CONFLICT AND TENSION - PART 1: Peacemaking

Question 1

When was the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 1

January 1919

Question 2

What was the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 2

The Paris Peace Conference was a conference that aimed to negotiate the terms to end WW1.

Question 3

Who were excluded from the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 3

The defeated members of the Central Powers were excluded: Germany and Russia not invited due to communist suspicions

Question 4

Who made most of the decisions at the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 4

The ‘Big Three’

Question 5

What did Woodrow Wilson want from the Paris Peace Conference (what was included in his 14 points)?

Answer 5

self-determination, world disarmament, free access to the seas and the establishment of the LoN

Question 6

What was Woodrow Wilson’s overall ideology?

Answer 6

He wanted a diplomatic end to the war to establish peace

Question 7

What did David Lloyd George want from the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 7

to enlarge the British Empire by taking Germany’s colonies.

Question 8

What was the attitude of the British People towards how Germany should be treated?

Answer 8

most people in Britain wanted Germany to be punish for the War.

Question 9

Evidence that British people wanted Germany to be punished for the War:

Answer 9

“Make Germany Pay” and “Hang the Kaiser”

Question 10

Why did Lloyd George not want to treat Germany too harshly?

Answer 10

He wanted Britain to be able to have a strong trading partnership with Germany. He also wanted to keep Germany strong enough to resist communist threats and not risk another war by Germany seeking revenge.

Question 11

What did Georges Clemeceau want from the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 11

he sought revenge and wanted to make Germany weak by enforcing huge reparation payments for damage and war debt. He wanted to take large parts of German territory, industry and military meaning an almost total disarmament of Germany.

Question 12

What were Clemenceau’s aims overall for the treatment of Germany?

Answer 12

He wanted a harsh peace as France had suffered great destruction during the war.

Question 13

How many young French men were killed in WW1?

Answer 13

1.4 million (60%)

Question 14

How much French land was damaged in WW1?

Answer 14

4,000 square miles

Question 15

What were the consequences of the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 15

• differing viewpoints at the PPC meant that the ToV was a compromise that mostly favored the ideology/approach of France. Too harsh - meaning Germany inevitably sought revenge (starting WW2)
• US public not keen on involvement in European affairs so elected a new President in 1920 - only one of Wilson’s fourteen points was gained - the establishment of the LoN
• USA refused to cancel French war debt so reparations for Germany were demanded.
• France were safer as they successfully crippled Germany’s military capability.

Question 16

What were the main terms of the ToV (BRAT)

Answer 16

Blame
Reparations
Armed Forces
Territory

Question 17

What were the BLAME terms of the ToV?

Answer 17

• Germany forced to sign the War Guilt Clause (Article 231) stating they were entirely responsible for the War. This justified the Allies demanding reparations
• Germany refused to sign the ToV to begin with as a result of this Clause.
• They called it a ‘diktat’ - dictated peace- and only agreed to sign it when threatened with war by allying countries

Question 18

What were the REPARATION terms of the ToV?

Answer 18

• Decided in 1921 that Germany should pay £6.6 bn in reparations to compensate for the damage done during the war
• it was to be paid in annual installments, starting in 1922

Question 19

What were the ARMED FORCES terms of the ToV?

Answer 19

• Army reduced to 100,000 men
• conscription ban
• 15,000 in the navy
• 6 battleships
• no submarines
• tanks and military aircraft were forbidden
• Rhineland was to be demilitarised in order to protect France from surprise German attack

Question 20

What were the TERRITORIAL CHANGES terms of the ToV?

Answer 20

• All overseas colonies became mandates and were supervised by the League of Nations. This included:
• Alsace Lorraine was returned to France
• West Prussia was given to Poland as a ‘corridor’ to the sea - splitting East Prussia from the rest of Germany
• ANSCHLUSS (the union of Austria-Hungary and Germany) was FORBIDDEN

Question 21

What was the Treaty of Sevres?

Answer 21

• turkey lost land to Greece
• Turkish Empire was split up

Question 22

When was the Treaty of Sevres signed?

Answer 22

10 August 1920

Question 23

What were the impacts of the Treaty of Sevres?

Answer 23

The new President threatened to fight the Allies over the Treaty. Britain were not prepared to fight another War so they agreed to overwrite the Treaty with the Treaty of Lausanne.
This showed MUSSOLINI AND HITLER that THEY COULD ALSO GET AWAY WITH BREAKING INTERNATIONAL RULES and that the ALLIES WERE WEAK AND NOT AN OBSTACLE

Question 24

What were the Consequences of the BLAME terms of the ToV?

Answer 24

• Germany were furious about the Treaty and felt as if they were forced into signing it. They particularly detested the War Guilt Clause.
• Germany felt humiliated and felt the terms were unfair: this lead to the uprisings of fascist leaders such as Hitler who used the Treaty as a way to persuade the Germans to vote for the Nazi Party in the 1930s

Question 25

What were the Consequences of the REPARATIONS terms of the ToV?

Answer 25

• Angry about the amount of reparations - felt they were signing a ‘blank cheque’
• Germans wanted a chance to rebuild post-war but reparations prevented this.

Question 26

What were the Consequences of the ARMED FORCES terms of the ToV?

Answer 26

• Prior to these terms, Germany had the best-equipped army in the world and the second best Navy. The ToV humiliated them.
• Many Germans were angry that the lack of army would leave them susceptible to attack from other nations who were angry about the war, primarily France.
• Hitler exploited these terms, promising to rebuild the armed forces and restore pride in the nation once again

Question 27

What were the Consequences of the TERRITORIAL CHANGES terms of the ToV?

Answer 27

• The territorial losses has huge economic and psychological impacts on Germany.
• Germans were angry that so many Germany people were being separated from Germany such as those in the Polish Corridor and German-speaking people were no longer able to call themselves part of the German Empire.
• Austrians were outraged by not being able to join forces with Germany - this lead to Hitler exploiting the Anchluss terms in the lead up to WW2.
• Germans were angry that they were losing their colonies in the move toward ‘self-determination’ when France and Britain were not forced to do the same.