1.4.2 Reactions: USA & B Flashcards
What was Woodrow Wilson pleased with about the TOV?
The creation of the League of Nations
What was Woodrow Wilson not pleased with about the TOV? (2)
- The Fourteen Points being ignored in the treaty terms
- The harshness of the treaty terms
What did the Americans want to do to Germany in the TOV?
Wanted them to be capable of making themselves a strong country again (through self-determination) and recover economically from the war
How did the American people react to the TOV? (4)
- The USA had only joined the war in 1917 and no fighting took place on US soil, so Americans did not want revenge or compensation in the same way the British and French did
- Many people felt that the treaty was too harsh, including Wilson
- The USA wanted to follow a policy of isolationism
- The US Senate refused to approve the treaty or to allow the USA to join the League of Nations
Why did the USA want to follow a policy of isolationism?
They believed that they were better served remaining uninvolved with other nations and their interests.
What did Americans feel about the new countries being controlled by the Allies as mandates?
Most Americans wanted these new countries to gradually become independent. However, in reality, France and Britain controlled many of the mandates so the new countries weren’t as independent as they seemed.
What did the American government feel about Woodrow Wilson’s decision? (4)
- The American government felt that Wilson hadn’t secured Americas interest in the Treaty
- They felt it was too harsh on the Germans
- They felt that the 14 points should have been fully included in the Treaty so they refused to support it.
- This caused them to refuse to join the League of Nations
What were the 4 main points of the 14 points the American government wanted mentioned in the Treaty?
- Freedom of the Seas between countries
- Removal of economic barriers so that all countries could freely trade
- All new countries to be able to independently govern themselves
- All borders would be internationally guaranteed by countries
What was David Lloyd George pleased with about the TOV? (2)
- Britain having naval supremacy over Germany
- The British Empire gaining more colonies
What was David Lloyd George not pleased with about the TOV? (2)
- The harsh reparation meaning Britain would lose trade with Germany
- Lloyd George had major reservations about the Treaty of Versailles. he felt that it crippled Germany economically, socially and politically. He was worried about the threat of a possible future war as the Germans were so unhappy
What were the British successes of the TOV? (4)
- British people generally thought that the treaty was fair, and could even have been harsher
- Lloyd George was hailed as a hero, and newspapers said Britain would never be threatened by Germany again
- Britain had been in an arms race with Germany, where they competed to create the strongest navy. By weakening & limiting the German military and navy, the British Government had made sure that the British Navy was still the strongest. This was known as naval supremacy. This made the government feel happy and secure that they remained powerful
- The British Empire grew in size because of the colonies taken from Germany. This was good for national pride, and access to economic resources.
Why were the British people happy with the harshness of the TOV?
Propaganda during the war taught the Brits to despise the Germans, and lots of British soldiers had been killed in the war
Which British leader had major reservations about the Treaty of Versailles?
Lloyd George
Why couldn’t the Big Three get everything they wanted? (5)
- Europe was crumbling after the war so the Big Three were under pressure to reach an agreement quickly. The Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires had collapsed, leaving countries with stable governments.
- Each politician had to do what the people of their country wanted, to get re-elected. The ordinary citizens had been fed anti-German propaganda during the war and felt little mercy towards the losers.
- Wilson wanted the USA to join the League of Nations, but the US Senate followed a policy of isolationism and refused this.
- Wilson and Lloyd George now disagreed over the original terms of the armistice that Germany had signed in November 1918
- During the war, countries had been promised rewards for joining on the side of the Allies, for example Italy was promised land. The Big Three had to keep these promises, even if they weren’t in everyone’s best interests
- The Big Three each had different and often contrasting aims - they had to compromise
