The Paris Peace Settlement and WWI Military Strategy
The Aftermath of Armistice: The Paris Peace Conference
1919 was the year after the Armistice, marking the end of the First World War. People were thankful that the fighting had stopped, but many in Britain and France now wanted to punish Germany. The leaders of all the countries that had been fighting met in Paris to decide on a peace settlement to formally end the war.
The defeated powers were present but were given very little say in the debates; they were there simply to sign the treaties. Germany had hoped for a reasonable settlement, especially since the Kaiser had abdicated and a more liberal government was now in place. However, the Paris treaties were not negotiated.
Key Terms of the Peace Treaties
Separate treaties were made with each of the defeated countries. The major outcomes included:
The Creation of the League of Nations (LON)
The LON was the first intergovernmental organization. Its primary goals included preventing war through collective security, international negotiation, and arbitration.
New European Borders
The defeated Central Empires faced severe changes to their borders:
- Austria-Hungary disappeared and was divided into Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
- Yugoslavia was formed, composed of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Slovenia.
The Treaty of Versailles (June 1919)
At Versailles, the Allies made a treaty specifically with Germany. The Treaty of Versailles decided the following:
1. Reparations and War Guilt
Germany and her allies had to accept full responsibility for causing the war. This was called the War Guilt Clause. Germany then agreed to pay for damage done during the war. No figure could be fixed in 1919, but the amount was later set at an extremely high price.
2. Colonies
Germany lost her colonies. The League of Nations would look after them until the people were ready to rule themselves.
3. Disarmament of Germany
The German navy was severely limited (to 6 small battleships, 6 cruisers, and 12 destroyers). The army could be no more than 100,000 men. No submarines, air force, tanks, or heavy guns were allowed.
4. Changes in Germany’s Borders
- Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France.
- In the North: North Schleswig went to Denmark, and Eupen-Malmedy went to Belgium.
- West Prussia, Posen, and Danzig (the Polish Corridor) went to Poland.
WWI Military Concepts and Strategy
Trench Warfare
Trench warfare is a form of land conflict using dug trenches, occupied fighting lines in which troops lived for months, protected and sheltered from the enemy’s small arms fire and artillery. The most prominent case of trench warfare is the Western Front in World War I, where neither side could make a breakthrough, even with high casualties.
The Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was a German strategy devised by General von Schlieffen. It assumed that war would be won on two fronts against Russia and France, focusing on a war of movements at the beginning. The Germans planned to knock out France in the West by moving through neutral Belgium, and then turn to fight Russia (which was expected to mobilize slowly). The plan failed due to British intervention and led to a stalemate situation early in the war on the Western Front.
Stalemate (War of Position)
Stalemate describes the war deadlock situation in which the Germans and the Allies ended up when both sides faced each other and had to dig defensive trenches at the Marne, after the Schlieffen Plan had failed. They then went on a ‘trench race,’ trying to outflank each other and digging defensive trenches from the north to the south of France. In that situation, they were stuck, unable to make any breakthrough, resulting in a dead stop.