Conflict and Tension Flashcards
What is Armistice?
- What is a Treaty?
- When did Germany sign armistice?
- What were the WW1 casualties, and -What was significant about these?
- When was the ToV signed?
- What happened in Jan1919 in the Palace of Versailles?
- Who was not invited?
- Who were the Big Three?
A piece of paper that stops the fighting
Contains terms and conditions that need to be followed after war
11 Nov 1918
2.2 Germans, 1 million Britons, 1.7 million French, 3 million Russian, 117,000 Americans. First time such large numbers
28th June 1919, almost 7 months after the end of the war.
An International conference to discuss what to do with Germany
Germany
David Lloyd-George British PM
Georges Clemenceau. French Pm
Woodrow Wilson. American president
- When did WW1 end?
- When was the 1st meeting of the LoN?
- What treaties were made in October 1925?
- When was Germany allowed to join the league?
- What pact happened on 27 August 1928?
- When and where did the Japanese invade?
- When did Hitler become chancellor of Germany?
- When and where did German troops move into?
- When was the Austrian Anschluss?
- What crisis happened on September 1938?
11. When was the Nazi soviet pact? - What country did Hitler invade in March 1939
- When did World War II start?

- 11 Nov 1918
- 1920
- Locarno Treaties
- September 1926
- Kellogg-Briand
- 1931-1933, Manchuria
- 30th Jan 1933
- March 1936, The Rhineland
- March 1938
- Sudetenland crisis
- 23 August 1939
- Czechoslovakia
- 1 September 1939
What were Clemenceau’s aims and reasons why?
- To cripple Germany
- To break it up into smaller states
- To weaken the German military
- Compensation in money
- France had been invaded twice by Germany once in 1870 and again 1914. Clemenceau wanted to ensure that it would never happen again
- France had to pay back countries such as the USA for the expenses for the war.
- People were scared that Germany would take over France and have dominion over France
- 2/3 of French troops were either killed or injured.
What were Wilson’s aims and why?
Idealist
- To build a better and peaceful world
- A lenient punishment
- Strengthen democracy
- Strive for world peace
- Self determination
- League of Nations
- Disarmament
- He hoped a lenient punishment would mean Germany would not take revenge.
- No dominion= no uprisings
What was Lloyd-George’s aims and why?
- The British public wanted a harsh punishment for Germany so Lloyd George promised a harsh punishment
- In reality, he wanted Germany to be justly punished not too harshly
- He wanted Germany to lose its navies and colonies
- He thought the German empire with its navies and colonies could threaten the British empire
- He wanted Germany to continue trading with Britain as prosperous German industries could provide jobs for those involved in British trade
Why did Germany expect a fair treaty? (4)
- The Kaiser had gone
- Germany had a new democratic constitution and new leaders
- The new government needed all the help it could to stabilise Germany and prevent a communist revolution
- The most powerful of the Allied leaders, Woodrow Wilson, wanted the treaty to be fair on Germany and based on his 14 points
What did Clemenceau and Wilson clash over?
The USA had not suffered as badly as France in the war.
So Wilson was more generous to Germany than Clemenceau.
Lloyd George and Clemenceau did agree with Wilson’s idea of self-determination in Eastern Europe, but reluctantly
What did Clemenceau and Lloyd-George clash over?
 Lloyd George didn’t want to treat Germany too harshly but Clemenceau did.
Clemenceau felt that Britain only cared about restricting Germany in areas where the British could be threatened such as the colonial naval or commercial aspects.
Clemenceau felt that Britain were happy to treat Germany fairly in Europe as they were not under direct threat but France was.
What did Lloyd-George and Wilson clash over?
One of Wilson’s 14 points was all nations having access to the seas, which threatened the British empire
The idea of self-determination also threatened the thriving British empire
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles? 🐑
LAND was taken away
ARMY military strength reduced
MONEY £6600million in reparations
BLAME Article 231 said Germans had to accept guilt
League of Nations were also set up
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (L)
- Overseas empire was taken away and former German colonies became mandates controlled by the league of Nations: Togoland and Cameroon in Africa went to Britain and France; German East Africa went to Britain; and Samoa went to New Zealand
- Germany was forbade to join together with its former ally, Austria
- Alsace-Lorraine was given to France
- West Prussia,Posen and Upper Silesia were given to Poland, Polish corridor created
- The German empire and Austria Hungarian empire split into different countries. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were created,
- Saarland was run by the League
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (A)
- The army was limited to 100,000 men
- conscription was banned soldiers had to be volunteers
- Germany was not allowed any armoured vehicles, submarines or aircrafts
- The Navy could only build six battleships
- The Rhineland was to be a demilitarised zone, to protect France from German invasion.
