part one : peacemaking Flashcards
1
Q
what did the armistice mean?
A
- ceasefire that ended hostilities between the allies and germany. (11 nov 1918)
- did not stop the war completely, stopped the fighting on the western front.
2
Q
what were the aims of the peacemakers?
A
- leaders: woodrow wilson (USA), lloyd geroge (britain), george clemenceau (france). (arrived in paris jan 1919)
- aim: impose a treaty on germany
3
Q
what did woodrow wilson believe and what did he publish?
A
- believed that if germany was treated too harshly they would recover and seek revenge.
- believed nations should co-operate to achieve world peace.
- published his ‘fourteen points’ to achieve this. (jan 1918)
4
Q
what did woodrow wilson want from the treaty?
A
- punishment should be harsh but not too harsh.
- strengthen democracy in the defeated nation so that its people would not let its leaders cause another war.
5
Q
what did george clemenceau want from the treaty?
A
- saw germany as a threat to france; they had been invaded by germany twice in 1870 and 1914.
- to weaken germany as much as possible as oppose to the severe damage they had done to france; suffered the most.
6
Q
what did lloyd george want from the treaty?
A
- justly punished but not too harsh.
- wanted Germany to lose its navy and its colonies because Britain thought they threatened the British Empire. But he was pressured into making it a harsh treaty by his MPs and he made a statement claiming he would make Germany pay but now sees a down side to it. Wanted to start trade with Germany as British jobs depended on it.
7
Q
what year was the treaty of versailles signed?
A
- june 28 1919 at the palace of versailles outside paris.
8
Q
what were the territorial changes?
A
- due to the treaty, overseas german empires were taken away and they became mandates; which were taken over by the league of nations and given to one of its members to rule on behalf of them.
9
Q
what were the military restrictions?
A
- germany had to cut down military because they were too big and powerful.
- therefore army was limited to 100,000 men.
- aircrafts, submarines, armoured vehicles were forbidden.
- navy could only have 6 battleships.
- german troops weren’t allowed on the Rhineland as it was a demilitarised zone.
10
Q
what was the war gulit?
A
- this was seen by the germans as extremely harsh and germany had to take the blame for starting the war.
11
Q
what was the reparations?
A
- germany had to pay reparations to allies for the damage.
- exact figure was not confirmed till 1921, £6600 million.
- terms of the payment was later changed and lessened.
12
Q
when were the terms of the treaty announced?
A
- 7 may.
13
Q
what did germany have to lose due to the treaty?
A
- 10% of its land.
- all of its overseas colonies.
- 12.5% of its population.
- 16% of its coalfields.
- almost 50% of its iron and steel industry.
14
Q
how did the germans feel about this?
A
- germans were furious.
- in 1919 germans did not really understand how bad germanys military situation had been at the end of WWI.
- citizens believed german government had agreed to ceasefire, therefore germany should have been at the paris peace conference to negotiate peace.
- they were angry that the german government was not represented ta the talks and were being forced to accept the harsh treaty without choice.
15
Q
what did the government do about this?
A
- at first the government refused to sign; german navy sank its own ships in protest.
- the german leader ebert consulted the army commander hindenburg who said it was impossible to win and indicated that as a soldier he would rather die fighting.
