Title: Political Effects of WWI
1Political Effects of WWI
2Political Effects During WWI - Russian Revolution
- Russia even before the outbreak of war had been
facing serious social problems - There were widespread peasant revolts, strikes,
and widespread poverty and hunger in the
countryside - The Tsar Nicholas II had assumed personal
responsibility for leading the armies and spent
most of his time after the summer of 1915 at army
headquarters
3Political Effects During WWI - Russian Revolution
- Suffered 7 million casualties, but still had 6.5
million men and hope for the future - The Russian army lacked weapons and munitions.
Many resigned from the army - The Tsar didnt like to govern the country when
he was away running the army, his wife and
Rasputin were left running the country - The Empress Alexandra, a narrow-minded,
autocratic woman was left in charge. She did not
use the ministers in government - Some questioned if Rasputin was leading the
country. His death in December 1916 led to much
public rejoicing
4Political Effects During WWI - Russian Revolution
- In March 1917, Petrograd (St. Petersburg) erupted
in worker demonstrations. The soldiers refused
to fire on the crowds, joined the revolt, and the
czar abdicated on March 15th - The Provisional Government decided to continue
the war. This was a fatal mistake the war was
probably the biggest single cause of discontent - After a couple of tries, the Bolsheviks succeeded
in rallying support for a military assault on the
government and seized control in October 1917
5Political Effects During WWI - Russian Revolution
- The Bolsheviks took Russia out of the war they
saw it as a capitalist struggle to begin with,
and they also needed time to strengthen their
domestic government - They signed an armistice with Germany in December
1917 - The Russian government agreed to give up its
claims to Finland, Poland, the Baltic States, and
the Ukraine, and to pay a heavy war indemnity
6Political Effects After WWI - New Governments
- Monarchies were replaced in Russia, Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire - Socialistic ideas experienced a boom
- Revolution was in the air as people began to
express their desires for a better way of life - Britain, France, and Germany all experienced a
rise in socialism to deal with - Better working conditions
- 8-hour work day
- Collective bargaining
- Wages
- Housing
7Political Effects After WWI - Treaty of Versailles
- Germans were forced to sign in June 1919
- Vengeance, not reconciliation, was the treatys
dominant tone. The Allies hated Germany because - Money spent on war
- Starting war
- Deaths
8Political Effects After WWI - Treaty of Versailles
- Article 231 War Guilt Clause Germany had to
accept everything as their fault - Reparations Payments for the cost and damage
caused by the war - Germany had to pay 33 billion dollars
- 500 million per year until 1988
- Reduced army and made them be only defensive
9Political Effects After WWI - Treaty of Versailles
- Limited navy
- No reserves
- No tanks
- No subs
- No long-range artillery
- No conscription
- No colonies
- No unions with other countries
- Rhineland was to be demilitarized
- Saar was to be occupied by France for 15 years
- Poland was given a corridor to the sea with
Danzig being the main port - Cant train soldiers to be general staff officers
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11Political Effects After WWI - Treaty of
Versailles Other Countries Reactions
- Italy Didnt get the areas they had hoped for
(Fiume) - China Upset because the Korean peninsula
shouldve been theirs, but Japan got it - U.S. Didnt accept the treaty because of the
League of Nations - Britain Softened their stance against Germany
- France Upset that the U.S. and Britain had soft
stances against Germany
12Political Effects After WWI - Treaty of
Versailles the League of Nations
- Was an international organization to settle
international disputes - Its defects were
- The Japanese were offended because her attempts
to have a statement of racial equality were
rejected - The U.S. and Central Powers (initially) were
excluded - It possessed no armed forces of its own
13Political Effects After WWI The U.S. Returns
To Isolationism
- America's return to isolationist politics after
the war caused them to reject Wilson's plan to
join his new international peace-keeping
community - America's abstention destroyed any real hopes for
international cooperation to keep the peace,
since France and England were not strong enough
to do it alone because they were in so much debt
14Political Effects After WWI Treaty of
Saint-Germain (Sept. 1919)
- Broke up Austria-Hungary
- Had to pay war reparations went bankrupt before
they could be set - Couldnt enter into unions without consent of the
League of Nations - Austrian army limited to 30,000 volunteers
- Reduced their territory
- Also dealt with railroad rights and navigation
rights over the Danube River - Result - The vast reduction of territory,
population, and resources of the new Austria
severely affected its economy and made them
resentful
15Political Effects After WWI Treaty of
Saint-Germain (Sept. 1919)
- Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were just as
multi-national as the Austro-Hungarian Empire
they replaced - Czechoslovakia
- Czechs
- Slovaks
- Yugoslavia
- Serbs
- Montenegrins
- Croats
- Slovenes
- Bozniaks
- This caused future unrest
- in the area
16Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Trianon
(Nov. 1920)
- Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory and 3.3 million
people - When the Romanian Army infringed upon the
cease-fire line, the Allied powers asked Hungary
to acknowledge the new Romanian territorial gains - Unable to reject the terms, but unable to accept
the treaty, the democratic government resigned.