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (M)
£6600 million was to be paid to the Allies, especially France.
If the terms had not been changed, Germany would have to continue paying until 1984
What were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (B)
Germany had to accept total blame for the war known as the war guilt clause. This was article 231. This was the term that was most hated by the Germans.
When were the terms of the treaty announced to Germany?
What did Germany lose?
7 May 1919
•10 per cent of its land
•all of its overseas colonies
•12.5 per cent of its population
•16 per cent of its coalfields and •almost half of its iron and steel industry.
How did the Big Three feel about the Treaty?
Clemenceau was criticised because many people thought the treaty was not harsh enough. In 1920 he was voted out of office
Lloyd George was treated as a hero in Britain but he thought that the Germans will take the revenge and predicted that in 25 years time, another war would happen
What did Clemenceau like and dislike about the Treaty of Versailles?
LIKED
• Military restrictions on Germany
• Gaining of Alsace-Lorraine
• Reparations
DISLIKED
• League of Nations
• Saar only gained for 15 years
What did Lloyd-George like and dislike about the Treaty of Versailles?
LIKED
• Punishment of Germany
• Mandates for ex-German colonies
• Naval restriction
DISLIKED
• not enough recognition that Britain and Germany needed to re-establish trade links
What did Wilson like and dislike about the Treaty of Versailles?
LIKED
• The creation of the league of Nations
DISLIKED
• Reparation payments
• Failure to agree on disarmament
• Failure to implement principle of self-determination
What did Clemenceau think about:
- The League of Nations
- Self-determination
- War guilt
- Reparations
- German colonies
- Lots of German territory
- Anschluss
- Disarmament
- Didn’t think it would work and didn’t want to make an expensive commitment
- Happy to get Alsace-Lorraine back. Happy to have new countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia to become allies with France to protect against Germany
- Happy because Germany can pay damages to France
- France desperately needed the money but the final sum was not enough
- Glad Germany had lost colonies and some given to France but all should be given to France and Britain instead of some being under League of Nations
- Germany had been weakened and key industrial areas lost but Rhineland had only been demilitarised, not taken away.
- Germany cannot join with Austria to create a super country which is good
- Germany should be completely disarmed
What did Lloyd-George think about:
- The League of Nations
- Self-determination
- War guilt
- Reparations
- German colonies
- Lots of German territory
- Anschluss
- Disarmament
- Didn’t believe it would work. Worried that Britain would have too big of a role
- Happy to have new countries as possible allies and potential balance to too much French power
- Guilt means reparations paid to Britain, but possibly unfair and Germany may seek revenge
- Will help with reconstruction and paying back loans but Germany maybe can’t afford this and could get angry. Could also weaken Germany too much + make France too powerful
- Glad Germany lost colonies but all should be given to Britain
- Germany has been weakened but might be unable to pay reparations and Britain wants Germany as counterbalance to France
- Agrees with France
- Good that Germany isn’t totally disarmed otherwise France would be too powerful. Pleased that German navy removed as it’s a threat to British naval supremacy.
What did Wilson think about:
- The League of Nations
- Self-determination
- War guilt
- Reparations
- German colonies
- Lots of German territory
- Anschluss
- Disarmament
- Was 1 of the 14 points and vital part of maintaining world peace in future.
- New countries and breakup of old empires was a key dream and part of the 14 points
- Unfair and inaccurate. Alliance system and arms race were also causes. Will lead to trouble as Germany will be punished too harshly
- Glad that Britain and France will get some money to pay back loans given by US. Worried that Germany cannot afford it. German economy will also be damaged. Germans cannot buy US goods
- German colonies should have been given independence not used to boost British and French empires.
- Was good that land had gone to create new countries like Poland but it was wrong that Germans found themselves living in other countries.
