The aftermath of WWI

(If you do not know what “aftermath” means, here go some words on this beautiful word.
“Aftermath” means “the consequences or after-effects of a significant unpleasant event.” If
you talk about “the aftermath of a battle”, you refer to the terrible consequences of that
event.)

WWI was one of the bloodiest wars in history. Many millions of soldiers and civilians lost their
lives in just four years and the economies of the main European powers were devastated. If
people were overenthusiastic about the war in 1914, we can say that four years later they
were hopeless and desperate, facing food and medicine shortages in ruined villages and cities.
Almost everybody had lost a friend, a relative, or a lover in the war and their despair and
hopelessness were also expressed through resentment and hatred. “Who are we to blame for
all this chaos and suffering?” the European citizens seemed to be asking themselves. They had
the answer to that question: GERMANY. It did not really mattered that it was clear that ALL of
the superpowers of this region had been preparing for war, 3 out of 4 Europeans believed in
1919 that Germany was the root of all evil and that it should be harshly punished for the
damage caused by the war. This feeling of hatred towards the Germans increased and was
somehow confirmed when they forced the Russians (who had stopped fighting in 1917
because of their own revolution) to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which was abusive and
kind of robbed the Russians of land, population and resources. So, it was clear that when the
“big three”, Clemenceau for France, Lloyd George for Britain and Wilson for the USA, met in
the Palace of Versailles (a magnificent palace near Paris that used to be the home of Kings
before the French Revolution), their most important job was to DEAL with Germany. But The
Paris Peace Conference had one BIG problem: none of the defeated countries was invited to
participate. This was unfair because it equalled facing a trial without being there to defend
yourself.

However, and even when these three leaders did not get on well with each other, the
conference was held and its most important treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, was eventually
signed in 1919. The French leader Clemenceau wanted to cripple and humiliate Germany
mainly because of three reasons: his country had been invaded twice by the Germans (1870
and 1914), France had been more affected by the war than Germany and the French hated the
Germans and were afraid that, if given the chance to recover, they would claim for revenge
(which is actually what happened in 1939 when WWII broke out). The American leader,
Woodrow Wilson, believed that nations should cooperate to re-establish peace. In order to do
this, Wilson believed that all those that had been living under the rule of a foreign empire
(remember Austria-Hungary, which was formed by different people with different cultures)
had to be given the right to rule themselves. Everybody in Europe knew that this was very
difficult because it meant dismembering empires and reshaping the map of Europe with new
countries. This principle of SELF-DETERMINATION was finally applied and many minorities
could have what they wanted: independent countries. Sadly, this did not work very well
because, as you know, there would be another war in 30 years’ time. The British leader, Lloyd
George, was more cautious than his allies. He did not want to cripple Germany because they
British need Germany to recover quickly to go on trading with the Germans. He also believed
that humiliating Germany was a mistake because that would increase the German feeling that
the Treaty of Versailles was too hard and therefore unfair. However, he was keen on Germany
losing its colonies (the British never wanted anybody else to do what they had been doing for
centuries: profiting from controlling and subduing overseas colonies).

The encounter of the “big three” in Versailles was no bed of roses. Clemenceau felt that the
British did not want to be too harsh on Germany because they were not neighbours (it’s easy
to show mercy when you don’t have to “sleep with your enemy”). Lloyd George did not like
Wilson’s idea of giving free access to the seas to all nations and respecting the principle of self-
determination because they had a huge empire all around the world that had been built on the
very opposite ideas. In spite of their disagreements, they finally signed the Treaty of Versailles
and left Paris.

By signing this treaty, these leaders wanted to make sure that peace in Europe had been
secure. They were wrong. The treaty had failed to satisfy the countries that signed it and the
League of Nations (a sort of international police force specially created to deal with
international conflicts) was never successful. In 1933, something terrible happened. A monster
became the supreme leader of Germany. He was called Adolf Hitler. As all monsters, he was
born to do harm and scatter suffering. He did.

Now answer the following questions:

1) Many new countries were formed after WWI. True or false?

2) The only treaty signed during The Paris Peace Conference was the Treaty of Versailles.
True or false?
3) Most people in Europe believed that Woodrow Wilson talked a lot about self-
determination but did not know much about the realities of Eastern Europe. True or false?
4) The treaty of Brest-Litovsk caused the feeling of hatred towards the Germans to grow.
True or false?
5) Lloyd George was right when he said that, if Germany was treated too harshly, the
Germans would seek revenge one day. True or false?