End of End of WWI and Post War

The Last Battles

The Allied leaders on the western front made the decision to launch an attack in August 1918. The Hundred Days Offensive, a series of conflicts that began on August 8th, took place. The Second Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Amiens, and a number of engagements along the Hindenburg Line in Germany were among these conflicts. German forces were forced to retreat back to Germany after being driven out of France.

Armistice

The German forces were worn out and nearing food and supply shortages at the conclusion of the Hundred Days Offensive. They submitted an armistice request on November 11, 1918. When both parties consent to cease hostilities while a peace treaty is being negotiated, this is known as an armistice. The armistice was accepted by the Allies, and at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the war’s hostilities came to an end.

Negotiations for a Treaty

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the Allied Nations gathered in Paris to determine what would become of Germany and the Central Powers. Several countries participated in the negotiations, but the “Big Four” leaders—Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France, David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, and Vittorio Orlando, Prime Minister of Italy—were responsible for the majority of the decisions and discussions.

Different views existed among the four countries regarding how Germany ought to be handled. Incorporating President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, in his opinion, was the wisest course of action. He believed that Germany shouldn’t be held responsible for the war or subjected to severe punishment. Georges Clemenceau, the prime minister of France, believed that Germany should shoulder the blame for starting the war and be compelled to make significant reparations.

Treaty of Versailles

On June 28, 1919, the Allied Powers and Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles. With this, World War I was declared over. Germany suffered greatly as a result of the deal. Germany was forced to “accept the responsibility for causing all the loss and damage” of the war as a result of this. Germany was compelled to disarm, cede territory to France, and pay 132 billion Marks ($442 billion in 2014 dollars) in reparations.

New National Boundaries

After World War I, Europe’s geography underwent substantial alteration. There were the creation of Poland, Finland, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, among other new sovereign nations. The Ottoman Empire later evolved into Turkey, and Russia became the Soviet Union. Alsace-Lorraine provinces that Germany had to cede to France.

League of Nations

The League of Nations was established as a result of the Paris Peace Conference. To promote global peace, the League of Nations was established. Its member nations anticipated that through assisting in the resolution of international conflicts, wars could be avoided. The League also sought to defend minorities in Europe, promote just labour practises, advance world health, and regulate the international arms trade. The Treaty of Versailles formally established the League, which had 42 founding members.

Facts Worth Knowing About World War I’s End

The United States negotiated its own agreement with Germany instead of signing the Treaty of Versailles.

The League of Nations, which was first proposed by American President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points, was also not joined by the United States.

Reparations that Germany was required to pay under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were repeatedly renegotiated and not fully satisfied until far after World War II.

Following World War One, the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian Empires all vanished.