Show t EVENTS OF 1919 PASSED IN REVIEW i w World Found Great Difficulty in ir Returning From War to toi i Peace Conditions 4 11 MAKING THE GERMAN TREATY j J. Europe In State of Ferment Fermen While the United States Was Struggling With Grave Industrial and Economic Eco Problems I By sy DONALD DONALDF F. F BIGGS After nearly five years of frightful warfare in which all of the great powers pow pow- y I I ers ere and many of the smaller nations bad had been Involved the world found It 1 difficult to return to anything like normal nor nor- D mal mat conditions during the year 1919 1010 While the armistice which was signed la ID the closing weeks of 1918 1018 brought a cessation of hostilities between the two groups of nations that had been r r engaged In the great struggle It did not bring peace peace to all the p peoples oples In In- J Technically the world still k was at war throughout practically all of the year Just closed as t e peace f treaty which was framed In Paris l after atter months of ot negotiation could not be made fully effective until ratified 1 4 by the great eat powers and formally promulgated promulgated pro pro- by the peace conference Failure of ot the United States senate to ratify the treaty because of ot opposition to the covenant of ot the League of ot Nations Na Na- Nations which was made a part of ot the peace treaty prevented the t formal declaration of ot peace until more than thana a year after the armistice was signed infernal Internal disorders and T Territorial V disputes arising from the establishment establishment establish establish- I ment of ot many new nations kept a large part of ot Europe in turmoil Such Sucha a complete remaking of the map mip of I Europe as as' as resulted from the great War star ar I naturally could cot not be accomplished led without friction The great empire of offa P fa Hungary Austria had had fallen to pieces i 1 with the defeat of ot the central centra p powers and out of the wreckage new states t 1 lF arose arose- 1 se new nations nations AustrIa Austria t Hungary Poland and the he Czech and states states could could not establish their new boundaries without friction among among themselves and and with their rt I neighbors The new government of Gerr Germany lany which had been transformed Into a republic was striving to main maln- maintain taro tain tal itself against the attacks of radi radical cal elements Russia was torn by n j civil strife with half a dozen groups fighting for the mastery At times X h world pea peace e seemed still far off but as Y the year year passed conditions became more settled and it seemed probable that with the formal promulgation of r the peace treaty the chaos Into which fo r Europe had been thrown would pass In the United States conditions were c. c not so unsettled as In the nations that had been longer nger engaged In to the war but here as In hi Europe the transition from ri a a war to a peace basis was not easy New Industrial problems had been created The high cost of living caused labor to make Insistent and repeated repeated re re- repeated demands for higher wages and J t 1 resulted In In numerous strikes among all classes of workers Radical leaders lead ers era took advantage of ot the unrest that existed to recruit their forces and f they became so active that 1 the constituted con 1 a authorities of the nation finally found It necessary to take determined determined de steps to suppress disloyal 5 propaganda The Making of Peace t I The first steps toward the organization of the peace congress were taken on January 12 when the supreme supreme sur su su- r preme war council members of which were were President Wilson n and Secretary Lansing of the United States and the premiers premiers' and foreign ministers of Great Britain France and Italy to together together to- to gether ether with with Marshal Foch and military mill mili tary tart representatives of ot the several y powers began actual consideration of the terms of or peace to be Imposed upon the central powers The peace congress con con- gress Itself without delegates from the defeated powers or Russia met In Inthe inthe the ministry of foreign affairs at r r 5 Paris on January 18 President WIlson WIlson Wilson Wil WIl- son proposed Premier Clemenceau for permanent chairman of ot the conference conference confer conter- ence and the delegates elected him by unanimous vote It was determined at atthe f the beginning that only the five great belligerent powers the United States t C Great Britain France Italy and Japan shou should d take part In all meetings of ot the conference and commission to be appointed appointed ap ap- l pointed that other belligerent and associated associated as as- i. i powers should participate r only In meetings at which questions f a concerning them were to be discussed As the representatives s of ot the many Y fl belligerent nations enter entered d' d dupon upon the task of bringing peace to the world 5 Europe was in turmoil Poland was r being reconstituted and the fixing of ot oti i- i it t her boundaries gave rise to many controversies con con- between the Poles and surrounding sur sur- surrounding I rounding peoples The question of ot whether a League of Nations should be created as a Ii means of ot preventing future wars was one of t the first