Impacts and Reactions of the Treaty of Versailles Flashcards

1
Q

What do many historians believe the Treaty of Versailles gave Hitler an excuse to do?

A

Invade other countries to reclaim what had been unfairly taken from Germany.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What was Britain’s overall attitude towards Germany about the Treaty of Versailles?

A

-There was little sympathy towards Germany
-Politicians campaigned on their promises to be harsh on Germany
-There was a general feeling it was fair

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How had people in Britains been convinced to think badly of the Germans?

A

Propaganda made out the Germans to be barbarians.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Give 2 reasons why British people were unsympathetic towards the Germans:

A

-There was barely a single family in Britain who had not lost a son, brother or husband to the war
-Civilians had suffered food shortages too

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What was a common headline used about Germany in Britain?

A

‘Hang the Kaiser’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What was Lloyd George considered as after the war?

A

A hero.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What were 2 things Lloyd George was pleased with about the treaty?

A

-The British Empire gained extra colonies and now covered a third of the globe
-The German navy was restricted so that Britain could ‘rule the waves’ without competition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What were 4 things Lloyd George was concerned with about the treaty?

A

-The loss of German land and people to Poland would cause huge problems in the future
-He felt the reparations were too harsh
-Britain would lost an important trade partner
-People of Germany would resent the treaty so much it could lead to more war

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Why were the French people so determined for Germany to be severely punished?

A

Most of the fighting took place in France and the country was very badly affected by the war.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Give 2 reasons why France was pleased with the Treaty of Versailles:

A

-They were no longer threatened by the German army in the Rhineland
-Germany were receiving reparations
-France was given control of the Saar for 15 years, which would help them financially

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Why were many French people furious with the treaty?

A

They felt their suffering during the war had been much greater than Germany’s, so the treaty should be much tougher.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are 4 reasons why Clemenceau was unhappy and angry with the agreements in the Treaty of Versailles?

A

-He was angry Germany were allowed to retain an army, even a small one
-He felt the Rhineland should’ve been taken away permanently and made into a small, powerless and independent state
-He felt that France should’ve been given the Saar permanently
-He felt the sum of reparations were too small, as he wanted to see Germany financially crippled

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Why did many people in America feel the treaty was unfair on Germany?

A

America had only joined the war in 1917 and were not near any battle sites.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

People in America favoured isolationism. What does this mean?

A

They felt the US should not get involved in affairs in Europe as it did more harm than good.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why could Wilson and America not join his beloved League of Nations?

A

The Republicans (Wilson’s rival party) argued that since the Treaty had not been based on the Fourteen Points, it was not in America’s best interests and they refused to ratify (agree) it. This also meant that Wilson and America could not join his beloved League of Nations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What problem did America face after the Treaty of Versailles?

A

Wilson was devastated that he couldn’t join the League of Nations and the rest of his Fourteen Points had been ignored. He desperately toured America, campaigning for America to join the League of Nations. His efforts tired him and he died of a stroke in 1924, leaving the Republicans to dominate American politics for the next decade, based on policies of isolationism. This separated the US from the rest of the world.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What part of the treaty did many Germans hate the most?

A

Article 231 - the war guilt clause.

18
Q

How many civilians did the German government claim die of starvation?

A

763,000.

19
Q

What percentage of coal did Germany lose after the treaty?

A

16%

20
Q

What percentage of steel did Germany lose after the treaty?

A

48%

21
Q

How many German nationals found them themselves living in different countries?

A

Nearly 6 million

22
Q

How many men was the German army limited to after the Treaty?

A

100,000

23
Q

How did Germany feel after the loss of their army?

A

Humiliated - it was a huge source of national pride before the war.
Vulnerable and alone in a ring of hostility.

24
Q

Give 5 negative consequences of the Treaty of Versailles:

A

-Around 6 million Germans found themselves living in other countries, fearing persecution especially since Germany was forced to accept the war guilt clause
-Germany lost 13% of land. German families were forced off land they had owned for generations
-Many said it was too harsh and would lead to another war
-Germans felt vulnerable
-The treaty was a diktat, and Germany was not allowed to send representatives to the conference and had to accept the terms

25
Q

Give 3 reasons defending the peacemakers:

A

-It was only right the losing country had to pay for the most damaging war the world has ever seen
-Many say that if Germany had won would’ve treated the allies even more strictly. Germany made Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, taking away more than a quarter of their farmland and population
-Europe was falling apart; the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires made Europe unstable and the peacemakers had to act quickly.

