1 Was the Treaty of Versailles fair?

Question 1

2 explained points

What did Lloyd George want at Versailles? [4 marker]

Answer 1

1. He wanted to punish Germany but not too harshly. He was afraid that Germany would seek revenge or have a communist revolution as in Russia if the Treaty was too harsh
2. He wanted Germany to lose its naval powers and colonies. He wanted to protect the British Empire

Question 2

2 explained points

What did Clemenceau want at Versailles? [4 marker]

Answer 2

1. He wanted to incapacitate Germany economically and territorially. This was to ensure that Germany would never be strong enough to invade France again
2. He wanted Germany to take blame for the war. The French had suffered terribly during the war with 1.4 million killed

Question 3

2 explained points

What did Wilson want at Versailles? [4 marker]

Answer 3

1. He didn’t want to punish Germany too harshly. He was afraid they would seek revenge once strong enough again
2. He wanted to create a ‘fair and lasting’ peace in Europe by implimenting his 14 Points. He hoped this would remove the causes of conflict in Europe to prevent future wars

Question 4

What were the military terms of the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 4

1. German army was reduced to 100,000 soldiers
2. Conscription was banned
3. No tankes and airforce
4. The Rhineland was to be demilitarised

Question 5

2 explained points

What were the financial terms of the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 5

1. Reparations for war damage was to be payed to the Allies. This was agreed in 1921 at £6.6 billion
2. Coal in the Saar region went to France for 15 years

Question 6

What were the territorial terms of the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 6

1. All of Germany’s colonies were taken away and controlled by the LON
2. Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
3. Poland to be given access to the sea by the creation of the Polish Corridor
4. Union between Austria and Germany (Anschluss) was forbidden

Question 7

What aims did Clemenceau achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 7

1. He was happy with the return of Alsace-Lorraine
2. He received two of Germany’s overseas colonies - Togoland and the Cameroons
3. War Guilt Clause - Article 231
4. Reduction in the military - 100,000 soldiers

Question 8

What aims did Clemenceau not achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 8

1. He wanted reperations to be higher. He was afraid that Germany would recover its economic and military strength
2. The Rhineland was only demilitarised, not given to France
3. He was concerned that the French people would think the Treaty was not harsh enough

Question 9

What aims did Lloyd George achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 9

1. The British Empire in Africa gained 13 million new subjects
2. Reduction of the German navy secured Britain’s rule over the seas
3. German economy had not be totally destroyed by the Treaty, which allowed Britain and France to trade again

Question 10

2 explained points

What aims did Lloyd George not achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 10

1. Did not like that German-speaking people were now under the control of countries such as France. He thought this would lead to future conflict
2. He was under public pressure for harsher terms. Britain had suffered terribly during the war, suffering over 1 million casualties

Question 11

2 explained points

What aims did Wilson achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 11

1. Managed to get some of his 14 points into the Treaty. This included disarmement and the setting up of the LON
2. He achieved self-determination for countries in eastern Europe. This included Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia

Question 12

2 explained points

What aims did Wilson not achieve in the TOV? [4 marker]

Answer 12

1. France and Britain had increased the size of their overseas empires at the expense of Germany. This went against self-determination
2. Britain also increased its control of the seas by reducing Germany’s navy. This went against his principle of free navigation of the seas

Question 13

Describe the social impacts on Germany as a result of the TOV [4 marker]

Answer 13

1. Many Germans hated the war guilt clause and thought other countries were as much to blame
2. Germans felt the disarmament terms were too harsh and now felt vulnerable
3. Were bitter about the reparations and territorial losses
4. Saw the Treaty as a ‘diktat’

Question 14

Why did the TOV make Weimar Germany unstable up to 1923? [6 marker]

Answer 14

1. One reason was the reparation payments. These were set at £6.6 billion in 1921, and Germany failed to make a payment in late 1922 which resulted in France and Belgium invading the Ruhr in 1923. Workers in the Ruhr were ordered to strike so the government printed more money to pay them, which led to hyperinflation. This created massive economic instability as people were unable to buy and sell goods and many Germans lost all of their savings
2. The Treaty also caused political instability. Many right-wing nationalists saw the Treaty as a betrayal by the Government. They believed that the Government was made up of the same leaders who had signed the armistice in 1918 and stabbed Germany in the back. This led to uprisings and rebellions in Germany such as the Kapp Putsch in 1920