to be ber ber betaken r taken up by the peace pence conference On January 25 the conference formally declared In favor of ot the establishment of a League of ot Nations and a commissIon commission cornS com corn S mission of ot which President Wilson was chairman was appointed to prepare prepare pre pre- prepare pare a definite plan The League of Nations commission held its first meeting meeting meetIng meet- meet Ing on February 3 and on February 14 President Wilson read and explained le be e pence peace conference a draft of ot the for the League of ot Nations d for an executive jf t Inter Inter- national secretariat It was provided that dec decisions of ot the executive council should be enforced if If It necessary by bj bythe bythe the prevention of ot all aU financial commercial commercial com com- mercial or or personal intercourse between between be be- tween the tIle nation falling failing to to abide by bj bythe the decision and all aU other member stat states s of ot the Le League igue of Nations On the same sume day that he presented this plan to the peace conference PresIdent President Pres Pres- ident Wilson sailed for th the United States to attend the clo closing sessions of ot coh congress ess at Washington OpposItion Opposition Opposition tion to the Incorporation Incorporation- of the League of ot Nations covenant In the peace treaty already had developed In this country and President Wilson son upon hl his return delivered an address at Boston In which he emphasized the necessity ot of the United States States' taking n a leading p part rt In th the organization n of the League of ot Nations Meantime the p peace ace conference was endeavoring to reach a solution of ot several other vexing problems A bitter bitter bitter bit bit- ter dispute had arisen between Italy and the new Jugo Slav Jugo-Slav Slav state as to th the possession possessIon ot of the enst eastern rn coast of ot the Adriatic The Italians demanded possession possession possession pos pos- pos pos- session of ot the city of ot Flume on on the ground that Its population was largely Italian while tile the Slavs Jugo-Slavs maintaIned maintained maintained main main- that possession of this port was wag essential It If their newly organized nation nation na na- tion was tp to have ha access to the sea sea The Japanese delegates also gave an early Indication of ot their attitude by Insisting upon Japans Japan's right to retain retain re re- retaIn tain the Marshall and Caroline islands which she had taken ken from G Germany President Wilson returned to Paris after atter spending little more than a week week In the th United States With his arrival In France on March 14 the peace conference conference conference con con- ference began consideration crt erf recommendations by various various' committees and the peace treaty began to take definite shape On March 24 the council of ot otten ten which had been considering the chief chief pr problems before the pe peace ce conference I was replaced by a council of ot four consisting consisting con con con- of Pre President Wilson and Premiers Premiers Pre Pre- Premiers miers Lloyd George Clemenceau and Orlando From that time up to the actual actu l signing of ot the peace treaty all of the problems lems arising were disposed of by this council of four In which at times the premier of Japan also participated The revised covenant of f the League of Nations was presented at a plenary session of ot the peace conference on April 28 President Wilson Nilson as chairman chairman chair chair- man of the commission which framed the covenant explained the changes that had been made mostly as a result of ot criticism in the United States One of ot the most important of the amendments amendments amend amend- ments made was that providing that the covenant should not affect existing understandings for maintaining ng peace W While lle it was was' not so stated specifically this amendment was designed to prevent prevent pre pre- vent the League of or Nations Nations covenant from Interfering with the Monroe Monro doctrine doc doc- trine The revised covenant was war adopted by the unanimous vote of the peace conference On April 30 the council of ot four tour which by this time had been r reduced to a council of ot three by the withdrawal withdrawal with with- of the Ita Italians lans agreed to transfer to Japan the German possessIon possession possession posses posses- sion of ot Klau Kiau-Chou Kiau Chau The Chinese delegation delegation dele dele- delegation gation objected strenuously to set settlement although Japan agreed ultimately ultimately ultimately ulti ulti- to restore the territory to China On May 6 G the council determined determined determined deter deter- mined that Great Britain and her colo cola colonies colonIes nies and dominions should become mandatory for the Islands north of the equator By May 8 the treaty had finally been completed and anel on that date It was presented to the German plenipotentiaries plenipotentiaries s at Versailles The pact while it represented chiefly the deliberations of ot the council of four had been adopted adopt adopt- ed by a conference In which 27 allied and associated powers were represented represent represent- ed At the same time It was announced announced announced an an- that