conflict and tension - chapter 3

Question 1

why did the British people have little sympathy for germany after the war

Answer 1

• throughout the war they had been convinced by propaganda that germans were barbarians
• most families had lost a son, brother or husband to the war
• civilians had suffered food shortages

Question 2

what was happening around the 1918 general election in Britain

Answer 2

• headlines such as ‘hang the kaiser’ were common
• politicians based their campaigns on their promises to be harsh on germany

Question 3

what was the general feeling in Britain about the TofV

Answer 3

• general feeling that it was fair but could (and probably should) have been much harsher
• on his return, lloyd george was greeted a hero - the streets outside the railway station were lined with people waving and cheering
• british press proclaimed that britain would never be threatened again by the germans

Question 4

what did Lloyd George think about the TofV

Answer 4

there were parts of the treaty he was pleased with:
- british empire gained extra colonies and now covered a third of the globe
- the german navy was restricted so Britain could ‘rule the waves’ without competition

there were some parts he was concerned with:
- concerned that the loss of german land and people to poland would cause huge problems in the future, especially if those people were determined to be part of germany again
- felt that the reparations were too harsh -> Britain would lose an important trade partner
- felt the people of germany would resent the treaty so much it could lead to another war in years to come

Question 5

how did the french people feel about the TofV

Answer 5

they were satisfied with:
- they could no longer be threatened by the german army in the rhineland
- they would be receiving reparations
- they were given control of the Saar area for 15 years, which would help them financially

however, many people were furious about the treaty as they felt their suffering during the war had been greater than the germans suffering so they thought the treaty should be tougher

Question 6

how did clemenceau feel about the TofV

Answer 6

• was angry the germans were allowed to retain an army, even a small one
• felt the rhineland should have been completely taken away from germany and made into a small, powerless independent state
• felt france should be given the saar permanently rather than being lent it
• felt that reparations were too small -> wanted to see germany financially crippled

Question 7

what happened in france after the treaty was signed and what was the result

Answer 7

• an election
• clemenceau was voted out

Question 8

how did the american people feel about the treaty

Answer 8

• felt the treaty was unfair on germany
• thought wilson had helped britain and france become more powerful and rich at germanys expense
• they favoured isolationism - thought the US should not get involved in affairs in Europe as it did more harm than good
• wanted a fair treaty that guaranteed peace in the future, but felt that they got the opposite

Question 9

what was the treaty used for in US politics

Answer 9

• treaty was used to criticise wilson by his rival party, the republicans
• treaty had to be ratified by the senate; they had to vote to accept it
• republicans argued that treaty had not been based on the fourteen points and was not in americas best interests and they refused to ratify it
  -> meant that wilson and america could not join the league of nations

Question 10

how did wilson feel about the treaty

Answer 10

• he was devastated
• feared that a harsh treaty would result in america being dragged into another war
• happy the league of nations was set up and that countries in eastern europe would, largely, have self determination
• the rest of his fourteen points got ignored
• he desperately toured america, campaigning for america to join the league of nations
  -> his efforts tired him; he died of a stroke in 1924