- Understands concern about super country, but doesn’t fit in with self-determination as Austrians are ‘German’
- Glad Germany disarmed but disappointed that rest of Europe/world didn’t.
What were German reactions to the Treaty of Versailles? (3)
The Germans hated the treaty and it contributed to great instability in Germany.
They thought it was a Diktat- something dictated or forced.
Many Germans did not understand the severity of the military situation at the end of the war. The propaganda and news had told them that the Germans were winning the war. They were very confused when the war ended and had thought that the German government had simply agreed to ceasefire and so should have been consulted with at the Paris peace conference.
What were German reactions to the Treaty of Versailles? (Detailed) LAB
The new government in Germany, ______________ , became known by the Germans as the ‘______________’ as they thought Germany had been stabbed in the back (_____________) by _____________.
The new government were horrified by the treaty and felt vulnerable worried about a ________ ___________.
The new government in Germany, the Weimer republic, became known by the Germans as the ‘November criminals’ as they thought Germany had been stabbed in the back (Dolchstoßlegende) by Jews and politicians.
The new government were horrified by the treaty and felt vulnerable worried about a French attack.
> Blow to German pride and economy
Saar and Upper Silesia were important industrial areas
Britain + French gained territories by controlling German and Turkish ones
= Felt army was too small. Was a symbol of German pride
= Double standards, none of the other allies disarmed
= Hitler used this to gain widespread approval by building an army
- Outraged and believed they shouldn’t accept war guilt as they didn’t start the war
- Germans didn’t understand how bad the military situation was and believed government agreed to ceasefire
- Angry that the government wasn’t represented
Why could the Treaty of Versailles be seen as fair? (5)
•Europe was falling apart. The Austro
Hungarian and Ottoman Empires had ruled over most of Europe. With the collapse of these empires, politics in the region became unstable. The Allies had to act quickly. Under so much pressure, they did the best job they could.
- What happened with the Versailles peace treaty was similar to other treaties. It was usual for the loser of a war to agree to harsh terms. When Russia surrendered in WWI, the Germans forced them to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which had taken away more than one quarter of Russia’s farmland and population. Could be evidence of what the Germans would have done to the Allies, had they won the war.
- The ToV was signed at the end of the most devastating war the world had seen. It was only right that the losing countries should pay for it.
- Most of the fighting had taken place in France and Belgium. As a result, large parts of France and Belgium were destroyed. They needed rebuilding
- The treaty aimed to prevent a war from ever occurring again. The terms were harsh to remove German threat. Germany pursued an aggressive foreign policy since 1900 known as Weltpolitik.
Why could the Treaty of Versailles be seen as unfair? (9) LLHCDCSHW
- Around 6 million Germans found themselves living outside of German territory. They feared persecution especially since Germany had signed the war guilt clause.
- Germany lost 13% of its land. German families were forced off the land they had over generations as it was claimed by the other countries under the terms of the Treaty
- Many of the time including Wilson and Lloyd George felt that the treaty was too harsh. They felt it would cause anger that would lead to another war in 25 years time
- The causes of World War I were complex. Germany was not to blame. Instead of factors such as the arms race, imperialism and alliance system were to blame. Britain and Germany computer for naval and colonialsuperiority. However Germany was forced to accept full responsibility for the war under article 231.
- Germany couldn’t negotiate, they were forced to accept the terms.
- The reparations crippled Germany. It was estimated it would take until 1980 to pay off. It actually took until 2010.
- The treaty of Sèvres was so harsh on Turkey that the country revolted against it and it was eventually overturned by the treaty of Lausanne.
- Germany agreed to pay reparations in June 1919. But the actual amount was set in April 1921 and they didn’t realise it was going to be this high.
- Germans only agreed to armistice as they were promised a fair peace treaty based on Wilson’s 14 points and they wouldn’t have signed the armistice if they knew how harsh the treaty was going to be.
What were the strengths of the treaty of Versailles?
- Brought peace to Europe after four years of fighting
- The league of Nations was set up to prevent future conflict
- The terms were not as harsh as they may have been (not as harsh as Germany imposed on Russia, treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918)
- Some wanted Germany to be split in separate countries, but Germany was preserved as a large democratic country of 60 million people as a barrier against possible communist expansion from Russia.
