History: 1.12.22 Flashcards
Treaty of Versailles and League of Nations
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
1919: A treaty formed after WWI ended to decide Germany’s consequences for starting the war
Who were the ‘Big Three’?
-George Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France)
-David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Britain)
-Woodrow Wilson (President of the USA)
What were George Clemenceau’s aims?
-Ensure Germany was too weak to attack
-Return Alsace-Lorraine region to France
-Huge reparations
-An independent Rhineland which would weaken Germany
What were David Lloyd George’s aims?
-To mantain Britain and Germany’s trading system
-To protect the Royal Navy
-Thought that there would be a new war in 25 years
What were Woodrow Wilson’s aims?
-Don’t be too harsh on Germany
-International cooperation
-Strengthen democracy in defeated countries
-‘Wilson’s 14 points’ which weren’t all considered-> hated the treaty
What were the terms of the TofV?
-Land-> lost 13% of land their land, rhineland demilitarised
-Army->lost 10,000 soldier, 6 battleships, no airforce
-Money-> $6.6 billion in reparations
-Blame-> germany took full blame for the war
What was the Treaty Of Neuilly?
1919: Bulgaria
Land-> forced to cede occupied eastern Serbian land of Yugoslavia
Army-> reduced to 20,000 men
Money-> $100 million for reparations (didn’t pay all)
Blame-> took almost none of the blame
What was the Treaty of St Germain?
September 1919: Austria (helped ending the war)
Land-> lost 2/3 of land
Army-> restricted 30,000 men, forbidden to ever reunite with germany
Money-> obligated to pay for all reparations of war damage
What was the Treaty of Trianon?
1920: Hungary
Land-> lost 2/3 of their land
Army-> restricted to 35,000 men
Money-> pay few reparations
Blame-> didn’t take any of the blame
What was the Treaty of Sevres?
August 1920: Ottoman Empire/Turkey
Land-> lost 83% of land 70% of population
Army-> limited to 50,000 troops, navy strictly limited, no air force
Money-> reparations were never set because of an unstable empire, economy controlled by the allies
Blame-> didn’t take any of the blame
What Political Impact did TofV have on Germany?
-Pressure on government, were seen as unstrustworthy
-Riots of political assassinations began
What Social Impact did TofV have on Germany?
-Germany belived that the treaty was unfair
-German people called it a ‘diktat’-> received harsh punishments without consultation
What Econmic Impact did TofV have on Germany?
-Hyperinflation/Economic collapse (Confict in the Ruhr)-> the government started printing extra money causing hyperinflation
-People lost their jobs, and rights
What is Militarism?
Building up an army
What is Alliance?
a peace agreement of protection
What is Imperialism?
Expanding your empire to gain control of other lands
What is Nationalism?
Having a strong pride for your country
What is a Diktat?
When a country is forced to be in peace
What are Reparation?
Paying to make amends
What is War Guilt?
Accepting blame for the war. Article 231
What was the League of Nations?
an organisation whose principal mission was to mantain world peace
-W.W-> wanted a world parliament (representativies would meet up regurlarly) :)
-L.G-> wanted a simple organisation (would get together only on emergencies)
-G.C-> wanted a strong league with its own army
What was the structure of the LofN?
The Council, The Assembly, Secretariat (The Permament Court of Justice and The International Labour Org (ILO)), Comissions (Refugees, Slavery, Health)
What was The Council?
-4 permament leaders; Britain, Japan, Italy, France + veto
-meets up to 5 time a year to discuss major issues
-major decisions must be made unanimous
What was The Assembly?
-42 member nations in 1919
-every member nation has one vote
-major decisions must be unanimous
What was The International Labour Org. (ILO)?
It reflected the international peace could be accomplished only if it was based in social justice
What was The Permament Court of Justice?
-Delt with international disputes between member nations
-had no means of enforcing its decisions
-15 judges elected by council + assembly
What was the Refugee Comission?
Worked to get people whohad been homeless after WW1, back home
What was the Slavery Comission?
Wanted to abolish slavery across the entire globe
What was the Health Comission?
Sought to improve access to healthcare around the world
What were the aims of the LofN?
To ensure security and international cooperation of all the countries
What were some strengths of the LofN?
-Settling matters in a peaceful way
-Council overthrow- intention of not using weapons
-Commitment to better trading and financial dealings
What were some weaknesses of the LofN?
-League couldn’t force anyone to do anything- “discourage”
-Contradictions; defense without army
-Unanimous voting for decisions
-Sanctions= stopping trading, USA only power that can enforce this
What did the LofN do to achieve their aims?
-1925: they prevented a war between Greece and Bulgaria-> acted quickly and decisively calling a meeting of the league in Paris
-Institutes developed vaccines and medicines to fight deadly diseases such as Leprosy and Malaria
-Returned 400,000 aprox. soldiers to their homes (links to health comission)
-1921: Aaland Island disputes between Finland and Sweeden
What happened with the Aaland Disputes in 1921?
Finland and Sweeden threatened war over Aaland Islands but Sweeden accepted the League’s ruling that the island should belong to Finland
What did the LofN fail at with their aims?
-The Geneva Protocol
-Countries were foced to disarm, Germany as an eg, which may have led them to cause the next world war, LofN didn’t fully achieve their aims
What was the Geneva Protocol?
1924: it was said that if there was a dispute between 2 members, the council woold decide on the outcomes
-britain didn’t sign the election which caused a separation in the league
-the protocol failed since Britain didn’t want to sign it
What was Corfu?
1923: The league failed to stop Italy from invading Greek Island of Corfu even though Greece asked for help
-it showed that powerful nations could still bully a less powerful neighbour (Greece was small, weak country with no powerful friends on the league)
What was the Manchurian Crisis?
1931-33
Problem- Japan invaded Manchuria
Response- after a long delay, no action was taken
Effect- made the league seem weak and ineffective
What was the disarmament conference?
1932-34
Problem- germany complained that only it had been disarmed
Response- league could not get other members to disarm
Effect- germany left the league and started to rearm themselves
What was the Abassinian Crisis?
1935-36
Problem- italy invaded abyssinia
Response- league could not agree to effective sanctions against Italy
Effect- made the league seem powerless and irrelevant
What was the Economic Depression?
The Wall Street Crash: caused an economic collapse
-the battle with the economic problems caused many problems for the league
