CORE 1: Were the peace treaties of 1919-23 fair? Flashcards
How many states attended at the Versailles Conference?
32 (two thirds of the world’s population)
Who was not invited to the Versailles Conference?
The defeated powers (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey) and Soviet Russia (Communist following the Bolshevik Revolution of Oct 1917)
Who were the ‘Big Three’ at the Versailles Conference ?
Prime Minister George Clemenceau - FRANCE
President Woodrow Wilson - USA
Prime Minister David Lloyd George - UK
What were Clemenceau’s aims at the Versailles Conference?
Ensure the future security of France;
1 Permanent disarmament of German army, navy & air force
2 High reparations with a figure in the treaty
3 The return of Alsace-Lorraine
4 A significant proportion of Germanies colonies
5 The Rhineland to become an independent state
6 The Saar Basin to be transferred to France
7 The Port of Danzig to Poland
Why did the French want a harsh treaty at Versailles?
- Stop German invasions (1914 WWI and 1870 Franco Prussian War)
- Shared a common border without natural frontier
- Loss of life (1.4m soldiers, 0.3m civilians, 4.3m wounded)
- Destruction of France in WWI and ‘scorched earth’ retreat
What were Wilson’s aims at the Versailles Conference?
14 Points;
1) No secret treaties
2) Freedom of the seas
3) The removal so far as possible of all economic barriers
4) The reduction armaments for all countries
5) Impartial adjustment of all colonial claims
6) Germany leaves Russian territory
7) Independence for Belgium
8) Alsace and Lorraine to France
9) Readjustment of the frontiers of Italy
10) Self determination for Austria-Hungary
11) Evacuation of Balkan countries
12) Self determination for Turkish Empire
13) An independent Poland to be established, with free and secure access to the sea
14) Establishment of the League of Nations”
Why did Wilson have a more detached view of the treaty and hoped for a ‘fair and lasting peace’?
- America hadn’t declared war on Germany until April 1917
- No US territory was invaded
- Relatively few civilian fatalities <800
- War had been profitable for US manufacturers, merchants and financiers
What were Lloyd George’s aims at the Versailles Conference?
A moderate peace in Britain’s interests;
1 Germany to pay reparations (not so high as to stop economic recovery)
2 Germany needs a wealthy industrious Rhineland to trade with Britain
3 Most of Germany’s colonies
4 A strong Germany as a barrier to the spread of communism
5 A treaty not so harsh it is hated and overturned
Why did Lloyd George want a moderate peace settlement at Versailles?
In the November Election of 1918 he wanted a harsh treaty reflecting public mood;
- Direct attacks on Britain (Naval bombardment of Yorkshire 1914 & Zeppelin attacks on London 1915-18)
- Heavy casualties (0.9m soldiers, 0.1m civilians, 1.7m wounded)
- Britain’s economy was weakened
From January 1919 he wanted a moderate peace;
- Economic revival depended on a strong Europe and a strong Germany who had been no.1 customer before 1914
- Stop the spread of communism
When was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
28th June 1919
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? (hint: LAMBS)
Land Lost Army decreased Money to pay Blame for WW1 Sign the covenant of the LoN
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations?
£6.6 billion in gold, coal and commodities decided by the Reparations Commission in 1921 (£284 billion in 2020)
What was Article 231?
War Guilt Clause - Germany and her allies had to accept total responsibility for starting the war
How was Germany’s military restricted in the Treaty of Versailles?
- Army restricted to 100,000 men (no conscription)
- No tanks, armoured vehicles or heavy artillery
- No military air force
- Only 6 battleships, 12 destroyers, 6 light cruisers, 12 torpedo boats, no subs
- Rhineland demilitarised
What colonial territories were taken away from Germany in the Treaty of Versailles?
All of them as mandates of the League of Nations;
- German East Africa to Britain
- Togoland and Cameroon to France
- Rwanda and Burundi to Belgium
- German Samoa to New Zealand
- German New Guinea to Britain
- Mariana, Caroline and Marshal Islands to Japan
What was decided about the Saar Basin in the Treaty of Versailles?
Administered by the League of Nations with its coal profits to France. After 15 years plebiscite would decide whether it should belong to France, Germany or the League.
What independent states were set up by the cancellation of the Brest-Litvosk Treaty (Russia’s surrender to Germany in 1917)?
Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
What ‘new’ states were set up in Eastern Europe?
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
Which countries were forbidden from unifying under the Treaties of Versailles, Saint Germain and Trianon?
Germany and Austria (Anschluss)
What was decided about the German port of Danzig?
A Free City administered by the League of Nations. Poland could use the port for external trade.
What happened to Germany’s confiscated European territories?
