The Impact of the Versailles Settlement on Germany

Question 1

When did the Allies meet to discuss the terms of peace with Germany? Was Germany present at this meeting?

Answer 1

18 January 1919
- Germnay was not present at this meeting

Question 2

Who attended the Paris Peace Conference of 1919? (Give either the countries or the names of the leaders of those countries)

Answer 2

US President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Prime Minister and conference chairman Georges Clemenceau and Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando

Question 3

When was Germany actually shown the first draft of the treaty?

Answer 3

7 May 1919

Question 4

After seeing the first draft of the treaty in May, the German government suggested some changes. Is it true that the Allies complies with all of these suggestions?

Answer 4

No - The Allies agreed to every few changes

Question 5

16 June 1919

Answer 5

Germans given 7 days to sign the treaty

Question 6

20 June 1919

Answer 6

Coalition cabinet collapsed because of divisions over singing treaty

Question 7

28 June 1919

Answer 7

Treaty of Versailles signed by German delegates

Question 8

Why was the treaty considered a diktat by the majority of the German people?

Answer 8

It imposed much harsher conditions on Germany than most Germans expected or were prepared to accept. They also felt disillusioned to the whole treaty as Germany was not allowed to participate in the conference or negotiate in the terms.

Question 9

Diktat

Answer 9

Dictated peace

Question 10

Outline the territorial losses term of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 10

• The Treaty removed over 13% of German territory and all German overseas colonies
• e.g. Alsance-Loraine was returned to France… etc.
• This all meant that Germany lost 75% of its iron ore, 26% of its coal, 15% of its arable land and more.
• All of Germany’s overseas colonies in Africa and the Far East were placed under the League of Nations control

Question 11

Outline the disarmament term in the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 11

• Germany had to surrender all heavy weapons and dismantle fortifications in the Rhineland and other places.
• The German army was limited to a maximum of 100,000 men and the army was also forbidden to use tanks or gas
• The German navy was limited to 15,000 men and were allowed a max of 6 battleships but no submarines and a small number of coastal defence vessels
• Germany was forbidden from having an airforce

Question 12

What happened to the Rhineland under the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 12

• The left bank of the Rhine and a 50km strip on the right bank was permanently demilitarised
• an Allied army of occupation was based in the Rhineland to ensure Germany fulfilled its treaty obligations

Question 13

What happened to the Saarland as part of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 13

• the Saarland, which contained rich reserves of coal, was separated from Germany and placed under the League of Nations’ control for 15 years
• so, Germany would supply France, Belgium and Italy with free coal as part of the reparations agreement
• France was allowed to exploit coal mines in the area

Question 14

Explain the war-guilt clause in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 14

• Under Article 231 of the treaty, Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting the war
• This made Germany liable to pay reparations to the Allies to cover the costs of damage suffered in the war

Question 15

What did the other terms in the Treaty of Versailles include?

Answer 15

• Austria was forbidden from uniting with Germany
• Germany was not allowed to join the new League of Nations
• the Kaiser and other Germans were to be put on trial for war crimes

Question 16

How much was the reparations total in 1921?

Answer 16

6.6 billion

Question 17

True or False: the German people were completely content with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Answer 17

False - the signing of the treaty was greeted with horror and disbelief from the majority of Germans

Question 18

What was one of the main factors as to why the Treaty of Versailles received a massive reaction of disbelief and resentment from the German people? (Hint: German army in 1914 + 1918)

Answer 18

Until 1914, Germany had been one of the greatest military powers in Europe. For much of the war, and especially in the first few months of 1918, victory in the war seemed to be only a matter of time. This, at least, was how it was portrayed in official propaganda, even after the Allies began to force the German army into retreat. So despite the hardship caused by the Allied blockade, support for the war effort was still very strong. Therefore, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the harsh, humiliating terms that were imposed as a result came as a huge shock, causing great resentment.

Question 19

What were the key reasons why Germans resented the Treaty of Versailles? (Give at least 3 examples)

Answer 19

1) Wilson’s 14 Points stressed the importance of the right of national self-determination but this was denied to the Germans themselves. Millions of people who spoke German themselves and considered themselves to be German were living now in non-German states such as Czechoslovakia and Poland.
2) The ‘war guilt clause’ was seen as an unjust national humiliation. Germans felt that they had been forced into a just war against the Allies
3) Reparations were a major cause of anger. German felt the level was too high and would cripple the German economy. They also didn’t accept the ‘war guilt clause’ which justified reparations.
4) Allied occupations of parts of Western Germany and French control of Saarland coal mines led to continuing friction. (Some areas under French control banned German patriotic songs and festivals for example)
5) The disarming of Germany and its exclusion form the League of Nations were seen as unjust discrimination against a proud, once-powerful nation.

