For 4 years from 914. 00 to 1918 and europe seemed on course to destroy itself. On august the 4th 1914 germany invaded belgium. Most of the worlds major powers was soon drawn into the conflict. By the time the war ended almost 40 nations in Europe Africa the middle east and east asia were involved. The socalled rich war was fought with unprecedented destructive power the turtle of more than 16000000 people were killed. The allied powers including the British Empire france the United States belgium italy and serbia had defeated the central powers the german empire austria hungary and the Ottoman Empire. When the armistice was announced in 1900 people in the allied countries took to the streets to celebrate. The french writer seymour now described the scene in paris. In the crowd young factory workers and fashionably dressed ladies hugged and kissed each other. To greet empires of europe were falling apart. The wars that have killed millions prompted new demands for independence. In april 916 Irish Republicans in dublin launched an insurrection against british rule. But the uprising was poorly organized and was put down quickly by british troops and once again the union jack flew over the irish capital. With. The all straight hungary an empire a truly multinational state had ceased to exist by early november 918. The empire is larger 7 ethnic minorities including czechs slovaks croats and slovenes demanded independence and hopes that america would help them achieve it. U. S. President Woodrow Wilson sought to create a jury of peace as part of this effort wilson announced that from now on the peoples of europe should be governed only by their own consent i he described selfdetermination as an imperative principle of action. Empires collapse i i people rose up in revolt. Ex monarchs fled the last austrian Emperor Charles the 1st step down from the hapsburg throne he and his wife tito were exiled to madeira in 1921. In 1922 turkeys new parliament expelled the last autumn and sultan met read the 6 several new states would emerge from the ruins of his empire. But someone outs was celebrated as here it was. During the war belgiums king albert of the 1st. Had fought alongside his troops his wife elizabeth served at the front as a nurse. I germanys occupation of belgium ended with the armistice that was declared on november the elevons 918 i. Belgians honored canadian troops who had played a major role in the last great offensive of the war known as the 100 days that operation Canadian Unit suffered more than 45000 casualties. In the flanders region of northern belgium scottish troops seized a german supply train filled with hand grenades. As German Forces retreated from northern france they destroyed everything that lay in their path. And. After the armistice life in europe slowly began to return to normal. The end of the fighting was announced on the morning of november the 11th the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The armistice remained in force as negotiations on a final peace treaty got underway the talks would be difficult not least because hatred continued to smolder throughout europe. French writer only summed up the situation. I fear that we are hardly more prepared for peace than we were for war the most critical phase begins now fortunately we won the war. How did germany react to the armistice and the peace talks. The germans were ordered to evacuate the territory they doctor pide in belgium and france including the regions of a sas and over again german troops pulled back behind the rhine river. German troops returning home after the war found that society had been severely disrupted. Emperor of a harem of the 2nd stepped down as german emperor and king of prussia on november the 9th 1918 as required by the armistice agreement he spent the rest of his life in exile in the netherlands. Many germans saw the abdication as a humiliation. In germany troops were often welcomed home by large crowds many germans didnt believe they had lost the war on the battlefield but that theyd been stabbed in the back by politicians. Who later at all shipload would use that claim to advance his own political agenda. On november the 9918 a german republic was declared by philip showed a man a member of the new cabinet. I. Dont think. The marxist agitator was i look some borg wrote bush was the size he mimics order peace and the rule of law but it is wading in its own blood filthy and a sonnet the Russian Revolution was the honorable salvation of international socialism. Russia november 917. 00 the bolsheviks led by vladimir each lenin seized power the country descended into a bloody civil war between communist and anti communist forces. British french and us troops were sent to various parts of the country to fight the bolsheviks captured allied soldiers were shown in propaganda films. Lenin denounced the foreign intervention. That. Would. Like it. I the Russian Revolution divided your of and later the entire world. In december 1918 Woodrow Wilson became the 1st sitting u. S. President to visit europe his delegation included Franklin Delano roosevelt assistant. Navy secretary and future president. Wilson attended a series of preliminary negotiations ahead of the paris peace talks. Wilson and his wife edith arrived in the french capital on december 14th the city gave them a tumultuous welcome i we will build a prosperous world in which all nations will enjoy the freedom for which france america england and italy have paid such a high price i in january 918. 