Post-WWI Settlements and the Rise of Soviet Russia

The Treaty of Versailles and Paris Peace Settlement

The Paris Peace Conference (January 1919)

The victorious countries of World War I met at the Paris Peace Conference to decide on the peace conditions that would be imposed on the defeated nations.

• Woodrow Wilson proposed a peace agreement, known as the Fourteen Points, which included the creation of a League of Nations.
• Allied countries initially rejected Wilson's proposal, insisting that Germany must pay for the damages caused by the war.
• After negotiations, the Allies agreed upon the Paris Peace Settlement (comprising five treaties).

Terms Imposed on Germany

The Treaty of Versailles established particularly severe terms for Germany, including:

• Military Restrictions: Prohibition of heavy artillery, military planes, and submarines.
• Economic Burden: Payment of massive economic reparations.
• Territorial Losses: Reduction of territories, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, and granting Poland access to the sea (Polish Corridor).

Global Impact of the First World War

Social and Economic Consequences

• Decrease of population (high casualties).
• Widespread destruction of infrastructure (cities, transport networks, damaged factories).
• Incorporation of women into the workplace.
• Loss of Europe’s economic power and significant material losses.

Territorial Redistribution

The war resulted in a new map of Europe and the redistribution of colonies:

• Colonies were transferred to the victorious countries.
• The defeated empires disappeared or were significantly reduced:
  • The Austro-Hungarian Empire lost territory, leading to the creation of new states (e.g., Serbia, Montenegro, etc.).
  • Russia lost territories, leading to the independence of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland.
  • Germany lost territory, contributing to the formation of Czechoslovakia and parts of Poland.

The Russian Revolutions of 1917

The 1917 revolutions occurred in two main phases: the liberal-bourgeois revolution and the socialist-proletariat revolution.

The February Revolution (Liberal Phase)

In February 1917, a successful workers' revolution took place in Petrograd. Workers protested the disastrous war effort and demanded Russia's withdrawal from the conflict. The Tsar abdicated, and a Provisional Government was formed, led by liberals and Mensheviks (under Kerensky). Russia became a republic and achieved a democratic regime.

However, the Provisional Government did not withdraw from the war. This led to the rise of the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, who gained support from the Soviets following the April Theses—a political program addressing the demands of workers and soldiers.

The October Revolution (Bolshevik Takeover)

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks, supported by the Soviets and led by Lenin and Trotsky, attacked the Winter Palace (the seat of the Provisional Government). They successfully established a new proletarian government known as the Council of People’s Commissars.

Lenin's Early Leadership and Reforms

Lenin became the leader of Russia and immediately implemented several key policies:

• Signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, allowing Russia to withdraw from WWI (ceding significant territories to Germany).
• Redistributed lands to the peasants.
• Changed the name of the Bolshevik Party to the Communist Party.
• Founded the Third International (Comintern) to coordinate communist parties globally.

The Russian Civil War and the Creation of the USSR

A devastating Civil War took place in Russia between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the counter-revolutionaries (Whites). The Bolsheviks ultimately won the conflict.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was created in 1922. The Constitution of 1924 established its territorial organization and governmental institutions.

• Political Organization: Based on Marxist ideas, emphasizing the dictatorship of the proletariat.
• Economic Policy: Lenin was forced to postpone immediate socialism and created the New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP allowed some capitalist systems to exist temporarily to increase production. Peasants were permitted to sell their products, while the state maintained control over important economic sectors.