World War I: Treaties, Consequences, and Cultural Shifts

Posted on Jan 16, 2025 in History

The Peace of Paris

In 1918, President Thomas W. Wilson formulated a peace program called “Fourteen Points” to reach a just peace. When the war ended, the victorious powers, except Russia, met in Paris in 1919 to establish peaceful conditions that had to be imposed on the defeated countries.

The Peace of Paris (1919-1920)

Consists of five treaties:

  • Versailles Treaty with Germany
  • Treaty of Saint Germain with Austria
  • Treaty of Trianon with the newly independent Hungary
  • Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria
  • Treaty of Sèvres with the Ottoman Empire

The Consequences of War

  • Great loss of human lives
  • Social transformations
  • Territorial amendments
  • Economic disaster for Europe

Civil War and Consolidation of the USSR (1918-1920)

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in 1924, approved a constitution based on the following principles:

  • A federal state consisting of the various republics
  • The concentration of all power in the hands of the Communist Party
  • A central committee or supreme Soviet, equivalent to a parliament, as a representative organ of popular sovereignty
  • A Congress of Soviets, a representative organ of the different territories of the USSR, who chose the government

Culture

  • Realism: Described contemporary reality
  • Modernism: Tried to invest in the escape to the past or to distant lands

Art

Architecture

  • The architecture of iron: Use of new materials with high strength and low cost
  • Modernism: Notable figures include Victor Horta and Hector Guimard

Sculpture

  • Realistic sculpture: Represented members of the proletariat. Constantin Meunier excels
  • Impressionist sculpture: Highlighted by Rodin

Main Pictorial Movements

  • Realism: Sought to represent contemporary reality objectively and sometimes crudely
  • Impressionism: Originated in France. Impressionists painted outdoors
  • Post-Impressionism: Different styles that grew out of Impressionism, including Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Cézanne
  • Avant-garde: Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism

Belligerent Countries

  • Triple Alliance: Joined by the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria, while Italy was opposed. This block was also known as the Central Powers.
  • Triple Entente: Joined by Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Japan, and the United States. This group was also known as the Entente or the Allied bloc.

Characteristics of the Conflict

The First World War was a confrontation unlike those that had occurred before.

  • New weapons and critical systems were used, employing new technical advances that allowed for connection between remote areas and other control systems.
  • The war led to the massive incorporation of women into the working world.
  • The economy was centered on the war, and its only aim was the production of armaments. The state intervened.
  • Propaganda played an important role in maintaining the morale of the population.

The War

In July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, blaming it for collaborating in the Sarajevo attack, where the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated.

Phases of the Conflict

  • The War of Movement (1914): Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan, with a rapid advance in the west and the occupation of northern France, after attacking in the east to stop the Russian army.
  • The War of Position (1915-1916): Occurred when the new weapons used prevented advancement, the front stabilized, and trenches became widespread.
  • Decisive Events (1917): The triumph of the Russian Revolution led to the withdrawal of this country from the world war, and the conflict saw the entry of the U.S. on the side of the Allies.
  • The End of the War (1918): Was brought about by the victorious Allied offensive. The Germans signed the armistice on November 11, 1918. Afterward, peace treaties were signed with the defeated countries, known as the Peace of Paris.