Part 1 : Peacemaking Flashcards
when was the first world war fought?
from 1914 to 1918
what happened at the end of the war?
the germans surrendered and signed an armistice
what did the germans state they’d do in their armistice?
- pay reparations
- give alsace-lorraine back to france
- move the german army out of the rhineland
when was the paris peace conference?
january 1919
what were the aims of the paris peace conference?
to decide the terms of the final peace treaties
how many countries met in the paris peace conference and where?
32 countries met in the palace of versailles
who where the paris peace conference discussions led by?
- the big three
- david lloyd george
- georges clemenceau
- woodrow wilson
david lloyd george
PM of britain
georges clemenceau
PM of france
woodrow wilson
president of the USA
pressure on the big three
- a lot
- had to make a peace that would keep everyone happy but europe was falling apart so they needed to act quickly
aims of georges clemenceau
- wanted germany to pay for reparations to rebuild area of france badly impacted by war
- wanted revenge for all lives lost
- aimed to weaken germany so it could never attack again
- wanted to push back the german border back to the Rhine so that the french people would feel safer
aims of david lloyd george
- wanted a cautious approach : the british public wanted germany to be punished, but lloyd george feared this would lead to Germany wanting revenge
- wanted to keep Germany strong so that it could trade with Britain and act as a buffer to Communism
- aimed to gain German colonies to add to the British empire
- wanted naval supremacy by reducing Germany’s navy
aims of woodrow wilson
- wanted a fair peace so that Germany would not seek revenge
- proposed the 14 points, including the formation of the League of Nation, self-determination and freedom of the seas
- but american public didn’t want USA to get involved in european affairs again
some of woodrow wilson’s 14 points
- no secret treaties
- ships of all nations have the right to sail the seas without interference
- disarmament
- alsace-lorraine returned to france
- self-determination in the austrio-hungarian and ottoman empires
- independence to be given to romania, serbia and montenegro
- an independent polish state to be created with access to the sea
- the league of nations to be formed - a group of countries who would work together to encourage trade and peace
how did world war one affect france?
- much of the fighting that took place during the war was in france, particularly in the north-east
- the germans destroyed many mines, railways, factories, bridges and farmland
- the french also suffered the most deaths
- many french people wanted revenge and put clemenceau under a lot of pressure to make it happen
how did world war one affect britain?
- many young british men died in the trenches and many people of britain wanted revenge
when was the treaty of versailles signed?
28th June 1919
what was the nickname given to the final treaty?
- a Diktat
- germany wasn’t allowed to negotiate the terms
the terms germany had to agree to which damaged their pride
- Article 231 - war guilt clause
- league of nations formed, but germany not allowed to join
the terms which germany had to agree to which economically damaged them
- Article 232 - reparations - amount set at £6.6 billion in 1921
- the Saar given to the league of nations to control for 15 years (industrial place)
the terms which germany had to agree to which represent millitary loss
- german navy restricted to 15000 men with only 1500 officers
- german navy only allowed 6 battleships
- germany not allowed tanks, submarine or an air force
- german army limited to 100,000 men
- conscription not allowed
the terms which germany had to agree to which represent territorial loss
- forbidden anschluss
- danzig taken from germany
- germany split in two by the polish corridor
- saar given to the league of nations to control for 15 years
- demilitarisation of the rhineland
- germany’s colonies given to the league as mandates
what was clemenceau pleased about?
- france gaining alsace-lorraine
- germany having no army in the rhineland
what was clemenceau unhappy about?
- reparations : french thought that germany should pay more
- germany being allowed to have an army, even a small one
- the rhineland not being completely taken away from germany
what was lloyd george pleased about?
- britain having naval supremacy over germany
- the british empire gaining more colonies
what was lloyd george unhappy about?
- the harsh reparations meaning britain would lose trade with germany
- the threat of a possible future war as the germans were so unhappy
what was woodrow wilson pleased about?
- the creation of the league of nations
explain why the big three couldn’t get everything they wanted due to pressure
- europe crumbling after the war so the Big Three were under pressure to reach an agreement quickly
- austro-hungarian and ottoman empires collapsed -> left countries without stable governments
- each politician had to do what the people of their country wanted to get re-elected
- ordinary citizens fed ANTI-GERMAN PROPAGANDA during the war and felt little mercy towards the losers
why couldn’t woodrow wilson get what he wanted?
- he wanted the USA to join the league
- US senate followed a policy of isolationism and refused this
- wilson and lloyd george disagreed over the original terms of the armistice that germany had signed in november 1918
explain why the big three couldn’t get what they wanted due to promises kept
- countries had been promised rewards for joining on the side of the allies
- e.g. italy promised land from the austro-hungarian empire
- big three had to keep these promises even if not in everyone’s best interests
explain why the big three couldn’t get what they wanted due to contrasting aims
- big three had different and often contrasting aims so they had to compromise
what was the german navy limited to?
