Paris Peace Conference and WWI Treaties

Paris Peace Conference

In January 1918, U.S. President Wilson stated in the U.S. Congress his Fourteen Points, which he believed should govern a just and lasting peace. Its objectives were:

• Abolition of secret diplomacy.
• Freedom of navigation and international trade.
• Breakup of old empires.
• Creation of a Society of Nations.

But these principles were not fully respected, as the European Allies were more concerned with defending their own interests.

The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) produced five treaties stipulating the conditions of peace and new boundaries between the victors and the vanquished.

The Post-War Treaties

• Treaty of Versailles

  Signed on 28 June 1919 between the Allies and Germany. Germany's empire was split in two by the Polish Corridor. Its army was limited to 100,000 men, colonies were confiscated, and territories ceded (including Alsace and Lorraine). Germany was supervised, ordered to pay huge reparations, and held responsible for the conflict. This treaty caused great bitterness among the Germans and was the initial seed for the next global conflict.

• Treaty of Saint-Germain

  Signed on September 10, 1919, between the Allies and Austria. This treaty established the breakup of the former Habsburg monarchy, Austria-Hungary. Austria was limited to areas where German was predominantly spoken. Austria was denied annexation with Germany and lost a number of territories.

• Treaty of Sèvres

  Signed on 10 August 1920 between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies (except Russia and the U.S.). The treaty stripped the Ottoman Empire of most of its possessions, limiting it primarily to Constantinople and parts of Asia Minor. The Ottoman Empire effectively ceased to be a major power.

• Treaty of Trianon

  Signed on 4 June 1920 by the Allies with Hungary. This treaty ceded territories formerly ruled by Hungary to Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Austria, resulting in significant population loss for Hungary.

• Treaty of Neuilly

  The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine was signed on 27 November 1919 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, between Bulgaria and the victorious Allied powers. Bulgaria agreed to the loss of several territories.