conflict and tension - chapter 1 Flashcards
when was the Paris Peace Conference
January 1919
who met at the Paris Peace conference
representatives from 32 winning countries
where did the members of the Paris Peace conference meet
Palace of Versailles
who led the discussions at the Paris Peace conference
leaders of the most powerful victorious countries: Britain, France, USA
who was the leader of Britain
David Lloyd George
who was the leader of France
Georges Clemenceau
who was the leader of the USA
Woodrow Wilson
what did Clemenceau want and why
- wanted to cripple germany to make sure it was never powerful enough to attack France again
- wanted germany’s armed forces to be dramatically reduced
- wanted Germanys border with France to be pushed back to the Rhine in Eastern Germany, taking away its defences and making france less vulnerable to attack
- much of the fighting that took place during the war was in france and the germans destroyed many mines, railways, factories, bridges and farmland
- the french also suffered the most deaths
- many french people wanted revenge and put lots of pressure on clemenceau to make it happen
- clemenceau needed money to help rebuild france and thought germany should have to pay compensation for the damage
- was willing to compromise with other leaders, but prepared to fight for what his people wanted
what did David Lloyd George want and why
- was concerned that if germany was treated too harshly, it could lead to germans wanting revenge and starting another war
- many young british men died in the trenches, so many people of britain wanted revenge
- wanted to keep germany quite strong so that britain could trade with it, and to stop other european countries becoming too powerful
- british empire was an important source of income, so he was determined to gain german colonies
- wanted to reduce german navy to stop it from rivalling britain’s -> needed to keep british navy powerful
what did Woodrow Wilson want and why
- wanted a future where everyone was treated fairly
- suggested a world parliament called the league of nations was set up, where countries could work and trade together so war was less likely
- believed in self determination, allowing countries the freedom to rule themselves
- he wanted ‘freedom of the seas’ which meant everyone could sail trading ships wherever they wanted
- fourteen points
- no fighting took place on US soil
- the US made lots of money selling weapons to the allies so most americans didn’t see the need for revenge
- wilson was concerned that being too strict with germany would lead to another war
the armistice:
- when germany and its allies first surrendered they had agreed to sign an armistice
- this meant countries at war stopped fighting immediately
- politicians then agreed to meet to decide a final peace treaty
- the armistice at the end of WW1 included germany agreeing to pay reparations, giving the Alsace-Lorraine region back to france and moving its army out the rhineland
-> clemenceau used the fact that germany had agreed to these to argue they should also appear in the final treaty
what did the allies to do different countries during the war
- made lots of promises in return for their support
- these countries wanted to claim what they saw as being rightfully theirs
- eg. italy had been promised the austro-hungarian empire
- eg. japan had been told their claims on china would be supported
conflicts of interest in the big three:
- wanted very different things
- made it difficult for them to agree
- clemenceau wanted revenge for the destruction and death that france had suffered when it had been invaded
- wilson wanted a treaty that would build a fairer world
- lloyd george was concerned what effects a harsh treaty would have, but was under pressure from the british to make germany pay
how long did the discussions about the TofV last and how did this create conflict between the big three
12 months
meant the discussions of the big three were hurried
how did a changing europe mean TofV discussions needed to be hurried
- politics and economies of many countries had become unstable
- eg. austria-hungary owned a huge empire before the war, but many countries were breaking off and declaring independence
- russia had a communist revolution
- europe lay in tatters and many people debated that poverty caused by the war, along with instability in gov, could easily lead to more conflict
- the big three needed to agree their treaties quickly
