The Establishment Of The Weimar Republic, 1918-24 - Impact Of The Versailles Settlement

Question 1

When was the armistice called that ended the war?

Answer 1

11th November 1918

Question 2

What was the Peace settlement of Versailles, 1919 and how was it carried out?

Answer 2

An armistice was made as an agreement to stop fighting and remove all German troops from occupied territory. A conference to settle peace terms was held between allied powers & Germany on Jan 1919, however the Germans weren’t invited or allowed to see the terms until 7th May. When they did see it, Germany asked for changes however the allies didn’t agree to many. Germany were given 7 days to sign it

Question 3

What did the treaty being forced upon Germany provoked?

Answer 3

A political crisis in Berlin which led to the formation of a coalition government

Question 4

How many leaders from around the world attended the treaty

Answer 4

Leaders representing 75% of the world’s population attended

Question 5

What were the terms of the treaty?

Answer 5

Territorial losses, disarmament of Germany, war guilt, the Rhineland, the Saarland

Question 6

What territorial losses did Germany face?

Answer 6

• The treaty removed 70000 of Germany territory & all overseas colonies they had e.g. West Prussia & a part of Pomerania were given to Poland, Alsace Lorraine was given to France, Danzig (a city with a majority of German population) became a free state under the League of Nations protection.
• Germany lost 75% of its iron ore, 68% of its zinc ore, 26% of coal
• overseas colonies in Africa were placed under LON control

Question 7

What was the disarmament of Germany?

Answer 7

• It said that Germany had to surrender all heavy weapons, dismantle fortifications in the Rhineland
• conscription to German armed forces was forbidden, the German army was limited to 100,000 men, forbidden from using tanks or gas and having an air force
• the German navy was limited to 15000 men, 6 battleships, no submarines and few coastal defence vessels

Question 8

What was decided about the Rhineland?

Answer 8

The left bank of the Rhine and 50km of the right bank was permanently demilitarised and an allied army of occupation was put there to ensure that Germany followed the treaty obligations

Question 9

What was decided about War guilt?

Answer 9

Under article 231, Germany had to accept responsibility for starting the war. This intern made Germany liable to pay reparations to the allies (6.6m in 1921). They also had to hand over merchant shipping fleet, railway locomotives, patents and oversea investments to the allies

Question 10

What was decided about the Saarland?

Answer 10

This area contained rich reserves of coal and was separated from Germany and placed under LON control for 15 years - meaning Germany would supply free coal to the allies as part of their reparations

Question 11

What were the main reasons for resentment amongst Germans to the treaty?

Answer 11

• wilsons’ 14 points stressed the importance of ‘national self determination’ as a basis for peace but was denied from Germans
• millions of people who considered themselves German were now living in non German states
• the ‘war guilt clause’
• Reparations were a cause of anger as Germans felt the level was too high and would cripple their economy
• German nationalists were outraged by the outlawing of nationalist groups & the banning of German patriotic songs and festivals in areas under French control
• allied occupation of Saarland coal mines
• disarming of Germany and exclusion from LON

Question 12

What was the reaction of pro-republic can (left) parties like towards the treaty?

Answer 12

• The SDP thought that the most sensible course of action was to comply with the treaty whilst trying to negotiate to modify it - this was called the policy of fulfilment
• the treaty caused political demoralisation at the centre of the government associating the republic with weakness and failure
• people from moderate persuasions turned against the republic

Question 13

What were the reactions from the right like towards the treaty?

Answer 13

• German nationalists could not accept military defeat or a new republic
• many joined groups committed to overthrowing the republic
• extreme nationalists now questioned the legitimacy of the new elected leaders as they had betrayed the ‘fatherland’ previously, dethroned the kaiser, signed an armistice and accepted the treaty ‘November criminals’. Their actions were referred to as a ‘stab in the back’
• Ludendorff + hindenburg started the ‘stab in the back’ myth

Question 14

What was the ‘stab in the back’ myth justification for?

Answer 14

It was justification for continued nationalist attacks on the republic, its political supporters and the treaty

Question 15

What happened on June 28th after the political crisis in Berlin?

Answer 15

The Versailles treaty was signed by every power

Question 16

How did the Germans regard the treaty?

Answer 16

They regarded it as a Diktat or dictated peace and they had hatred for the treaty and to those who signed it

Question 17

What is a diktat?

Answer 17

An order or decree imposed by someone in power without popular consent

Question 18

Who was the ‘stab in the back’ myth appealing to?

Answer 18

It was appealing to ex soldiers who had suffered in fighting for what they regarded as a noble cause and had then experienced insults and humiliation when they returned to Germany

Question 19

What were the reactions to the treaty from Britain?

Answer 19

British public opinion were satisfied that Germany had lost its overseas Empire, its large fleet and would be unable to threaten European peace for a generation. The prime minister however, believed that Germany should not be so weak that it couldn’t resist the western expansion of the USSR - because he wanted Germany to become a strong trading partner. There was growing opinion that the Germans were treated unfairly

Question 20

What did the British economist John Maynard Keynes say about the treaty?

Answer 20

The level of reparations were too high and an act of ‘political unwisdom’

Question 21

How did the French react to the treaty?

Answer 21

They were determined to seek revenge as they felt they had suffered most at the hands of Germany. Reparations, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland were all French demands. However many said the treaty was too lenient and blamed the PM Clemenceau for making too many concessions

Question 22

How did the USA react to the treaty?

Answer 22

There was a widespread opinion that the treaty was unfair on Germany. The republicans opposed the treaty and Wilson failed to ratify the treaty, leaving the USA to make a separate peace with Germany in 1921. The USA refused to join the LON and in 1921 they retreated from involvement in European affairs