- 15,000 men
- 1500 officers
- 6 battleships
article 231
- war guilt clause
- germany and their allies had to take full responsibility for starting the war
- germans hated this term the most
what was demilitarised as a result of the treaty of versailles?
the rhineland, a strip of land on the border between germany and france which meant that germany could not put an army or defences in this area
article 232
- germany blamed for the war and had to pay reparations to the winners
- 1921 amount decided was £6.6 billion
- estimated to take until 1988 to pay back
where were germany’s colonies in africa given?
- given as mandates to the league of nations
- meant that they were controlled by britain and france
examples of german land lost
- alsace lorraine returned to france
- eupen and malmedy given to belgium
- north schleswig given to denmark
what happened to danzig?
- taken from germany
- made a free city under league of nations control
what happened to germany?
- split in two by the polish corridor
- strip of land given to poland to allow them access to the seas
how much was the german army restricted to?
- 100,000
- conscription not allowed
what was formed as part of wilson’s 14 points?
the league of nations, but germany was not allowed to join
what was forbidden between germany and austria?
anschluss
what was germany not allowed militarily?
- tanks
- submarines
- air force
what was britain’s reaction to the treaty and why?
- propaganda during the war taught the brits to despise the germans and lots of british soldiers had been killed in the war
- british people generally thought that the treaty was fair and could even have been harsher
- lloyd george was hailed as a hero and newspapers said britain would never be threatened by germany again
during the british election of 1918 what did an MP say?
- MP eric campbell geddes had promised “we shall squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak”
what was the french reaction to the treaty and why?
- many people in france were furious as they believed that the treaty was nowhere near harsh enough and that germany should suffer as much as france had during the war
- people felt clemenceau had not done enough to get revenge for france and he was voted out in the next election
- there were a few terms that the people of france liked, such as gaining control of the Saar and its coalfields for 15 years
what was the US reaction to the treaty and why?
- the US had only joined the war in 1917 and no fighting took place on US soil, so the americans didn’t want revenge or compensation in the same way that the British and French did
- many people felt the treaty was too harsh, including wilson
- US wanted to follow policy of isolationism
- US senate refused to approve the treaty or to allow the USA to join the league
how did the war guilt clause mean that the german people hated the treaty?
- germany accepted responsibility for tarting the war
diktat
- german people felt the treaty was forced on them and they weren’t allowed to negotiate the terms
- diktat - dictated peace
land lost
- 13% of land lost to other countries
- 6 million germans found they were no longer living in germany (displaced)
vulnerability for the germans
- german people felt the treaty left them vulnerable - they were hated by their old enemies and without a large army to defend them they could be attacked easily
the kaiser
- forced to abdicate before the signing of the treaty
- uncertainty on how the country would be run
- people felt that the kaiser was responsible for the war and he had been punished so there was no need for further punishment
november criminals
- they had been told they were winning the war
- felt they had been stabbed in the back and betrayed by the government
- people called those who signed the armistice the november criminals
blockade of the german ports during WW1
- people were starving because britain had blockaded the german ports during the war so little food had been imported into germany
- they were desperate and needed help ; they did not see how they could cope with the punishment they were facing
impacts of the treaty of versailles in 1918
- oct - revolts in germany ; people protest about the war and food shortages
- 1th nov - the armistice is signed and kaiser wilhelm II abdicates
impacts of the treaty of versailles in 1919
- 4-15 january - communists attempt but fail to overthrow the german government
- 28 june - the treaty of versailles signed
- 11 august - the german revolution ends and the weimar constitution, a list of rules that the new democratic must follow, is accepted
impacts of treaty of versailles in 1920
- march - the kapp putsch (revolt) against the german government is only narrowly defeated
impacts of the treaty of versailles in 1921
- april - the league agrees that germany should pay £6.6 billion in reparations
impacts of the treaty of versailles in 1923
invasion of the ruhr and hyperinflation crisis
the hyperinflation crisis
- january - germany misses a reparations payment and the french invade the ruhr
- they plan to seize german goods instead of the money they owed and the german government pays workers to strike so that there are no goods for the french to take and print more bank notes to pay the strikers
- the german economy crumbles
what was the ruhr?
- a german industrial area
how much did a loaf of bread cost during the hyperinflation crisis?
200,000 million marks
due to the hyperinflation crisis, what did the nazi party try to do in nov?
