Reason For Ww1

World War I was a very large, and meaningful war in history. It was the first “total war” and involved many countries. Most of the different countries involved fought on the western front. The eastern front was for the most part Germany and Russia. The fighting on the western Many thought that WWI would be the “war to end all wars”...it was not that way. In March of 1918 a massive German attack is launched in the direction of Paris in hope of a lucky gamble. The Germans are beaten and they realize the war is lost. On September 29, 1918, General Ludendorff demands the government ask for peace. On November 9 the social front was often a stalemate while the fighting on the eastern front consisted of the Germans constantly beating the Russians.

There were many things that the representatives had to settle because the reason for fighting had changed throughout the war. When the fighting started in 1914, it was about territorial gains. By the end of 1918 there were many more idealistic reasons for the fighting the war. The representatives from the United States, Great Britain, and france were the most prominent in the discussions. They were known as the Big Three. U.S. president Woodrow Wilson presented a list of fourteen points that would not only end WWI, but hopefully prevent any wars in the future. On the other end, Great Britain and France only wanted to punish Germany for starting the war. A compromise between Wilson’s proposals and the wishes of Great Britain and France was eventually made. The final settlement of WWI was known as the Treaty of Versailles. It consisted of five separate treaties with the defeated nations of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, And Turkey. The Germans considered the treaty a “harsh peace.” They were very unhappy with the so-called War Guilt Clause which made the Germans pay for the cost of the war. The Germans were also made to reduce their army to 100,000 men, cut back its navy, and completely eliminate its air force. Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France, German land along the Rhine River became demilitarized, and sections of Germany were awarded to a new Polish state. Although the Germans were outraged by the peace settlement, they had no choice but to accept