The Armistice Flashcards
All 10 cards in this deck
Who were the 'Big Three' at the Paris Peace Conference (1919), and which country did each lead?
Woodrow Wilson (USA), Georges Clemenceau (France) and David Lloyd George (Britain).
What were Wilson's Fourteen Points?
Wilson's plan for lasting world peace, including self-determination (countries ruling themselves), disarmament, freedom of the seas and a League of Nations.
What did Clemenceau want from the peace settlement?
Revenge and a harsh treaty: security from future invasion by weakening Germany's military and economic strength, and large reparations.
What did Lloyd George want from the peace settlement?
A treaty harsh enough to satisfy British opinion but not so harsh it caused a future war, keeping Germany economically viable as a trading partner, while protecting the British Empire.
True or false? The armistice of 11 November 1918 was the same thing as the Treaty of Versailles.
False. The armistice was the ceasefire ending the fighting; the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919.
Which of his aims did Wilson succeed in getting into the peace settlement?
The League of Nations was set up, and self-determination created new states in eastern Europe.
True or false? Clemenceau achieved his aim of turning the Rhineland into a separate state independent of Germany.
False. He had to settle for the Rhineland staying German but demilitarised, with Allied occupation for 15 years.
When did Wilson first set out his Fourteen Points?
January 1918, in a speech to the US Congress, months before the fighting ended.
Give one reason Germany asked for an armistice in autumn 1918.
Its army was beaten and in retreat, so carrying on the war risked an Allied invasion of Germany.
Give one term of the armistice of 11 November 1918.
Germany had to withdraw its troops from occupied France and Belgium within 15 days. Other terms included surrendering guns, aircraft and submarines, interning its surface fleet, and letting Allied troops occupy the west bank of the Rhine.