that lost
the war.

• With your partner, discuss and decide on what you think

should happen to Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire. How would you treat them? What
would you do to them? What should their punishment
be?
 Woodrow Wilson USA David Lloyd-George Great Britain

The Big Four

Georges Clemenceau France Vittorio Orlando Italy

The Big Four at Versailles in 1919
What did America Want?
• Woodrow Wilson wants
Treaty to be based on
his 14 Points.

• Did not want to punish

Germany severely.

• Wants to set up
international
organization: The
League of Nations
What did France Want?
• Clemenceau : The Tiger

• Wants:
• Security for France

• Revenge

• Reparations

• Demands that Germany

pay for her sins!
What did Britain want?
• Publically:
• Need to punish
Germany!
• Britain very anti-German
at end of war.
• Privately:
• Need to rebuild
Germany!
• Important trade partner.
• Stop spread of
communism.
 REPARATIONS
Germany agreed to pay for the damage
caused by her armies during the war. The
sum she had to pay was later fixed at $33
billion dollars.
The Terms of the Treaty
• German army reduced to
100,000 men

• German army no tanks or air

force

• Rhineland must be de-

militarized

• Allies occupy west bank of

the Rhine for 15 years

• German navy: no submarines

or large battleships
Territorial Losses

Germany lost ALL of her overseas

colonies

Alsace-Lorraine was given to

France
Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria
 The War Guilt Clause
"The Allied and Associated Governments
affirm, and Germany accepts, the
responsibility of Germany and her Allies for
causing all the loss and damage to which the
Allied and Associate Governments and their
nationals have been subjected as a
consequence of a war imposed upon them
by the aggression of Germany and her
Allies."

Article 231

GERMANY FORCED TO ACCEPT

RESPONSIBILITY FOR
STARTING THE WAR
Discussion Question
• Do you think that the Treaty of Versailles and the
punishments handed down to Germany were fair or not?
Why or why not?

• If you had to side with one countries goals for the end of
the war (Britain, France, USA) who would you have
chosen and why?
German’s Reaction to the Treaty
• German's think it is a “diktat”:
• A dictated peace.

• Not based on Wilson’s 14

Points like they were
promised.

• Believe War Guilt Clause is

unjustified

• Angry at loss of territory.

• Believe their economy will be

crippled by the war
reparations.