C2 | The Big Three

Question 1

Where did the politicians from the winning countries meet in January 1919 to decide what was to happen to the defeated enemy?

Answer 1

At the Paris Peace Conference, at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris

Question 2

Who was the Prime Minister of Great Britain?

Answer 2

David Lloyd George

Question 3

What were the Prime Minister of Great Britain’s aims?

Answer 3

1. Wanted to keep Germany weak but avoid humiliating the Germans
2. Wanted to end the German threat to the British Empire and reduce their navy so it was no longer a threat to Britain’s navy

Question 4

Who was the President of the United States of America?

Answer 4

Woodrow Wilson

Question 5

What were the President of the USA’s aims?

Answer 5

1. Wanted to prevent Germany from becoming aggressive again but didn’t think it should be punished too much
2. Wanted different national groups to have the right to rule themselves (self-determination)

Question 6

Who was the Prime Minister of France?

Answer 6

Georges Clemenceau

Question 7

What were the Prime Minister of France’s aims?

Answer 7

1. Wanted revenge on Germany for all of the suffering
2. Wanted Germany to pay for all the damage caused by the war
3. Wanted to weaken Germany’s armed forces so they would never be able to attack France again

Question 8

When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?

Answer 8

June 1919

Question 9

What were the punishments listed in the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 9

1. The Great War was Germany’s fault
2. The Germans must pay for the war in money and goods (£6600 million) until 1988 (reparations). The money will go to the British and French
3. Germany should only have a small army (100,000 men), a small navy (6 battleships) and no submarines, air force or tanks
4. Germany must hand over huge areas of its land to Britain and France. Some of the land will be used to make new countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia
5. Germany must never unite with Austria again
6. No German soldiers can go into the Rhineland, a German region close to France

Question 10

What was the League of Nations?

Answer 10

An international club for settling problems peacefully by discussion rather than war

Question 11

What happened if one nation did end up declaring war on another?

Answer 11

All other member nations would stop trading with the invading country until a lack of supplies would bring the fighting to an end

Question 12

What were the successes of the League?

Answer 12

Countries worked together to fight diseases, stop drug smuggling and slavery, and improve working conditions

Question 13

What were the failures of the League?

Answer 13

Fewer than half of the world’s countries joined (some left), the USA never became a member, and it didn’t have its own army to handle disputes if necessary