7.5 Unresolved Tensions after World War I

The Paris Peace Conference and Its Flaws

After WWI, leaders met at Versailles to redraw borders and assign blame. The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept war guilt, pay heavy reparations, lose territory, and limit its military. Many Germans felt humiliated, fueling resentment that later helped extremist movements like the Nazis gain support.

Self-Determination Promised, Not Delivered

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points promoted self-determination for ethnic groups, but the peace settlements didn't apply this fairly. New states like Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia combined diverse peoples, creating instability. Colonized peoples in Africa and Asia who hoped for independence were denied it, fueling anti-colonial movements.

New Borders, New Conflicts

The collapse of the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, German, and Russian empires created a power vacuum. The League of Nations was formed to prevent future wars but lacked enforcement power and U.S. participation. Mandates in the Middle East (like British/French control over former Ottoman lands) sparked lasting regional tensions.

Key terms

Treaty of Versailles

1919 treaty ending WWI that forced Germany to accept war guilt, pay reparations, lose territory, and limit its military.

Self-determination

The principle that ethnic/national groups should have the right to form their own governments; promoted by Wilson but applied unevenly.

League of Nations

International organization created after WWI to preserve peace; weakened by lack of enforcement power and absence of the U.S.

Mandate system

Arrangement giving European powers (like Britain and France) control over former Ottoman and German territories under League of Nations oversight.

War guilt clause

Part of the Treaty of Versailles that blamed Germany for WWI, justifying reparations and fueling German resentment.

Try an AP-style question

The Treaty of Versailles angered Germans because it…

1. expanded German territory
2. gave Germany new colonies
3. imposed war guilt and reparations
4. rewarded Germany for the war