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Paris Peace Conference (view source)
Revision as of 16:51, December 7, 2024
, 16:51, December 7, 2024→New nations
Germany (and the defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire) were declared to be guilty of starting the war. Reparations were imposed on Germany, and long disputes raged over what should be included in the list of damages to be paid by Germany. The Allies wanted Germany to pay the direct costs of the war plus all future veterans benefits. At first no fixed sum was stated, then in 1921 the figure of $33 billion became the minimum figure. Germany began payments, but negotiated reduced amounts and in 1932 stopped all payments.
Germany (and the defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire) were declared to be guilty of starting the war. Reparations were imposed on Germany, and long disputes raged over what should be included in the list of damages to be paid by Germany. The Allies wanted Germany to pay the direct costs of the war plus all future veterans benefits. At first no fixed sum was stated, then in 1921 the figure of $33 billion became the minimum figure. Germany began payments, but negotiated reduced amounts and in 1932 stopped all payments.
==New nations==
==New nations==
[[File:Map of the Ukrainian Republic in 1919, taken from the Memorandum on Ukrainian Independence, presented to the Peace Conference by the Delegation of the Ukrainian Republic.jpg|350px|thumbnail|Borders claimed by the [[Ukraine|Ukrainian People's Republic]] delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and 1920. The proposals were rejected.]]
The principle of self-determination of ethnic nationalities shaped most of the territorial settlements. A number of new states were created whose nationalistic aspirations, long submerged, were finally realize. Poland, which had been partitioned in the 1790s, was now restored. Indeed, a Polish Republic was already operational at the end of 1918. The Conference pondered how to draw its boundaries; a key decision was a strip of territory, known as the "Polish Corridor," that gave Poland access to the Baltic. This "corridor" cut off East Prussia from the rest of Germany. The new Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Finland, became independent of Russia.
The principle of self-determination of ethnic nationalities shaped most of the territorial settlements. A number of new states were created whose nationalistic aspirations, long submerged, were finally realize. Poland, which had been partitioned in the 1790s, was now restored. Indeed, a Polish Republic was already operational at the end of 1918. The Conference pondered how to draw its boundaries; a key decision was a strip of territory, known as the "Polish Corridor," that gave Poland access to the Baltic. This "corridor" cut off East Prussia from the rest of Germany. The new Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Finland, became independent of Russia.
Irish nationalists in the U.S. thought Wilson had promised to work for Irish independence if the Irish supported his war effort. At Versailles Wilson made no effort to redeem any such promises, and the Irish Americans felt betrayed. They turned against Wilson and his Versailles treaty.
Irish nationalists in the U.S. thought Wilson had promised to work for Irish independence if the Irish supported his war effort. At Versailles Wilson made no effort to redeem any such promises, and the Irish Americans felt betrayed. They turned against Wilson and his Versailles treaty.
The Ukrainian People's Republic made claims {{quote|In late 1918, a struggle was taking place on the Ukrainian territory of the former Russian empire, between the Soviet authorities, White Russian nationalists, and partisans of Ukrainian independence, over the reconfiguration and control of the state. At the same time, the Ukrainian People’s Republic decided to send a delegation to the Paris Peace Conference (1918-1920), at which it had only observer status. The written documents produced on this occasion, of which the BDIC’s Klotz archive has a particularly significant collection, give an insight into the cognitive horizon of the Ukrainian pro-independence elite of the time.|Thomas Chopard}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shs.cairn.info/journal-materiaux-pour-l-histoire-de-notre-temps-2014-1-page-180?lang=en|title=Identification, Legitimation, and Stigmatization: The Ukrainian Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference (1918-20) through its Written Materials|author=Thomas Chopard|quote=|date=January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1919Parisv05/d79|title=Notes of a Meeting Held at President Wilson’s House in the Place des Etats-Unis, Paris, at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 1919|publisher=Office of the Historian|date=May 21, 1919}}</ref>
==League of Nations==
==League of Nations==
It was hoped by Wilson, South African General [[Jan Smuts]], British Lord Robert Cecil, and others idealists that a [[League of Nations]] would guarantee the security of all nations. There was general agreement as to the advisability of such a league; only its form and powers were in question. The league was created with four operating groups: a secretariat, council, assembly, and an international court of justice. The league set up machinery which could be used by member states to prevent war. It also set up various agencies to deal with other problems. The League went into operation, but could not prevent or end wars.
It was hoped by Wilson, South African General [[Jan Smuts]], British Lord Robert Cecil, and others idealists that a [[League of Nations]] would guarantee the security of all nations. There was general agreement as to the advisability of such a league; only its form and powers were in question. The league was created with four operating groups: a secretariat, council, assembly, and an international court of justice. The league set up machinery which could be used by member states to prevent war. It also set up various agencies to deal with other problems. The League went into operation, but could not prevent or end wars.