1.4.3 Evaluation

Question 1

What were the strengths of the TOV? (6)

Answer 1

• Many people at the time felt that as the ones who lost the war, it was only fair that the Germans were punished as they were
• The war had caused huge amounts of damage, especially in France, so the reparations were needed to rebuild
• France gained Alsace-Lorraine
• Many areas had not wanted to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Places like Czechoslovakia and Poland were now given independence
• By creating lots of new states, the Allies were happy that the Ottoman Empire (a really powerful Empire) had been broken apart
• They also felt that creating lots of smaller countries in Eastern Europe would act as a ‘buffer zone’ against the USSR. The USSR was Communist. The Allies were petrified that this would spread to the Western countries and cause chaos

Question 2

What were the weaknesses of the treaties signed in response to WW1? (10)

Answer 2

• Some people at the time, and many people with hindsight, have concluded that the TOV was too harsh on Germany and is, in part, to blame for WWII
• New states were created (or re-established), but Poland was weakened because it was surrounded by enemies with borders that were difficult to defend
• Austria and Hungary lost so much land that their economies crashed in 1921
• Lloyd George and Wilson feared that the treaties would lead to another war in the future. The German people felt weak and vulnerable to attack by Allied countries. This may have led them to support measures to build up the German military
• The Treaty of Lausanne proved that the treaties could not be enforced and showed people like Hitler and Mussolini that Britain was willing to undermine them
• Neither Clemenceau, Lloyd George nor Wilson were satisfied with the outcome of the treaties; people in Britain and France felt that the treaties should have been harsher, while the people of the USA felt they were too harsh
• People in some of the defeated countries hated and felt humiliated by the treaties - there were revolts in Germany and Turkey
• The Germans felt humiliated for having to say the war was their fault; the German men were only fighting in response to government orders, just like any other country
• Lots of families were ripped apart as the German borders were all re-defined. 6 million Germans now lived in land that was no longer classed as German
• The creation of new borders would mean that there would be a lot of potential disagreements across Europe. In fact, the people in these countries didn’t want new borders so over time many civil wars were fought. Yugoslavia, a country that was created as a result of the Treaty, no longer exists because of civil war

Question 3

After many new countries were created in the Treaty of Versailles, what type of wars did this lead to?

Answer 3

Civil wars

Question 4

Why were the reparations set up in the TOV a strength?

Answer 4

The war had caused huge amounts of damage, especially in France, so the reparations were needed to rebuild

Question 5

Which treaty proved that the treaties could not be enforced and showed people like Hitler and Mussolini that Britain was willing to undermine them?

Answer 5

The Treaty of Lausanne

Question 6

Why did the Allies believe that creating lots of smaller countries in Eastern Europe would be beneficial?

Answer 6

The Allies felt that creating lots of smaller countries in Eastern Europe would act as a ‘buffer zone’ to the USSR

Question 7

Why did the Germans feel humiliated for having to say the war was their fault?

Answer 7

The German men were only fighting in response to government orders, just like any other country