Lesson 3 - The Peace Treaties and the system of the Mandates Flashcards
When was the Paris Peace conference?
Jan 1919 to Jan 1920
Did the Paris Peace conference decide on what was going to be done in the Middle East with Ottoman Empire?
No
Which peace treaty started the negotiation on the Middle East?
The San Remo Conference in April 1920
What was the treaty from the San Remo conference?
The Treaty of Sveres
Were the Turkish happy with this treaty?
No
What Treaty was therefore decided on?
The treaty of Lausanne signed on 24
July 1923.
What were the main agreements made at the Lausanne Peace Treaty?
1) Recognition of Turkey’s Borders – Turkey’s modern borders were officially established, including control over Anatolia and Eastern Thrace. The treaty confirmed Turkish sovereignty over Istanbul and the Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles).
2) Territorial Adjustments – Turkey renounced claims to former Ottoman territories such as Syria, Iraq, and Palestine (which were placed under British and French mandates). It also gave up claims to Cyprus (to Britain), the Dodecanese Islands (to Italy), and Egypt/Sudan (to Britain).
3) Abolition of Capitulations – The treaty ended foreign privileges and extraterritorial rights in Turkey, allowing the country full sovereignty over its legal and economic affairs.
4) Minority Protections – Special provisions were made to protect non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and Muslims in Greece. However, a compulsory population exchange was agreed upon, leading to the forced relocation of 1.5 million Greeks from Turkey and 500,000 Turks from Greece.
5) Straits Regime – The Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles) were demilitarized and placed under international control, though Turkey retained sovereignty (this was later revised in the Montreux Convention of 1936).
6) War Reparations and Debts – Turkey was not required to pay war reparations, but it agreed to assume part of the Ottoman Empire’s debt.
7) The Treaty of Lausanne was crucial in shaping modern Turkey, securing its independence and sovereignty. It marked the end of the Ottoman Empire and established the Republic of Turkey (officially declared in 1923)
Why did the powers agree to modify what was agreed in the Treaty of Sveres?
1) Turkish Military Victory – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s nationalist forces defeated Greek, Armenian, and French forces, making the enforcement of the Treaty of Sèvres impossible.
2) Collapse of the Ottoman Government – The Ottoman Sultan, who had accepted Sèvres, lost power, and the new nationalist government rejected the treaty.
3) Allied Strategic Interests – Britain, France, and Italy wanted regional stability and were unwilling to fight another war to enforce the treaty.
4) Fear of Soviet Influence – The Allies worried that Turkey might align with the Soviet Union if treated too harshly.
5) Ethnic and Population Issues – The Treaty of Lausanne included a population exchange between Greece and Turkey to reduce ethnic tensions and future conflicts
What was the position of Britain and France immediately before the Paris Peace conference?
They both wanted to modify the Skyes -Picot agreement
What were the key points of the Anglo French agreement of 2018?
1) Promise of Independence – Britain and France declared that their goal was the “complete and final emancipation” of the Arab peoples and the establishment of national governments based on their own free choice.
2) Betrayal of Earlier Agreements – The declaration appeared to support Arab self-rule but was inconsistent with the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916), in which Britain and France had secretly planned to divide Ottoman territories among themselves.
3) Strategic Intent – The statement was largely a tactical move to gain Arab support against the Ottomans, as many Arab leaders were already skeptical of Allied intentions.
4) Contradiction with the Balfour Declaration (1917) – The promise of Arab self-determination conflicted with Britain’s earlier commitment to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine
What did the Arabs think about the Anglo French agreement?
Many Arabs saw the declaration as empty rhetoric, especially after Britain and France took control of Arab lands through the League of Nations mandates.
The failure to grant full independence fueled Arab nationalism and resentment toward Western powers in the following decades.
The Anglo-French Declaration is often viewed as an example of Allied diplomacy that made conflicting promises to different groups, leading to long-term tensions in the Middle East.
Who did the treaty seek to appease
Faisal and Woodrow Wilson
What was the The 1918 Clemenceau-Lloyd George Agreement?
verbal agreement over Arab territories which modified Sykes-Picot agreement in two substantial ways. Indeed,
Clemenceau agreed to let Britain have:
o Mosul;
o Palestine.
What did the French get out of it?
French PM made such important concessions because he was led to believe he would get something in return:
1) Support of Britain regarding Paris’s demands over coast of Lebanon and interior of Syria, even if those were opposed by US;
2) share of oil discovered in Mosul;
3) Support of Britain regarding Paris’s security demands in Europe, especially regarding future of Rhineland (German lands on western bank of Rhine).
What was one of the major problems with this agreement
It was informal and no minutes were taken
Which part of the treaty did Britain not fulfil ?
The third one regarding the future of the rhineland
Why was the task of the Paris Peace Treaty huge?
Never before had so many people gathered in one place to
discuss such wide range of issues, including war reparations, redrawing map of Europe and Middle East and laying foundations of post-war order.
Why did so many people come to Paris?
Countless petitioners also came to Paris, hoping to be heard and to advance their cause.
What was the main priority?
What to do with Germany
What was one very interesting factor about the negotiations?
How Lloyd George and British delegation managed
to exclude territories claimed by Britain from discussions:
1) As it had been agreed before between Clemenceau and Lloyd George that London should get Palestine, issue was left out in Paris (apart from Zionists claims)
2) question of Mesopotamia was barely touched upon, even though US insisted on self determination;
◦3) growing control of Britain over Persian Gulf was also ignored:
What was the British outcome in regards to Persia?
1) London had turned sheiks of Gulf as well as Hussein in Hejaz and Ibn Saud in Nadj (central part of present-day Saudi Arabia) into her protégés;
2) In Aug. 1919, after negotiations, Persia became virtual British protectorate through convention signed between London and Tehran Agreement gave Britain access to all Iranian oil.
What did Persia get in return?
fields. In return, Britain agreed to
* supply munitions and equipment for British-trained army;
* provide £2 m loan for “necessary reforms”;
* revise customs tariff;
* survey and build railroads.
What did the Italians want from the Paris Peace Process?
The Italians demanded their share agreed under 1917 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Agreement;
What was the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Agreement?
1) Italy was promised control over southwestern Anatolia, including Izmir, to compensate for its role in WWI.
2) Britain and France approved the deal, as Italy was concerned about being excluded from the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
3) Russia was not consulted, and after the Bolshevik Revolution (1917), its approval was never obtained.
4) Greece later occupied Izmir (1919) with British support, overriding Italy’s claims.
5) The agreement was never fully implemented, and Italy later abandoned its Anatolian ambitions after Turkey’s War of Independence