- munich putsch
- tries but fails to overthrow the government in the munich putsch
what happened in 1924 to help germany economically recover from the hyperinflation crisis?
- USA lends germany 800 million gold marks in the dawes plan
which of germany’s allies were punished with treaties at the end of world war one?
- austria
- bulgaria
- hungary
- turkey
which country was the treaty of st germain given to?
- austria
what land was taken from austria in the treaty of st germain?
- land taken to create new countries czechoslovakia and yugoslavia
date of treaty of st germain
10th september 1919
reparations in the treaty of st germain
agreed in principal but amount never fixed
military restrictions in the treaty of st germain
- 30,000 in army
- no conscriptions
- no navy
other terms of the treaty of st germain
- forbidden to unite with germany
which country was the treaty of neuilly given to?
bulgaria
date of the treaty of neuilly
27th november 1919
which country was the land lost given to in the treaty of neuilly?
to yugoslavia and greece
reparations in the treaty of neuilly
£100 million
military restrictions in the treaty of neuilly
- 20,000 in army
- no conscriptions
- no air force
- only four battleships
which country was the treaty of trianon given to?
hungary
date of the treaty of trianon
4th june 1920
which country was the land lost given to in the treaty of trianon?
- lost land to romania, czechoslovakia, yugoslavia and austria
reparations in the treaty of trianon
agreed in principal but the amount was never fixed
military restrictions in the treaty of trianon
- 30,000 in army
- no conscription
- only three patrol boats
which country was the treaty of sevres given to?
turkey
date of the treaty of sevres
10th august 1920
land lost in the treaty of sevres
split up the turkish empire so turkey lost nearly all its land in europe
were there any reparations in the treaty of sevres?
no
military restrictions in the treaty of sevres
- 50,000 in army
- seven sailboats
- six torpedo boats
other terms in the treaty of sevres
- dardanelles and bosphorous straits were opened to other countries
what did the loss of land of germany’s allies mean?
that the austrian and hungarian economies collapsed in 1921
revolt in turkey after the treaty of sevres
- meant that the british replaced it with the treaty of lausanne in july 1923
- hugely symbolic as it proved that the treaties could not be enforced and showed that britain was willing to undermine the treaties
with the creation of new states, how is the austro-hungarian empires controlled?
east europe was now divided into lots of small countries
problems with the creation of poland
- given land previously owned by germany but this also caused problems
- germans living in the new country were unhappy and russia argued about poland’s eastern borders
- poland had no natural borders, such as mountains or rivers, so it could not be defended easily
problems with germany being split by the polish corridor
- a strip of land that gave poland access to the sea
- this meant that poland now owned land where german people lived who weren’t too happy to find out they now had a new nationality
- germany was also split in two which weakened it and caused much resentment towards poland
strengths of the treaty of versailles
- the war had caused huge amounts of damage, especially in france, so the reparations were needed to rebuild
- france regained alsace-lorraine
- many areas had not wanted to be part of the austro-hungarian empire
- places like czechoslovakia and poland were now given independence
why were the new states created as a result of the treaty of versailles a weakness?
- poland was weakened because it wa surrounded by enemies with borders that were difficult to defend
how was austria and hungary’s loss of land a weakness of the treaties?
their economies crashed in 1921
what did lloyd george and wilson fear?
- the treates would lead to another war in the future
what did the treaty of lausanne prove?
the treaties could not be enforced and showed people like hitler and mussolini that britain was willing to undermine them
were any of the big three satisfied with the treaty?
- neither clemenceau, lloyd george nor wilson were satisfied with the outcome of the treaties, people in britain and france felt that the treaties should have been harsher while the people of the USA felt they were too harsh
how did people in the defeated countries feel about the treaties?
- they hated and felt humiliated by the treaties
- there were revolts in germany and turkey
what happened to the saar as a result of the treaty of versailles?
- was an industrial important part of germany
- were many coal mines in this area
- put under the control of the league for 15 years
how was britain’s view of germany influenced?
by propaganda
common headlines in britain in 1918
- “hang the kaiser”
what policy did the USA favour?
isolationism
what was the result of article 231 on germany?
- german economy in ruins
- govn claimed that 763,000 civilians died of starvation
how many civilians did the government claim died of starvation?
763,000
why did some think the treaty was fair?
- devastating war so only right that the losing countries should pay hefty damage
- normal for losers of a war to agree to harsh terms such as the treaty of brest litovsk which germany had made them sign
- peacemakers had to act quickly with the instability of empires such as the ottoman so they were under pressure
how much did the treaty of brest litovsk take from russia
more than a quarter of their farmland and population
what did a british economist say about the treaty of versailles?
- john maynard keynes
- stated that the reparations would destroy the economies of europe
