conflict and tension- part 1, peacemaking Flashcards
chapters 1-3 (armistice & aims of peacemakers, the versailles settlement, impact of treaty)
who were the ‘Big Three’?
leaders of the most powerful victorious countries- Britain, France and USA
Britain- David Lloyd George (PM)
France- George Clemenceau (PM)
USA- Woodrow Wilson (President)
what was the ‘Paris Peace Conference’?
when the representatives from the 32 winning countries met in the Palace of Versailles to decide on the terms of the final peace treaties, Jan 1919
what were George Clemenceau’s aims?
- wanted Germany to pay for reparations to rebuild areas of France badly affected by war (destroyed railways, mines, factories, bridges and farmland)
- wanted revenge for all the lives lost (France suffered the most deaths)
- aimed to weaken Germany so it could never attack again
- wanted to push German border back to the Rhine so French could feel safer
many French wanted revenge- put Clemenceau under a lot of pressure
what were David Lloyd George’s aims?
- wanted a cautious approach: British public wanted Germany to be punished, but Lloyd George feared this would lead to Germany wanting revenge
- wanted to keep Germany strong so it could trade with Britain and act as a buffer to Communism
- aimed to gain German colonies to add to the British Empire
- wanted naval supremacy by reducing Germany’s navy
was elected because he promised to ‘make Germany pay’- British people wanted revenge but he was more cautious
what were Woodrow Wilson’s aims?
- wanted a fair peace, so Germany would not seek revenge
- proposed the Fourteen Points, including the foundation of a League of Nations, self-determination and freedom of the seas; but the American public didn’t want the USA to get involved in European affairs again
America made a lot of money selling weapons to the allies so most Americans didn’t feel the need to revenge
when was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
28th June 1919
was the ToV a success?
- it was a Diktat (Germany was not allowed to negotiate the terms)
- Germany was devastated by the terms
- Big 3 weren’t really satisfied either
what were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (14)
- Article 231 (war guilt clause)
- Article 232 (reparations- £6.6billion)
- Navy: restricted to 15,000, with only 1500 officers, 6 battleships
- Germany were not allowed tanks, submarines or an air force
- army was limited to 100,000
- Anschluss was forbidden
- LoN formed, but Germany wasn’t allowed to join
- Danzig was taken from Germany
- Germany was split in 2 by the Polish Corridor
- conscription was not allowed
- Saar was given to the LoN to control for 15 years
- Rhineland demilitarised
- Germany’s colonies were given to the LoN as mandates
- Germany lost 10% of its land
what were some of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points? (7)
- no secret treaties
- freedom of the seas
- disarmament
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
-self determination in the Austrio-Hungarian and Ottoman empires - independence to be given to Romania, Serbia, Montenegro
- an independent Polish state to be created with access to the sea
- LoN to be formed
what was Clemenceau pleased about in the ToV?
- France gaining Alsace-Lorraine
- Germany having no army to present in the Rhineland
what was Clemenceau unhappy about in the ToV?
- reparations- French thought Germany should pay more
- Germany being allowed to have an army, even a small one
- the Rhineland not being completely taken away from Germany
what was Lloyd George pleased about in the ToV?
- Britain having naval supremacy over Germany
- the British Empire gaining more colonies- now covered 1/3 of the globe
what was Lloyd George unhappy about in the ToV?
- the harsh reparations meaning Britain would lose trade with Germany
- the threat of a possible future war as the Germans were so unhappy
what was Wilson pleased about in the ToV?
- the creation of the League of Nations
what was Wilson unhappy about in the ToV?
- the Fourteen Points being ignored in the treaty terms
- the harshness of the treaty terms
why couldn’t the Big Three get everything they wanted in the Treaty of Versailles?
- they had different and often contrasting aims- they had to compromise
- During the war, countries had been promised rewards for joining on the side of the Allies, e.g. Italy was promised land- Big 3 had to keep these promises
- Wilson and Lloyd George now disagreed over the original terms of the armistice that Germany has signed Nov 1918
- Wilson wanted the USA to join LoN, but US Senate followed a policy of isolationism and refused this
- Europe was crumbling after the war -> Big 3 under pressure to reach an agreement quickly- Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires had collapsed leaving countries w/o stable governments- each politician had to do what the people of their country wanted to get reelected- ordinary citizens had been fed anti-German propaganda during the war and felt little mercy towards the losers
how did Britain react to the ToV?
