1.1 the treaty of versailles and internationalism Flashcards
when was the paris peace conference and what was it?
- 1919-20
- where the treaty of versailles was drawn up, amongst other treaties that would decide how germany’s allies would be treated
what is internationalism?
nations working together in everyone’s interest
what is nationalism?
countries working in their own interest
what is disarmament?
reducing the amount of weapons a country has
what is the league of nations?
an organisation of countries who work together to resolve disputes between countries
who was woodrow wilson?
- he was pro-internationalism and disarmament
- he proposed the league of nations
- was elected to be president of the US in 1912 and 1916
- he was an idealist and reformer: “the day of conquest and self-interest are gone”
what were wilson’s 14 points?
- disarmament
- league of nations
- open dealings between countries
- international cooperation
what were the aims of the treaty of versailles?
- blame - germany had to accept the full blame for the war according to the ‘war guilt clause’
- reparations - 6.6 billion in reparations to the allies for the war
- army - germany were made to keep their army small and limit their weapons (100,000 men and six vessels)
- territory - they had to give back all the land they had taken, they lost 10% of its land and 12% of its population
who were the big three?
- britain - david lloyd george
- france - georges clemencleau
- USA - woodrow wilson
why did lloyd george and georges clemenceau doubt a peace treaty?
- they felt that wilson was being naive and not idealistic
- they were worried about the self-interest of their own countries and their overseas empires
what did each of the big three want?
wilson:
- wanted germany to be punished ‘democratically’
- wanted global peace as per his 14 points
clemenceau:
- wanted to punish germany so that france would be secure from any threat in the future
- the french people demanded that germany would be harshly punished
lloyd george:
- wanted germany to recover swiftly from the war and pay reparations
- wanted an economically strong britain so that it could compensate for war damages
- thought that germany would be a valuable trading partner during peacetime
why was the treaty of versailles unpopular in germany?
- many didn’t believe that germany had lost and rather believed they had signed an armistice so they shouldn’t be treated like the defeated country
- they disagreed with the war guilt clause because it unfairly blamed germany
- the huge reparations to be paid were thought to have caused economic problems for germany in the 1920s
- people were worried it would give rise to further conflict in the future
what were the strengths of the league of nations?
- all members committed to maintaining peace and to protect
- the court of justice was a higher power that couldn’t be biased
- they tackled international problems eg. helping refugees and improving healthcare
- they could impose economic sanctions
what were the weaknesses of the league of nations?
- the US never joined despite the fact that it was wilson’s idea
- there were 4 main members who had the most power as they could veto any action taken by the league
- every decision taken had to be unanimous -> if one country disagreed then it wouldn’t take place so little was achieved
- couldn’t enforce rules on invasion because they had no army
what is collective security?
league members promised to protect one another if one of them was attacked
what is a sanction?
punishments - economic canctions are a punishment countries can use on one another eg. means that they stop trading with them to damage their economy
what were the most influential countries in the league?
- france
- britain
- italy
- japan
- germany
what are some examples of the league’s humanitarian work?
- refugee committee -> helped an estimated 400,000 people who had been displaced by war or helped prisoners of war to return to their homes
- international labour organisation - successfully campaigned for worker’s rights - especially women and children - in all countries
- health committee - funded research into diseases and helped develop vaccines against leprosy and malaria
why were some sceptical about the league of nations?
- the US congress prevented the country from joining despite it all being wilson’s idea
- lloyd george sought a simpler organisation that only came together during international emergencies and he wanted britain to be free to make decisions in their own interest, as did clemenceau
what was the aaland dispute and how was it resolved?
- 1921 - both finland and sweden laid claims on the aaland islands.
- the league ruled that the islands should belong to finland and this was accepted by sweden
- succcess for internationalism because sweden accepted the ruling, which demonstrates the LoN’s authority
what was the upper silesian agreement?
- 1921 - both germany and poland wanted upper silesia
- the league oversaw a plebiscite and divided the region between the two countries, which was accepted
how did the league of nations deal with corfu?
- 1923 - dispute regarding the border between greece and albania. mussolini blamed greece for the killing of general tellini and demanded compensation. greece refused to comply so corfu was invaded
- the LoN condemned the actions of mussolini but asked that greece pay a compensation
- not dealt well by the LoN because they didn’t reach a unanimous decision and it was deferred to the CoA instead - a win for mussolini
how did the LoN deal with bulgaria?
- 1925 - some greek troops were killed on their border with bulgaria so greece invaded them.
- the league told both countries to back down and they obeyed. -» they should’ve done this with corfu
- the league’s decision was obeyed but it beame known that the league were lenient towards italy because of mussolini and his power
what happened in the washington conference?
- 1921 - disarmament -> the league should make sure that all nations started to disarm
- this failed because all the countries did were limit their navies + some even developed their armies further
- this damaged the league’s reputation in germany as they were only ones being forced to disarm; making them vulnerable
what was the rapallo treaty?
1922 - the USSR and germany re-estbalished diplomatic relations
what was the dawes plan?
1924 - to avert an economic crisis in germany, US lent it the money to prop up its economy and recover
what were the locarno treaties?
- 1925 - germany accepted their western borders as suggested by the treaty of versailles but they said nothing about their eastern borders with poland so tension remained
what was the young plan?
- 1929 - the overall reparations burden was decreased
what was the kellogg-briand pact?
1928 - (aka pact of paris) a pact signed by 65 countries promising to never go to war or use force to settle disputes