President Wilson and anel Premier Lloyd George had negotiated treaties with France providing that the United St States tes and Great Britain would come Immediately to the tIle assistance assistance assistance assist assist- ance of ot France In In case of any future unprovoked attack by Germany When the peace treaty was submitted to the Germans the Italian delegates were present having return returned d to P Paris in response to an Invitation extended by President Wilson and Premiers Lloyd George and and Clemenceau The German delegates were not permitted permitted permitted per per- to discuss the peace treaty with the conference but were given fifteen days In which to submit their reply In writing Announcement of ot the terms of ot the treaty caused a storm in Germany Ger Ger- many The terms were denounced by President Ebert of ot Germany as being the most severe ever Imposed upon a vanquished people Several communications communications communications requesting changes Int In the treaty were submitted by the Ge German an delegates and these were given consideration consideration consideration consid consid- by th the council of ot five AS n a result re some parts of the treaty were made more lenient toward Germany The revised terms were presented to Count Rantzau Brockdorff-Rantzau head of the German delegation on June 16 and the Germans were given Iven seven se days clays In which to sl sign n. n The German national assembly as on June 22 by a n vote of to authorized the government to sign the treaty On June 28 the treaty was signed at Versailles by representatives representatives rep rep- of Germany and of the allied and associated powers The Chinese delegates alone refused to to sl sign because of the Shantung settlement settle settle- ment mentOn On June 29 President Wilson sailed from France and returned to the United States after atter an absence of ot more than six months On July 10 he presented the treaty to the senate and there at once developed eloped bitter opposition opposition opposition to Its Us adoption without change or reservation resen On September 10 Senator Lodge submitted sub sub- subI I mUted the tho majority report of the cornS com com- S H on foreign relations proposing amendments and four reservations reSer t to the peace treaty Senator Hitchcock presented a minority report recommending recommending mending the adoption of the treat treaty without reservation There began thea then the thena a determined fight b between tween the opposIng opposing Ing forces In the senate which ended finally In a deadlock that prevented e ethe ed edthe the ratification of ot tho the tr treaty at either either elthe with or without reservations President nt Wilson Nilson had continued d t to combat every sUg suggestion of a change chang lu in the treaty or the covenant of or th the trie League eague of Nations and a d In an effort to tc force Its ratification hid had undertaken an extensive tour of the country he tte- tte ginning on Sept September 4 4 After delivering ering more than forty speeches throughout the W West t he broke down un und under 1 r the strain and was forced to tc return to to the White House His condition condition con con- was was regarded as very serious and he was Val unable to take a 11 leading part t In the battle for tor the treaty when the contest reached Its climax The president still Insisted however upon the adoption of the treaty without reservations res res- and when the question came cameto cameton to ton a final vote In the senate on 00 November November November Novem Novem- ber 19 10 the Democratic minority aided by bt a number umber of ot Republicans opposed to the league In any form defeated the majority majority resolution of ot the Republicans which would have ha carried with It the ther r reservations ser adopted by the senate Senator Hitchcock thereupon offered red reda a resolution providing for ratification of the tile treaty without reservations and this In tn turn was defeated a number of ot Democratic senators voting with the Republicans R W With th a compromise between the group groups apparently apparently Impossible u the e senate ad ad- In the meantime the peace pence treaty had been ratified by the other great allied nations and by many of the smaller nations that had been engaged In the the war against Germany Foreign Affairs While the treaty was being negotiated conditions remained very unsettled unsettled unsettled un un- un- un settled not only In the terr territory tory which had be been n Included ded in hi inthe the fo four r defeated nations but throughout Europe RussIa Russia Rus Rus- sia continued In In Ina a a. a state of throughout hout the the year Although the the t government under the direction direction tion lon eff of I Lenin and maintained Its ts control over over a large part of ot the former empire It was as hemmed in orall on or all nit sides des by opposing groups which attacked It with varying success The I newly constituted nation n of ot Poland was as beset for fora a a time on all sides Ides but butt it It t too succeeded In weathering the storm and had established a stable government before many milDY m months had passed Failure to r reich reach ach a settlement of P tile the e Flume Fiume question continually threatened threaten d an armed |