26
Q

Name 5 other treaties that dealt with Germany’s allies:

A

-The Treaty of St Germain
-The Treaty of Neuilly
-The Treaty of Trianon
-The Treaty of Sevres
-The Treaty of Lausanne

27
Q

Who was most affected by the Treaty of St Germain and what was it?

A

-Austria was most affected
-Austria lost land to Italy and Romania
-Poland was given land
-Land was taken to create the new states of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia
-The amount was never fixed, but Austria was told to pay reparations
-Military was restricted to 30,000 men
-No conscription
-No navy
-Anshluss was forbidden

28
Q

What was the impact of the Treaty of St Germain?

A

-The Italians did not feel they were given enough land as they were promised it after supporting the allies
-Most of Austria’s industry was in land given to Czechoslovakia so Austria lost a huge source of income. Their economy collapsed in 1921
-The new states formed were a mix of nationalities which often clashed
-Eastern Europe now consisted of lots of new, small states instead of one powerful empire.

29
Q

Who was most affected by the Treaty of Neuilly and what was it?

A

-Bulgaria was most affected
-Bulgaria lost land to Yugoslavia, Greece and Romania, however Bulgaria did gain some land from Turkey
-Bulgaria had to pay £100 million reparations
-Bulgaria army limited to 20,000
-No conscriptions
-No airforce
-Only allowed 4 battleships

30
Q

Who was most affected by the Treaty of Trianon and what was it?

A

-Hungary was most affected
-Hungarian land was lost to Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslovia and Austria
-It was agreed that reparations should be set but the amount was not fixed. The Hungarian economy collapsed so nothing was ever paid
-30,000 men in the Hungarian army
-No conscriptions
-Only allowed 3 patrol boats

31
Q

Who was most affected by the Treaty of Sevres and what was it?

A

-Turky was most affected
-Turkey lost land to Greece
-In Europe, Turkey lost all its land except a small area around the capital Constantinople
-The Ottoman Empire was split up
-Turkish Army restricted to 50,000 men
-Navy was restricted to 7 sail boats and 6 torpedo boats
-Turkey must open the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits (important waterways connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean) to other countries
-Allies were allowed to keep troops in Turkey

32
Q

What was the impact of the Treaty of Sevres?

A

-The people of Turkey were so furious about the treaty that they revolted and overthrew the government
-The new president threatened to fight the allies over the treaty. The British were not prepared to fight so agreed to overwrite the treaty with the Treaty of Lausanne.

33
Q

What was the Treaty of Lausanne?

A

A substitute for the Treaty of Sevres to stop Turkey opposing it so harshly.
Turkey regained
-Some of the land Greece had taken
-Control of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits
-The right to decide how big their armed forces were
-Reparations also cancelled and Allied troops were withdrawn

34
Q

What was the significance of the Treaty of Sevres?

A

-It proved that the other treaties were unenforceable. People were too afraid of returning to war, so they were reluctant to use force to deal with broken treaties
-When the British agreed to make a new, fairer treaty it looked as if they were accepting that the original one was unfair
-Mussolini and Hitler realised that they could also get away with breaking international law as no one would stop them.

35
Q

Give an example of how some of the new states created after the war worked well:

A

Czechslovakia, which was rich in natural resources and home to a well-established industry, was a rich country. As a result it was politically stable and well respected in European politics.

36
Q

Give an example of how some of the new states created after the war had problems:

A

The allies wanted to create a strong buffer zone between Germany and the USSR so created a new country in between the 2, Poland. However, Poland had no natural barriers like rivers or mountains so was hard to defend. Poland had been given a strip of German land named the Polish Corridor which meant lots of Germans lived in Poland, which they hated. The USSR also argued about Poland’s easter borders. Poland was surrounded by enemies who wanted to reclaim its territory.

37
Q

Why did Clemenceau not feel that the reparations were high enough?

A

It’s estimated that the war cost France 200 billion Francs which is way more than the reparations number.

38
Q

Which country lost the most soldiers in the war so felt Germany wasn’t punished enough?

A

France.

39
Q

What is evidence that Wilson’s aim of self-determination had been achieved?

What is some evidence that it was also not achieved?

A

Many small nations that had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were given independence.

However parts of the German Empire were given to the League of Nations as mandates, but in reality Britain and France ran them.

40
Q
A