Chapter 1: Were The Peace Treaties Of 1919-1923 Fair? Flashcards
George Clemenceau
- He was the Prime minister of France.
- He wanted revenge, and to punish the German for what they had done.
- He wanted to make Germany pay for the damage down during the war.
- He also wanted to weaken Germany, so France would never be invade again.
Woodrow Wilson
- He was President of America
- He was a History professor. He wanted to make the world safe. He wanted to end war by making fair peace.
- In 1918, Wilson published ‘Fourteen Points’ saying what he wanted.
- He said that he wanted disarmament, and a League of Nations ( where countries could talk out their problems, without war).
- He also promised self- determination for the people of Eastern Europe.
David Lloyd George
- He was Prime minister of Britain.
- He said he would make Germany pay because he knew that was what the British people wanted to hear.
- He wanted justice, but he did not want revenge. He said that peace must not be harsh - that would just cause another war in a few years time. He tried to get a halfway point - a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau.
- He also wanted to expand the British empire, maintain British control of the seas, and increase Britain’s trade.
Why did Lloyd George’s approach to Germany soften between November 1918 and January 1919?
Lloyd George wanted to punish Germany. This is what he told the British people he would do is his campaign for Prime minister. However, Germany was one of Britain’s largest trade partners, so Lloyd George wanted them to remain economically stable so they could continue trade.
What were the aims of the Treaty of Versailles? ( LAMB)
Land: Germany lost all of their overseas territory and colonies, they also had East Prussia cut off from the main body of Germany by the Polish Corridor.
Army: Germany was not allowed to have any submarines or an Air Force and could only have a navy of six battleships. Her army was limited to 100,000 men with no conscription, all soldiers had to volunteers. They also had to completely demilitarize the Rhineland.
Money: Germany had to pay £6,600 million for the damage done during the war.
Blame: Germany had to accept war guilt for starting the war, Article 231 gave the Allies legal grounds on which to ask for reparations.
Why did all the victors not get everything they wanted?
France: Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany to make sure that they could not attack France again as they had in 1871 and 1914, hence why he demanded heavy reparations and wanted then Rhineland to become an independent state.
USA: Wilson took more internationalist view with him main demand being the League of Nations and he did not want to punish Germany to severely. Wilson was an idealist which meant that most of his 14 points were unrealistic.
UK: Lloyd George took the middle ground between France and America hence was the most satisfied of the victors. The French wanted to punish Germany but they did not want to cripple it as Germany was a large trade partner before the war and it was hoped the the trade links could be restored after the war.
Which aspects of the peace settlement satisfied each of the Big Three?
Clemenceau: •Demilitarization of the Rhineland •Return of Alsace-Lorraine •High reparations •Limited army
Wilson:
•League of Nations
•Self-determination
Lloyd George:
•Got German colonies
What was the impact of the peace treaty on Germany up to 1923?
Too harsh: Deprived of all the resources they needed to be able to pay their reparations.
Diktat: ‘Dictated Peace’, Germany had no say in the terms of the treaty and were forced to sign.
Disarmament: Claims that 100,000 men was insufficient for border defense and that it would be difficult to deal with revolts and uprisings.
Economic: The treaty of Versailles ordered Germany to disband most of its armed forces, leading to high levels of unemployment.
Germany had to pay £6,600 million to the Allies; a price many felt was too high a price to pay.
BY December 1922, Germany could not meet its commitment to reparations.
Austria: Treaty of Saint Germain (10 Sept 1919)
30,000 volunteers, no navy
Reparations agreed, but never set
The Austrian-Hungarian empire was dismantled, Tyrol lost to Italy
The new countries formed were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania
Hungary: Treaty of Trianon (4 June 1920)
35,000 volunteers, three patrol boats
200 million gold crowns
The Austrian-Hungarian empire was dismantled
New countries formed were Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania
Bulgaria: Treaty of Neuilly (27 Nov 1919)
20,000 volunteers, four torpedo boats, no Air Force
2.25 billion francs
Land to Yugoslavia, Romania and Greece
Turkey: Treaty of Serves (10 Aug 1920)
50,000 soldiers, seven sailboats and six torpedo boats
Smyrna and East Thrace to Greece, Rhodes to Italy
Iraq and Palestine became British mandates. Syria became a French mandate.
