Paris 1919: Disappointed victors and no self-determination for losers

"The losers of WWI had to pay reparations to the victors, lost various slices of their territory, and were obliged to restrict the size of their armed forces. The redrawing of the map of Europe created several new countries, notably Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The decisions made at the Paris Peace Conference and the consequent reshuffling of borders and populations led to simmering discontent, which would contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War 20 years later."

"The victors in WWI, the Allies, were led by four dominant countries: France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. The Allies signed armistice agreements with Turkey on 30 October, Austria-Hungary on 3 November, and Germany on 11 November 1918. There was still fighting going on in some places, notably in the ongoing Russian Civil War, which had theatres in Eastern Europe and East Asia, but it was time to agree on the exact terms the conflict's losers would have to endure."

"The Allies met near Paris at the Palace of Versailles to discuss the peace terms. Leaders of the governments of many nations met there, but the proceedings in Paris were dominated by the 'Council of Four': President of the United States Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Lloyd George (1863-1945), Prime Minister of France Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), and Prime Minister of Italy Vittorio Orlando (1860-1952)."

The Paris Peace Conference (January 1919–January 1920) established the terms ending World War I. Victorious Allied powers negotiated treaties that dissolved four empires, imposed reparations, territorial losses, and military limits on the Central Powers, and created new states such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The Council of Four — Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau, and Orlando — dominated proceedings at the Palace of Versailles. A German delegation attended only during the conference's final days. Armistices had been signed with Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Germany in late 1918. The redrawn borders and displaced populations generated resentments that contributed to the outbreak of World War II two decades later.

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