Impact of Versailles settlement Flashcards
What expectations did Germany have of the Peace Treaty?
They expected that they would be allowed to negotiate, and believed it would be based on Wilson’s 14 points
What percentage of land did Germany lose?
- 13% of its land
Name 3 military restrictions under the disarmament of Germany?
-German Army was limited to 100,000 men
-German Navy limited to 15,000 men
-Forbidden from having an air force
-Conscription banned
-Rhineland demilitarised
What article is the ‘war guilt clause’ under? What is the clause about?
Article 231 - Germany had to accept responsibility for starting the war and they were liable to pay reparations
What was final amount for reparations decided in 1921?
£6.6 billion
What did the German citizens find humiliating about the peace treaty?
-Exclusion from the League of Nations
-The ‘war guilt clause’ which justified reparations
-Being denied national self-determination
-The high amount of reparations
When were the terms of the ToV revealed to the German government?
May 1919
Which Chancellor’s government had to sign the treaty?
Chancellor Bauer as Chancellor Scheidemann resigned due to the treaty.
What reactions did the SPD have
towards the signing of the treaty?
-The SPD believed it was best to comply
-SPD had to ask their main opponents to state those
who signed the treaty were not unpatriotic
-Some former supporters of the Republic turned
against it due to the humiliation of the treaty
What did the Right wing name
those who signed the treaty?
They named the politicians that signed the treaty the
‘November Criminals’.
What myth did Ludendorff create?
He created the ‘stabbed in the back’ myth
Who were the Freikorps?
A group of violent soldiers cut from the army who couldn’t/unwilling to adjust to civilian life
How did Britain react to the Peace Treaty?
-British public opinion was satisfied that Germany
couldn’t disrupt Europe’s peace.
-Lloyd George believed that Germany shouldn’t be so
weak
How did France react to the Peace Treaty?
-The French people believed they suffered the most
and wanted revenge
-Many believed the treaty was too lenient!
How did the United States react to the Peace Treaty?
-Widespread opinion that the treaty was very unfair
-Believed Britain and France were trying to enrich
themselves
- Caused the USA to refuse to join the League of
Nations
