Historical Look: Aftermath of WWI

Following the devastation caused by WWI, the territorial map of Europe changed significantly. Four Imperial thrones were ousted and replaced entirely by different governments. The dissolution of these four empires (Germany, Russia, Austro-Hungaria, and the Ottoman Empire) brought way to new nations. This post will give a detailed look at the terms put forth by the Treat of Versailles, that completely changed the territorial map of Europe.

The Big Four

At the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, there were many allied delegates present to discuss the peace treaty with Germany. While there were over 20 nations represented
at the committee, it was four nations in particular that led the discussion.Great Britain, France, Italy, and the United States were now the global superpowers. They were lead by Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, and Georges Clemenceau. 

Woodrow Wilson: 

As a member of the Democratic party he was elected president of the United States in 1912. In 1916 he was able to win re-election with a new campaign that he would keep us out of the war. However following the attack on the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram he was able to win public opinion on joining the war. His idealism for a new world order became one of the backbones of the Peace Conference. 

David Lloyd George:    

He became prime minister of Great Britain in 1916 representing the British Labor Party during their war effort against Germany. He was somewhat of a moderate caught between conservative and liberal coalitions. His intentions at the peace committee were for a pragmatic and fair resolution. He ultimately fell between Wilson's idealism and Clemenceau's desire for vengeance. 

Vitorrio Emannuele Orlando

He was elected prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy in 1917 and oversaw Italy's war effort against Austro-Hungary. He entered the peace conference with intentions to regain territory for his country. Italy was originally an ally of the Triple-Entente however switched to the Allies side in 1915 with a promise they would acquire more land. Orlando received heavy opposition however at the conference and was unable to get all the land they wanted. This eventually gave way to new Italian nationalism and the rise of Mussolini. 

Georges Clemenceau 

He served as prime minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and was elected once again in 1917. He oversaw France's government in the midst of the German bombardment and was keen to find a harsh resolution for the damage caused on their nation. His case was that the majority of the western front fighting took place in French territories. Clemenceau called for heavy reparations and disarmament on the German nation. He felt Wilson was too much of an idealist. In the end he was able to lead the committee however felt the treaty was still not harsh enough on the Germans.   

Wilson's 14-Points

The basis of the Treaty of Versailles came from US president Woodrow Wilson's 14 point plan for peace in Europe. Although many of the points were entirely overlooked in order to put harsh restrictions on Germany such as the heavy cost of reparations. 

1. Open diplomacy, peace-talks, and no more secret alliances
2. Freedom of navigation by the sea
3. Removal of economic barriers or blockades; equality of trade
4. Reduction of Militarism
5. Reduction of Imperialism
6. The Evacuation of all Russian territory in respect to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and their newly developed government
7. The evacuation of Belgium
8. The evacuation of France
9. The redistricting of Italy into a sovereign state
10. The dismantle of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and establishment of an Austrian and Hungarian sovereign state
11. The evacuation of the Balkan States of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro 
12. The dismantle of the Ottoman Empire should establish a Turkish sovereign state
13. The formation of a Polish sovereign state
14. The formation of an international peace committee to be known as the League of Nations

Territorial Changes

German Empire.

As the primary culprit of WWI, Germany was faced with the harshest of penalties. They were forced to pay high reparations for the damage they caused. Their military might was also restricted to no more than 100,000 soldiers. They loss territory to Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Poland, and France. This ultimately marked the end of the German Empire that had prospered across Europe since 1871.

With the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the state of Germany was in disarray. Following an unsuccessful communist Revolution, led by Rosa Luxembourg, the nation eventually established a new government. This became known as the Weimer Republic. While the government was successful in returning to order, many citizens were unsatisfied with the new German state. This eventually led to the rise of the Nazi Party. 

Austro-Hungarian Empire

The Austro-Hungarian Empire (that had stood since 1867) was forced to dismantle. The Hasbsburg dynasty went into exile and a wave of political revolutions spread the area until their new governments were established. The Kingdom of Hungary was established as a monarchy in 1920. Austria became a republic however continued to deal with division and civil war.

The empire lost territory to Italy and Romania in the south. They lost territory that was possessed by the north Slavs, which formed the newly independent Czechoslovakia. They lost territory to the southern Slavs, which formed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. And they also loss territory on their eastern borders to what became the newly established Polish Republic. 

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire had been falling prior to the War and this defeat was it's final straw. As a consequence for their involvement in the war, Allied forces occupied their capital city of Constantinople. Smaller skirmishes and battles continued in the Middle East after WWI for territory. Greece and Armenia took advantage of the falling empire's disarray. By 1922 the Ottoman Empire (which first came to power back in 1299) had officially fallen and been replaced entirely by an independent Turkish state.  

Russian Empire

Although the Russian's were on the side of the Allies, they too lost much territory following the war. A big part of this was due to their recent revolution of overthrowing their tsar. Many of the Western leaders were afraid of Russia's new Communist Revolution and quickly came to the aid of counter-revolutions after WWI. The Civil War lasted until 1922, of which the newly formed Soviet government was able to squash any resistance. Nonetheless Russia lost territory on their western borders to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. They continued to challenge territory long after WWI and their Civil War disputing territories in Finland, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

League of Nations

The idea behind an international government had existed for some time yet after the devastation caused in World War I the timing could't be better. Woodrow Wilson presented his idea to Congress in his 14-Point plan, and it would later be adapted in the Treaty of Versailles. The committee consisted of 42 states upon it's inception. Quite shockingly however the US did not join the newly established league because the senate and congress voted against it. Wilson still went on to be honored for his involvement in forming the league and won the Noble Peace Price.

The first meeting took place in Paris, January 16th, 1920. The headquarters were later moved to the neutral state of Geneva, Switzerland. The utmost goal of the league was to avoid war through diplomatic assembly. If a nation were to have a complaint of another nation, the matter was to be  reviewed by the council to find a solution. Most of the cases resolved by the League of Nations were territorial disputes.

By the 1930s, the League had quickly began to lose it's effectiveness in the face of such political extremism. It was considered incompetent without the membership of the United States. Also one of it's greatest weaknesses was that it did not have an army to enforce it's international policies. By 1932, with the rise of Adolf Hitler and German nationalism, many nations refused to disarm in the fear of another war. The start of World War II ultimately proved how the League of Nations as a whole had failed. It was later replaced in 1945 by the United Nations, founded by 51 nations, of which this time the United States became it's key member. The committee stands to this day, based out of New York City, with a total of 193 members.