- propaganda during the war taught Brits to despise the Germans, and lots of British soldiers had been killed in the war
- British people generally thought that the treaty was fair, and could have been harsher
- Lloyd George was hailed as a hero and newspapers said Britain would never be threatened by Germany again
how did France react to the ToV?
- many people in France were furious- believed the treaty was nowhere near harsh enough and that Germany should suffer as much as France had during the war
- people felt Clemenceau had not done enough to get revenge for France- voted out in the next election
- there were a few terms that they liked- like gaining control of the Saar and its coalfields for 15 years
how did USA react to the ToV?
- had joined the war in 1917 and no fighting took place on US soil, so they didn’t want revenge or compensation in the same way that the British and French did
- many people felt that the treaty was too harsh, including Wilson
- USA wanted to follow a policy of isolationism
- US Senate refused to approve the treaty or to allow the USA to join the League of Nations
why did German people hate the treaty so much? (7)
- felt it was forced on them and that they weren’t allowed to negotiate the terms (Diktat)
- hated the war guilt clause
- had been told they were winning the war so they felt they were stabbed in the back by the government (November Criminals)
- 13% land was lost to other countries- 6 million people found they were no longer living in Germany
- felt it had left them vulnerable- were hated by old enemies and w/o an army to defend- could be attacked easily
- people were starving because Britain had blockaded the ports during the war- little food in Germany- were desperate and needed help- didn’t see how they could cope with the punishment
- the Kaiser had abdicated before the treaty was signed- uncertainty about how country should be run; also felt that the Kaiser was responsible for the war and had been punished so there was no need for further punishment
what land did Germany lose to the West, who took it?
Alsace Lorraine -> France
Eupen and Malmedy -> Belgium
what land did Germany lose to the East, who took it?
West Prussia, Posen, Upper Silesia -> Poland (Polish Corridor)
what land did Germany lose to the North, who took it?
North Schleswig -> Denmark
how much land did Germany lose in total?
10%
what does Article 231 mean?
war guilt clause: Germany had to take full responsibility for the war
what does Article 232 mean?
reparations- had to pay 6.6billion- was estimated to take until 1988 to pay back
what was forbidden by Germany and Austria?
Anschluss (union)
what happened to German colonies after ToV
given as mandates to the LoN -> Britain and France now controlled them
what 2 parts of Germany was given to the LoN
North Danzig -> made a free city
Saarland -> 15 years under LoN control
what was the Polish Corridor + impacts
- strip of land that gave Poland access to the sea
- meant Poland now owned land where German people lived (who weren’t happy with new nationality), Germany was split in two- weakened -> resentment
- Russia argued about Poland’s eastern boarders
- Poland had no natural boarders (like mountains or rivers)- not defended easily
what does Diktat mean
forced treaty
what does self determination mean
the idea that countries / colonies should be able to govern themselves rather than being in an empire (part of Wilsons 14 points)
Treaty of St Germain:
country, date, land, reparations, military restrictions, other terms
- Austria
- 10th September 1919
- land taken to create new countries (Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia)
- agreed but amount never fixed
- 30,000 in army, no conscription, no navy
- forbidden to unite with Germany
Treaty of Neuilly:
country, date, land, reparations, military restrictions
- Bulgaria
- 27th Nov 1919
- lost land to Yugoslavia and Greece
- £100 million
- 20,000 in army, no conscription, no air force, only 4 battleships
Treaty of Trianon:
country, date, land, reparations, military restrictions
- Hungary
- 4th June 1920
- lost land to Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Austria
- agreed but amount never fixed
- 30,000 in army, no conscription, only 3 patrol boats
Treaty of Sevres:
country, date, land, reparations, military restrictions, other terms
- Turkey
- 10th August 1920
- split up the Turkish Empire so Turkey lost almost all its land in Europe
- none
- 50,000 in army, 7 sailboats, 6 torpedo boats
- Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits were opened to other countries
people in Turkey revolted- British replaced it with the Treaty of Lausanne July 1923
Impact of treaties (Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey) and problems faced by new states
- caused Treaty of Lausanne, July 1923- symbolic as it proved that the treaties couldn’t be enforced and showed that Britain was willing to undermine the treaties
- losing land meant the Austrian and Hungarian economies collapsed in 1921
- east Europe was now divided into lots of small countries
- Poland was re-established as an independent country
what were the strengths of the ToV?