It was replaced by a Communist government - The Romanian army attacked and won
- The Allied powers restored the Hungarian state
- Army reduced to 35,000 no conscription
- Was to recognize the rights of minorities in her
borders - Amount of reparations was never set
17Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Trianon
(Nov. 1920)
- Results - Caused economic problems and ethnic
unrest. They sided with Germany in WWII
18Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Sevres
(Aug. 1920)
- Ottoman Empire renamed Turkey
- Territory shrunk
- Created the Kingdom of Hejaz (later Saudi Arabia)
- Created Armenia
- Greece and Italy got territorial gains
- Mandates were given to
- Britain
- Iraq
- Palestine
- France
- Lebanon
- Syria
19Political Effects After WWI British Mandate of
Palestine
- The United Kingdom was granted control of
Palestine by the Versailles Peace Conference - During World War I the British had made two
promises regarding territory in the Middle East - Britain had promised the local Arabs, through
Lawrence of Arabia, independence for a united
Arab country covering most of the Arab Middle
East, in exchange for their supporting the
British - Britain had promised to create and foster a
Jewish national home as laid out in the Balfour
Declaration, 1917
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21Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Sevres
(Aug. 1920)
- Allies controlled the Empires finances
- Everyone was to be granted free transit through
the Empire - Goods in transit were to be free of customs
duties - Property of citizens from Germany, Austria,
Hungary, and Bulgaria was to be liquidated - Army reduced to 50,000, reduced navy, reduced air
force - Were supposed to give up the people responsible
for committing massacres during the war to an
Allied Tribunal, but this was never executed - The Dardanelle Straits were to be open in both
peace and war
22Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Sevres
(Aug. 1920)
- Results
- Created areas under Western control that were
nationalistic and sought their autonomy - Fostered resentment of the occupying Western
forces - Some Middle Eastern countries, like Iran, would
create a good relationship with Germany - Didnt resolve the issue over a Jewish homeland
23Political Effects After WWI Treaty of Neuilly
(Nov. 1919)
- Bulgaria established borders over contested
territories - Reduce army to 20,000
- Pay reparations of over 400 million
- Results Resentment over the loss of lands led
them to occupy them with the Nazis during WWII
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25Political Effects After WWI Fear of German
Resentment
- Locarno Treaty
- Signed in October 1925
- The Germans renounced any desire to change their
western frontier with France and accepted the
loss of Alsace-Lorraine - Britain and Italy guaranteed the western
frontiers of France and the continued
demilitarization of the Rhineland against a
flagrant breach but what did that mean?
26Political Effects After WWI Fear of German
Resentment
- Locarno Spring
- Had eased tensions between France and Germany,
but France was still suspicious of Germany - From 1925-1929, relations were better between the
two countries - France had an alliance with Poland and
Czechoslovakia, but these two countries couldnt
be counted on for French security - Britain wouldnt aid France if they attacked
Germany
27Political Effects After WWI Kellogg-Briand Pact
- Created by the U.S. Secretary of State and French
Foreign Minister - Agreement signed in 1928 that renounced war as a
way to resolve disputes - A total of 62 nations signed the treaty,
including the U.S., Italy, Germany, France, Great
Britain, Russia, and Japan
28Political Effects After WWI - Stab In the Back
Hitlers Rise
- The German and Austrian populaces, with their
censored presses, had been kept in the dark about
the recent military defeats of their armies, so
that the surrender came as a complete, nasty
surprise - As Germany itself had not been militarily
conquered, its citizens expected a mild,
negotiated settlement, and were stunned by the
harsh peace treaty that their new leaders
eventually agreed to - In the years after the war, conspiracy theories
grew up in which Germany had been defeated not on
the battlefield, but by treacherous politicians
at home. Adolf Hitler would later use these
theories to great effect in rallying opposition
to German democrats, socialists and communists
29Political Effects After WWI Stab in the Back
Hitlers Rise
- Adolf Hitler, a veteran of the War's worst
firestorms, desperately sought a reason for
defeat - Imbued with a burning hatred of Jews, Bolsheviks
and even Democrats, the solution was simple - the
country had been stabbed in the back by the
November Criminals, or in Hitler's words "a gang
of despicable and depraved criminals!"
30Political Effects After WWI - Stab In the Back
Hitlers Rise
- The First World War created the Dictator that the
world would bitterly come to know - He himself admitted this in 1941, saying "When I
returned from the War, I brought back home with
me my experiences at the front out of them I
built my National Socialist community"