Aftermath of World War I: Treaties, League of Nations, and Rise of USSR
The Peace Settlement
After the armistice, representatives of the Allied Powers met at the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) to decide the conditions that would be imposed on the defeated Central Powers. At the conference, United States President Woodrow Wilson proposed a peace agreement that would promote reconciliation between the various participants in the war. However, this idea was rejected by Allied countries that had been devastated during the conflict, such as France. Instead, they wanted the Central Powers to compensate them for their losses.
The Peace Treaties
The Allies ratified five treaties at the Paris Peace Conference. The Treaty of Versailles established especially severe terms for Germany:
- It could not have tanks or an air force.
- It had to return Alsace-Lorraine to France, and the German region of East Prussia was divided from the rest of the country by a corridor of land that was given to Poland.
- It had to pay reparations to the European Allies.
- It had to sign the war-guilt clause.
The Treaty of Versailles would become the source of problems because the German people felt humiliated by its harsh conditions.
The League of Nations
During the Paris Peace Conference, President Wilson proposed the establishment of the League of Nations—an international organization that would guarantee peace and prevent future wars. However, the defeated Central Powers were not allowed to join the League at first. In the end, the US did not become a member either.
Consequences of the War
- Death and Injury: The war produced millions of casualties. This reduced the population and the available workforce in post-war Europe.
- Material Destruction: The fighting destroyed cities, factories, farmland, and infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and ports.
- Economic Decline: Europe lost its economic leadership and needed loans from the US to rebuild after the war. The US became the world’s leading economic power.
- New European States: The map of Europe changed dramatically as a consequence of the peace treaties. The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman Empires ceased to exist. As a result, new states were created, including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Finland.
- Colonial Changes: The Paris peace treaties gave Allied Powers control over colonies that had belonged to the Central Powers. These were known as mandate territories. The countries that benefited the most from the mandates were Great Britain and France.
The Tsarist Empire
Political: It was an absolute monarchy ruled by the tsar.
Economic: The economy was semi-feudal—a wealthy minority owned most of the agricultural land, which was worked by a peasant majority.
Social: Lack of bourgeoisie and proletariat.
In 1898, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) of Marxist ideology was formed.
In 1903, the RSDLP divided into two separate factions:
- The Mensheviks, led by Martov, who argued that gradual reforms could achieve a Socialist state.
- The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, who argued for an immediate revolution.
In January 1905, there were protests. In response, workers and soldiers formed a revolutionary council (or soviet) in the city of St. Petersburg.
From 1914 to 1917, Russia’s participation in the First World War caused more discontent and protests. Under this Communist system, the state also controlled the means of production, such as factories and energy sources, as well as trade and finance.