Treaty of Versailles and the Legacy of the

Treaty of Versailles and the Legacy of the War

Today’s Agenda Learning Goals Treaty of Versailles League of Nations Spanish Flu Returning Soldiers Legacy of the War

Learning Goals Identify the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles Explain the League of Nations and its goals Describe the impact of the war on Canada

Background on the Treaty of Versailles Conducted at the Palace of Versailles 27 nations attended peace talks, but German delegates were not invited three countries leading the talks: Britain, France, and the United States Main Issues: territory, military, reparations and war guilt

Four Important Figures Lloyd George: Prime Minister of Britain George Clemenceau: Prime Minister of France Woodrow Wilson: President of the United States Vittorio Orlando: Prime Minister of Italy • Italy joined Triple Entente in 1915

Lloyd George

George Clemenceau

Woodrow Wilson

Vittorio Orlando

In Class Simulation…

Key Points: Treaty of Versailles Treaty demanded that Germany: • • • Accept total blame for the war Give up its weapons, ships and railroads Give back all the lands it conquered Pay $33 billion in damages (reparations) Allow Allied troops to be stationed on its territories

Map of Europe After WWI

League of Nations New international body Mission: ensure war never broke out again Problem: did not possess military might to enforce its decisions

Spanish Flu Deadly pandemic in 1918 -1919 Caused by the devastation of the war 2 million Canadians contracted the disease

Returning Soldiers 170, 000 soldiers returned with injuries Disabled veterans received government pension Many went to university or into trades Soldier Settlement Act: men received free land money to start farms

Legacy of the War Canada emerged as a proud victorious nation with newfound standing in the world It had distanced itself from Britain: seat at the Peace Conference, signed the Treaty of Versailles on its own, joined the League of Nations independently Demanded and received a seat on the Imperial War Cabinet Canadians had performed important and difficult tasks together

What Did We Lose… Conscription divided the country Thousands of Canadians died in a war that saw no significant change Rising debt within the country Canadian government infringed on the rights and freedom of its citizens Total war Lost our innocence