- war had caused lots of damage- especially in France- reparations were needed to rebuild
- France regained Alsace-Lorraine
- many areas had not wanted to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire- places like Czechoslovakia and Poland were given independence
what were the weaknesses of the ToV? (6)
- new states were created (or re-established), but Poland was weakened because it was surrounded by boarders that were difficult to defend
- Austria and Hungary lost so much land that their economies crashed in 1921
- Lloyd George and Wilson feared that the treaties would lead to another war in the future
- the Treaty of Lausanne proves that the treaties couldn’t be enforced and showed people like Hitler and Mussolini that Britain was willing to undermine them
- neither Clemenceau, Lloyd George or Wilson were satisfied with the outcomes of the treaties- people in UK, France thought should be harsher, US thought too harsh
- people in some of the defeated countries hated and felt humiliated by the treaties- were revolts in Germany and Turkey
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did achieve his aim of punishment and revenge
Germany and its allies had to accept responsibility for starting the war (article 231) this damaged German pride and made them an international laughing stock
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did not achieve his aim of punishment and revenge
- most people wanted Germany to be destroyed, not just weakened
- people felt that Clemenceau had not given them the revenge that they wanted. they voted him out of office next election
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did achieve his aim of protection (reduction of Germany’s armed forces and power)
- the German army and navy were reduced
- Germany was not allowed to have, tanks, submarines or aeroplanes
- the Rhineland was demilitarised
- Germany could not unite with Austria
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did not achieve his aim of protection of Germany’s armed forces and power
- Clemenceau felt that Germany should not be allowed any army at all
- people in France wanted an independent Rhineland - demilitarising it was not enough
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did achieve his aim to recover losses and reparations
- in 1921 the amount for reparations was set at £6.6 billion
- France gained the coal from the Saar for 15 years
what was the evidence that Clemenceau did not achieve his aim to recover losses and reparations
- it is estimated the war cost France 200 billion francs; the reparations was far less than this
- France lost more soldiers during the war than any other country. money could not make up for this
- many french people felt that they should have been given the Saar for good
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did achieve his aim of self-determination
many small nations that had been part of the Austro-Hungarian empire were given independence
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did not achieve his aim of self-determination
parts of the German empire were given to the league of nations as mandates, but in reality Britain and France ran them
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did achieve his aim of starting the LoN
- was created
- 42 countries joined when it was established in 1920
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did not achieve his aim of starting the LoN
- the American senate refused to join
- during the 1920s the USA was governed by a political party that pushed for isolationism - far from the idea of collective security
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did not achieve his aim of stopping future wars
countries in the league of nations agreed to work together to keep the peace
what was the evidence that Woodrow Wilson did not achieve his aim of stopping future wars
felt the treaty was so harsh that Germany would seek revenge and another war would follow
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did achieve his aim of revenge and reparations for the people of Britain
- the war guilt clause pleased the British people
- Britain received reparations to help rebuild even though little damage had been done on British soil
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did not achieve his aim of revenge and reparations for the people of Britain
he was worried that the treaty was too harsh and the people of Germany would seek revenge
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did achieve his aim of retaining naval supremacy
the German navy was heavily reduced- Britain was once again confident that they ‘ruled the seas’
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did not achieve his aim of retaining a trade relationship with Germany
- the German economy was crippled by the war effort, repairs and reparations. Germany was not in a strong position to trade with anyone
- John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, said that the reparations would destroy the economies of Europe
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did achieve his aim of reducing the German empire, preserving the British empire
- at the end of ww1, the British empire was bigger than it had ever been before
- Britain gained territory from the German empire
what was the evidence that Lloyd George did not achieve his aim of reducing the risk of another war
felt the treaty was so harsh that Britain would have to fight another war in 25 years time, and that the cost would be double that of the first