What were the weaknesses of the treaty of Versailles?
- Extremist parties exploited the resentment Germans felt about TOV
- Reparation crippled German economy
-  It punished Germany enough to want revenge but not enough to stop it acting against the allies later.
- Wilson placed too much faith in the LON
How did the treaty of Versailles contribute to the great instability in Germany? (5)
- The Weimar government was seen as weak for signing the treaty
- Germany’s problems over the next few years were blamed on it
- Political chaos in Germany with attempted revolutions by Communists and Nazis
- Failure to play reparations led France and Belgium to invade the Ruhr in 1923 leading to economic chaos and hyperinflation in 1923.
- chaos and weak government encouraged growth of extremist political parties such as the Nazis
How did the treaty cause problems for Germany?
- end of the monarchy
- invasion of the Ruhr
- Spartacus
End of the Monarchy
• Kaiser refused a democratic Germany so Germany mutinied
• This triggered socialist revolts
• Kaiser abdicated and ran to the Netherlands
Invasion of the Ruhr
• £50 million paid in 1921 but nothing in 1922 because they didn’t have any.
• French and Belgian troops entered Ruhr (industrial area) taking raw materials & goods. Legal under treaty
• Workers ordered to passively resist but 100 died and 10,000 expelled
• Halt in industrial production caused collapse of German currency
The Spartacus
• Wanted Germany to be ruled by workers council or Soviets
What did the big three want the League of Nations to be like?
WILSON wanted the league to be a world parliament where representatives of all nations met regularly to decide on any matters that affected them all
LLOYD-GEORGE wanted a simple organisation that only got together for emergencies
CLEMENCEAU proposed a strong league with an army
What was public reaction to the League of Nations?
When was the league of Nations set up?
Definitions of:
Covenant
Collective security
Commissions
People really wanted it, there was a lot of hope
10th January 1920
- An agreement
- Each member state will defend a fellow member if attacked
- Group set up to deal with specific issues
What are the five main aims of the League of Nations as drafted by Woodrow Wilson?
+ All major nations join the league

+ They would disarm
+ If they had a dispute with another country, they would take it to the League and accept the decision made by the League.
+ All countries in the league had to sign the covenant that promised to protect one another if they were invaded
+ If any member broke the covenant and went to war, other members promised to stop trading with that country and send troops if necessary to stop the fighting.
How did the membership of the League of Nations change with: France Britain Italy Japan Germany USSR USA
F= 1919-1945 B= 1919-1945 I= 1919-1937 J= 1919-1933 G= 1926-1933 USSR= 1934-1939 USA= Never Joined
Which countries did not join in 1920 and why?
Germany wasn’t allowed or invited
USSR• communist values contrasted with capitalist views and they had a civil war going on
USA• they didn’t want to get involved with European entanglements. this was important as they were the most powerful country in the world.
What problems did the absence of the USA cause?
- no army could be created
- no economic sanctions (America didn’t lose a lot of money in the war)
- trade sanctions would only work if America applied them
- the League lost the credibility
What was the organisation of the League of Nations?
ASSEMBLY•All member country sent a representative. They met once a year. Decisions had to be unanimous
COUNCIL• A smaller group that made decisions and met several times a year. It consisted of permanent members (Britain France Italy and Japan) and several non-permanent members elected for three years. The council can make decisions but they had to be unanimous.
SECRETARIAT• Kept records, prepared reports, translated documents and did a range of administrative functions.
PERMANENT COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE• based at The Hague in The Netherlands intended to settle disputes between countries and provide advice assembly and council
COMMISSIONS• committees that dealt with major economic or social issues such as refugees or epidemics
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION• Aimed to improve the conditions of working people throughout the world.
Vilna
- When was it?
- Who was it between?
- Where was it over?
- What happened?
- What was the decision?
- What was the outcome?
- 1920
- Poland and Lithuania
- Vilna, the capital of Lithuania with a majority Polish population
- Private Polish army took control and Lithuania pleaded to the League for help.
- League protested to Poland but didn’t send troops but it was a possibility.
French didn’t want to upset Poland because they saw as a potential ally to Germany.
Britain didn’t want to go alone so the league did nothing - Poles kept Vilna- failure for League