00 wilson presented a 14 point plan for postwar peace in part it proposed selfdetermination for ethnic minorities and the creation of a league of nations to guarantee as a political independence and territorial integrity of all states. In paris will submit frequently with the french Prime Minister. Josh klim also had been appointed Prime Minister and minister of war in november 917 and called for a complete victory over germany and the return of a sus and logan 2 fronts clear also also demanded that germany pay huge reparations for the damage it had caused during the wall. But the british and u. S. Delegations were concerned that reparations would ruin the defeated powers financially and could lead to domestic tensions and even civil war as in russia. President wilson. Spent the last 5 days of 1918 in britain and on january the 1st travelled to italy for talks with king victoria emanuel and the Prime Minister. Wilson also began preparing for the International PeaceConference Due to open on january the 19th. He continued to push for the approval of his 14 Point Program including the right of selfdetermination for minority people as. Hussein was warmly received by the italians but that had more to do with americas participation in the war than it did with his peace plan. Italian nationalists fear that wilson selfdetermination proposal could lead to territorial losses one of their more prominent spokesman was a journalist Benito Mussolini the future italian dictator called wilson a bandit of international pluralism. The paris peace conference was intended in part to conclude peace treaties with the defeated states set up a shadow of reparations payments to be made by germany and Draft International borders that accurately reflected ethnic down during. A total of 27. 00 states took part in the conference but the negotiations were dominated by the big 4 allied powers. President wilson french Prime Minister also british Prime Minister david lloyd george. Andy talian Prime MinisterVittorio Emanuele orlando. For the next several months the participants negotiated the terms of. Peace treaties with the defeated powers the german delegation was not allowed to take part in the discussions. Their hopes that the final treaty would be based on wilsons 14 points and would not involve any loss of territory. The germans were deeply concerned that claim a lso would take a hard line and weaken the new german republic so as to eliminate its ability to threaten france i. At the end of 6 months of discussions the various delegations arrived at the palace of versailles to sign the main peace treaty. The ceremony took place on june the 28919 the date was no coincidence. Exactly 5 years before on june the 28th 1914 the heir to the australian gerry and thrown Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated in sarajevo his mother had plunged europe into war. The choice of that side was also symbolic it was here that the new german empire was proclaimed in 871 following frances defeat in the francoprussian war. Klim also had 4 severely wounded french soldiers posted at the entrance to the main hall so that the german delegation would see them when they arrived. The germans took their places at 3 in the afternoon they had mere minutes to read and sign the treaty. The conditions opposed by the allies were harsh Germanys Army was cut to 100000 men tanks submarines and military aircraft were banned the size of the navy was sharply reduced germany was also ordered to hand over its former colonies and to pay reparations the final amount was later set at 269000000000. 00 goldmarks. That treaty and its alleged injustices were used by at all fittler to promote his nationalist agenda this footage shows hitler as a right wing demonstration in 1919. At that time he was working as an informer for the German Military many germans considered the versailles treaty unfair and hitlers speeches played to their worst fears. I was a disgrace this dictated piece is plundering our people its outrageous france our mortal enemy has its hands on our throats. Hitler drove home the point that many germans were now living in poverty. Let the shame and hatred of 60000000 germans turn into a sea of flames. The treaty require german soldiers to hand over their weapons in return they received financial compensation. Provides the destruction of the german aircraft and tanks. Many senior german officers felt humiliated by all this the military began training what was left of its army into an elite force that would one day perhaps be able to take its revenge on france and britain. The new weimar government was constantly under threat by right wingers and militarists austrian born soon emerged as one of their most prominent spokesman. As early as 1919 german friday cause started painting swastikas on their helmets. I officer roach this war is not the end of violence its the beginning. War veteran feed him hundreds. When we heard that the war was over we just laughed we were the war the flame of war continue to burn in us. A total of about 350000 black troops served on the western front one of the most famous afroamerican units was the 3690048 tree regiment known as the harlem hell fighters. Civil rights activist Marcus Garvey demanded racial equality. We believe that blacks should have the same rights and privileges as other people. But president wilson favored a policy of racial segregation at the same time that he was promoting the right of european peoples to selfdetermination i. Will some campaigned across america on behalf of the peace treaty and the league of nations. The treaty would have to be ratified by the u. S. Senate but wilson could not put together the necessary 2 thirds vote. As a Majority Party the republicans were opposed to it mainly because the league of nations would limit the senates power to declare war. Public opinion on the treaty was mixed with most of the opposition coming from republicans ethnic germans and Irish Catholic democrats. Wilson tried to win them over. If we reject the league of nations we will break the world heart. Of the senate by failing to ratify that aside treaty shattered wilsons dream of u. S. Participation in the league of nations i. Held its 1st session in paris in january 920. 