- Alsace-Lorraine to France
- Eupen, Malmedy, and Moresnet to Belgium North Schlezwig to Denmark
- West Prussia, Posen and parts of Upper Silesia to Poland
- Hultschin to Czechoslovakia
- Memel to Lithuania
What was the Anglo/American Treaty of Guarantee for France?
Britain and the USA would be commited to helping France against future German aggression. It didn’t happen because the US Congress didn’t ratify the treaty and Britain wouldn’t do it alone.
Why did the Germans refer to the Treaty of Versailles as a Diktat?
It was a dictated peace; they were excluded from the negotiations and had little choice but to sign the treaty or resume the war and allied naval blockade
What was the political impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
- The new German Weimar Government were seen as betraying Germany in signing the Treaty (Dolchstoss = stab in the back myth).
- There were left-wing communist uprisings (Spartacist 1919, Red Rising in the Ruhr 1920)
- There were right-wing uprisings by the Friekorps and Nazis (Kapp Putsch 1920, Munich Putsch 1923)
- Assassinations of govenrment ministers by right-wing extremists (Foriegn Minister Walter Rathenau and Finance Minister Matthias Ezberger
What was the economic impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
- 1921 £6.6 billion set in reparations (plus war debt, inflation and rising unemployment)
- 1922 Germany missed second payment
- 1923 French and Belgians invade Ruhr Valley to seize coal and resources owed
- German government orders workers to strike (French expel >100,000 and kill >130
- German government prints money to pay workers which leads to hyperinflation
- New Chancellor, Gustav Stresemann ends strikes, introduces new Rentenmark currency and agrees to resume payments (1924 Dawes Plan introduces flexible payments)
What treaty was signed with Austria on 10th September 1919?
The Treaty of Saint Germain
What treaty was signed with Hungary on 4th June 1920?
The Treaty of Trianon
What treaty was signed with Bulgaria, on 27th November 1919?
The Treaty of Neuilly
What treaties were signed with Turkey on 10th August 1920 and 24th July 1923?
The Treaty of Sevres (1920)
The Treaty of Lausanne (1923)
What were the common features across all of the peace treaties in the Versailles Settlement?
Land Lost Army decreased Money to pay Blame for WW1 Sign the covenant of the LoN
What new independent nation states were created by the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?
Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland
What Austro-Hungarian territory was given to Italy and Romania?
South Tyrol to Italy
Transylvania to Romania
Which countries gained territory from Bulgaria?
Yugoslavia, Greece (Western Thrace), Romania
What territories were lost by Turkey in the Treaty of Sevres (1920)?
- Middle East mandates to Britain (Iraq & Palestine) and France (Syria & Lebanon)
- Rhodes to Italy
- Independent Kingdom of Hejaz, on the Arabian Peninsula
- Armenia and Kurdistan
- Dardanelles Strait to become an international waterway
Why did Turkey renegotiate their treaty in 1923?
A nationalist movement led by Mustapha Kemal challenged the Treaty of Sevres by force and drove the Greeks from Smyrna
What was changed from the Treaty of Sevres (1920) to the Treaty of Lausanne (1923)?
- Turkey got Eastern Thrace and Smyrna back from Greece
- The Dardanelles Strait was to return to Turkish sovereignty
- Restrictions on armed forces were removed
- Reparations were cancelled
What term is applied to allowing people who lived in an Empire to have a say in their own government?
Self-determination
In which 19th century war had France been invaded by - and lost land to - Germany?
Franco-Prussian War (1870-71)
Which harsh treaty had Germany imposed on Russia in 1918?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
What were the key terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
300 million gold roubles in reparations
62million people = 1/3rd population
1.3m2 miles of territory = ¼ territory (1/3rd arable land, ¾ coal and iron)
1/3rd factories = 54% of industrial production
¼ railroads
What was the American Congress’ response to the Treaty of Versailles?
They voted against ratifying it, so the USA never signed it
Which German regions were taken to form the Polish Corridor?
West Prussia and Upper Silesia
Austria lost the regions of Bohemia and Moravia to which country after WWI?
Czechoslovakia
The Treaty of St Germain gave the regions of Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina to which country?
Yugoslavia
The Treaty of St Germain gave the regions of South Tyrol, Trentino and Istria to which country?
Italy
What limit was placed on Austria’s armed forces after WWI?
30,000 soldiers
The Treaty of Trianon gave the regions of Slovakia, Ruthenia and Bratislava to which country?
Czechoslovakia
The Treaty of Trianon gave the regions of Croatia and Slovenia to which country?
Yugoslavia
What limit was placed on Hungary’s armed forces after WWI?
35,000 soldiers
