Chapter 2: the impact of the Versailles Settlement on Germany Flashcards
List the events that took place in the Paris Peace Conference (January 1919)
- the war had ended with the armistice agreement on 11 November 1918.
- the armistice was not a surrender, bur rather an agreement to stop fighting and withdraw German troops from occupied territory.
- the Germans were not invited to attend nor allowed to see the terms of the treaty until 7 May.
- the German government suggested changes to the treaty but the Allies accepted very few, and gave Germany seven days to accept the treaty.
- the Reichstag accepted the terms by 237 votes to 138; they simply did not have the military capacity to resist.
- the treaty was regarded by Germans of all political viewpoints as a Diktat, or dictated peace.
What were the terms of the treaty?
- Territorial losses: the treaty removed over 70,000 km² (13 percent) of German territory and all Germany’s overseas colonies: Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France; Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium.
- Disarmament of Germany: germany had to surrender all heavy weapons, conscription to the German armed forces was forbidden and the German army was limited to a maximum of 100,000 men. The Rhineland was permanently demilitarised.
- War guilt: under Article 231 of the treaty, Germany had to accept responsibility for starting the war. This ‘war guilt clause’ made Germany liable to pay reparations to the Allies to cover the costs of damage suffered in the war. The final amount was £6.6 billion.
- Other terms of the treaty: Austria was forbidden from uniting with Germany; Germany was not allowed to join the new League of Nations.
What were German reactions to the treaty?
The terms of the treaty was greeted with horror and disbelief by the majority of Germans. For much of the war, and especially in the early months of 1918, victory in the war seemed to be only a matter of time. This, at least. was the way Germany’s war effort was portrayed in official propaganda. Despite the hardship caused by the Allied blockade, support for the war effort was still very strong. The abdication of the Kaiser and subsequent signing of the armistice, therefore, came as a profound shock to millions of Germans.
What were the German objections to the treaty? (1)
Whilst Wilson’s Fourteen Points stressed the importance of the right of national self-determination as a basis for a just peace, this right was denied to the Germans themselves. Millions of people who spoke German or considered themselves to be German were now living in non-German states such as Czechoslovakia and Poland.
What were the German objections to the treaty? (2)
The ‘war guilt clause’ was seen as an unjust national humiliation since Germans believed they had been forced into a just war against the Allies, who had attempted to encircle Germany.
What were the German objections to the treaty? (3)
Reparations were a major cause of anger, partly because Germans felt that the level was too high and would cripple the German economy, and they did not accept the ‘war guilt clause’, which justified the reparations.
What were the German objections to the treaty? (4)
The disarming of Germany and its exclusion from the League of Nations were seen as unjust discrimination against a proud and once-powerful nation.
How justified were German complaints about the Treaty of Versailles?
It is possible to sympathise with the German reactions, but in some ways it was based on unrealistic expectations:
- Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the armistice agreement made it clear that Alsace-Lorraine would be returned to France, that a new state of Poland with access to the sea would be created, that Germany would be expected to hand over some of her assets and that considerable German disarmament would be expected.
- The treaty did not punish Germany as severely as the Germans had punished Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. Then, Germany had broken up the western part of the Russian Empire and annexed larges swathes of territory. In the Reichstag debate on that treaty, only the USPD had voted against this action.
- The reparations bill was much lower than demanded by the French. Although reparations were a continuing source of friction between Germany and the Allies during the life of the Weimar Republic, it was not beyond Germany’s capacity to pay.
What was the political impact of the treaty in Germany?
Scheidemann and some of his ministers wanted to reject the treaty, whereas the majority of the cabinet and of the SPD members of the Reichstag believed that Germany had no other choice but to sign the treaty. President Ebert told General Groener that he would support rejection of the treaty if there was any chance that military action could be successful. Groener informed Ebert that military resistance would be futile and Germany had no alternative but to accept the treaty.
What was the reaction of pro-republican parties?
The SPD and its allied in government in 1919 were well aware that signing it would rebound upon them. Indeed, they were so concerned that they asked their main opponents in the DNVP, DVP and DDP to state that those who had voted for the treaty were not being unpatriotic.
What was the reaction on the Right?
In the eyes of extreme nationalists, the politicians who now governed Germany lacked any legitimacy because they had betrayed the ‘Fatherland’ several times- in the dethroning of the Kaiser, the signing of the armistice and the acceptance of the Versailles Treaty. These politicians became labelled the ‘November Criminals’ and their actions of ‘betrayal’ were referred to as ‘the stab in the back’. It was Ludendorff, and his superior von Hindenburg, who actively promoted the ‘stab in the back’ myth.
What was Britain’s reaction to the treaty?
British public opinion was satisfied that Germany had lost its overseas empire, along with its large fleet, and would be unable to threaten European peace for a generation. Privately, however, Lloyd George wanted Germany to become a strong trading partner with Britain again. Many in Britain saw the French as being greedy and vindictive and there was a growing feeling in Britain that Germany had been unfairly treated at Versailles. John Maynard Keynes, believed that the level of reparations ‘was one of the most serious acts of political unwisdom for which our statesmen have ever been responsible.’
What was France’s reaction to the treaty?
The recovery of Alsace-Lorraine, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland and the payment of reparations were key French demands which had been met. There were many in France who regarded the treaty as being too lenient on Germany.
What was the US’ reaction to the treaty?
There was a widespread opinion that the treaty had been unfair on Germany and that Britain and France had used the treaty to enrich themselves at Germany’s expense. The USA refused to join the League of Nations and, in the 1920s, retreated from involvement in European affairs.