00 and later that year moved its headquarters to geneva. The organizations main goal was to preserve world peace but could it do so if the United States was not a member. Of. Several posts that aside remans changed the map of europe and the middle east. A 919 treaty formally dissolved the australian garion empath and created an independent state of austria 1920 treaty set up the independent state of hungary to use the. Its appeared on the map czechoslovakia and a nation that would later be known as yugoslavia. The new boarders paid little attention to ethnic distribution germans were now living in poland and czechoslovakia and gary ans in remaining year and serbs croats and slovenes in yugoslavia these ethnic groups had lived together more or less peacefully in the australian garion empire. The Ottoman Empire had been home to a diverse mix of ethnic and religious groups including arabs. The treaty of sever signed in 1920 outlines the breakup of the empire and the creation of a new state that would mainly include as nick turse. Former alterman territory in the middle east would be divided between france and britain and france was given a league of nations mandate to govern lebanon and syria. A similar mandate for palestine transjordan and iraq was awarded to britain. There were huge reserves of petroleum in iraq and they would now be controlled mostly by british and. The treaty also provided for enough tone im a scottish region in the new turkish state. Jewish communities have existed in palestine for centuries. Beginning in 1920 large numbers of jews most of them from europe began immigrating to the region. Zionist organizations demanded that a National Home for jewish people should be created in palestine. During the war britain had said that any new jewish state should not disrupt existing arab communities britain. These and other promises to win arab support against the ottomans. The british officer t. E. Lawrence better known as lawrence of arabia served as of years all between the british and arab forces. In november 921 the Jewish Agency for palestine was created to oversee jewish interests in the region. Zionist leader and future israeli president high in vitamin noted at the time. Will be as jewish as an england is english and america is america. The seeds of the conflicts between Palestinian Jews and arabs had been so. In 1920 tensions were running high in constantinople now name is istanbul. Immediately after the armistice allied troops occupied the city by this time a nationalist movement was already taking shape. The movement was led by general mostafa actually mine who had led off from an forces to victory in the campaign. The nationalists were opposed to the partition of the country as outlined in the treaty of 7. If we accept the allies demands there will be no end to their greed. Came i organized a new army its primary goal was to drive out greek troops that had occupied the coastal city of smyrna in may 919 and then taken over much of western turkey. As forces launched a counterattack in all this 922. The push to reach troops all the way back to the aegean coast. On september the 9th 1900. When he too came out of troops reoccupied the city of smyrna. 4 days later a fire broke out in the citys armenian district and spread quickly at least 10000 people lost said to have died. Evidence indicates that the blaze was started by turkish troops came out later denied any responsibility. Tens of thousands of Ethnic Armenians and greeks fled to the docks to escape the flames at least 150000 were evacuated by british and american ships. Meanwhile officials of the league of nations were actively working to repatriate prisoners of war and to improve Living Conditions for war refugees. One of these diplomats was no region explora humanitarian and future Nobel Laureate future of finance and in 1921 months and was appointed the leagues high commissioner for refugees. In 1022 he began issuing refugee travel documents that came to be known as nuns and passports. An estimated 450000 of these documents were issued to people who could not obtain passports from their governments the recipients included russian french artist mark shot guy a drug composer Sergey Rachmaninoff and eagle stravinsky. Many of the refugees wanted to emigrate to the us and made their way to the French Quarter shell board to book passage on ships. Many of them were housed at the newly constructed or tele. The facility could accommodate and process 2000 refugees at a time they were given a sort of medical examination. And disinfected if necessary the refugees were housed in the hotels dormitories until they were cleared to leave. At this time the United States still welcomed immigrants all the restrictions would be imposed in 1924. The statue of liberty served as a beacon for many of them a poem written by emma lazarus is inscribed on a plaque inside the statues pedestal. Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free the wretched refuse of your teeming shore when. In montreal a rally was organized to call attention to the plight of ukrainian jews famine and antisemitic attacks were widespread in ukraine. An estimated 100000 jews were killed in ukraine joining the russian civil war mostly by anti communist forces the war would continue until 923. The Bolshevik Red Army defeated a coalition of Opposition Forces known as the white army. Soviet rule was now imposed of cross the country. The union of soviet socialist republics was officially declared on december the 22nd 1922 the new states now covered nearly one 6th of the us land surface. There was a major