History- The Treaty of Versailles Flashcards
Some People said the Treaty was Fair
Some people thought the Treaty of Versailles was fair because the war caused so much debt and damage.
They thought Germany had to be made weaker so it couldn’t go to war again.
The people in France and Britain wanted revenge – politicians listened to them so that they could stay in power.
Some People said the Treaty was Too Harsh
The Germans were left weak and resentful – this could lead to anger and cause future trouble, like another war.
The Treaty wouldn’t help rebuild European trade and wealth – Germany couldn’t afford the reparations, and many of the new countries were poor.
The peacemakers faced problems and pressure from the people at home.
The Germans were very bitter about the treaty because they:
Couldn't afford reparations Lost industrial areas and could not rebuild Lost pride without armed forces Saw other countries weren't disarming Did not accept defeat Didn't accept guilt for starting the war Suffered an economic crisis Lost colonies Often now lived under foreign rule in new countries
Problems were building up for the future
Europe couldn’t recover properly while countries like Germany remained poor.
Self-determination would be difficult in new countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia where many people from different nationalities had been thrown together as an artificial country.
German anger would lead to trouble in the future. The Germans called the treaty a ‘diktat’ – they had no choice about accepting it.