Question 20

How justified were German complaints about the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 20

In some ways the German reaction was based on unrealistic expectations:
- Wilson’s 14 Points + the armistice agreement had made it clear that Alsace-Lorraine would have to be returned to France, that a new state of Poland w/ access to the sea would be created, that Germany would be expected to hand over some of her assets + that considerable German disarmament would be expected
- The treaty wasn’t as severe as it might have been. Had Clemenceau had his way, he would’ve extended the French border to the Rhine, or annexed the Saar coalfields + created an independent Rhineland. The French wanted to ensure that Germany couldn’t threaten France again, but the other Allies wanted Germany to remain strong enough to withstand the spread of communism from Russia
- The treaty didn’t punish Germany as severely as the Germans had punished Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918: Germany had broken up the western part of the Russian Empire and annexed large swathes of territory
- Germany’s war aims of 1914 had included the annexation of territory from its enemies, the expansion of Germany’s colonial empire and a very severe reparations bill to be paid by the defeated Allies. If Germany would have won the war, their peace settlement on the Allies would’ve been very harsh
- The reparations bill was much lower than demanded by the French. Although reparations was a continuing source of friction between Germany and the Allies, it was not beyond Germany’s capacity to pay

Question 21

Reparations

Answer 21

The compensation for war damage paid by a defeated state

Question 22

True or False: When the harsh terms of the treaty were revealed to Germany in May 1919, ministers from all parties shared Chancellor Scheidemann’s view that accepting it would not be incompatible with German honour.

Answer 22

False - they all believed that it would be incompatible with German honour

Question 23

What did the German request for extensive changes to the Treaty of Versailles cause?

Answer 23

A political crisis - Scheidemann and some of his ministers wanted to reject the treaty, whereas the majority of the cabinet and of the SPD members in the Reichstag believed that Germany had no other choice but to sign the treaty. Scheidemann resigned and a new coalition cabinet, led by Gustav Bauer, was formed. Meanwhile, some high-ranking army officials were discussing the possibility of resisting the signing of the treaty by renew military action.

Question 24

Who was Chancellor after Scheidemann?

Answer 24

Gustav Bauer

Question 25

President Ebert would support the military in resisting signing the Treaty of Versailles should it be successful. Did Groener agree with this?

Answer 25

No. Groener was a realist. He informed Ebert that a military resistance would be futile and Germany had no alternative but to accept the treaty.

Question 26

The SPD and its allies in government in 1919 were aware that signing the Treaty of Versailles would rebound upon them. To try and control this, what did they do?

Answer 26

They were so concerned that they asked their main opponent the DNVP, the DVP and DDP to state that those who signed the treaty were not unpatriotic.

Question 27

The SPD believed that the best way forward was to adhere to the policy of fulfilment. What was this?

Answer 27

To outwardly comply with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles whilst negotiating modifications to it.

Question 28

True or False: The real damage of the Treaty of Versailles was in the fact that it turned some against the Weimar Republic (even former supporters).

Answer 28

True - the damage was in alienating moderates who had been happy to accept the new constitution and its promises of a ‘better’ Germany, but who could not stomach politicians who appeared to have betrayed an unbeaten country. The treaty caused political demoralisation at the centre of government, associating the Republic once again with weakness and failure.

Question 29

What was the response of German nationalists to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 29

German nationalists could not accept the fact of Germany’s military defeat, nor the establishment of a new Republic. The signing of the treaty was the last straw and led many to join groups committed to overthrowing the Republic.

Question 30

How were the politicians who now governed Germany viewed by extreme German nationalists?

Answer 30

In the eyes of extreme nationalists, the politicians who now governed Germany lacked any legitimacy because they had betrayed the ‘Fatherland’ several times (the dethroning of the Kaiser, the signing of the armistice and in accepting the ToV. These politicians became labelled as the ‘November Criminals’ and their actions of ‘betrayal’ were referred to as ‘the stab in the back’

Question 31

German nationalists argued that the army bore no responsibility for the defeat in 1918. Is there truth to this and how did some nationalists use this claim to their advantage?

Answer 31

• The fact that Ludendorff had advised the Kaiser in late-Sept of 1918 that the army was on the verge of defeat was conveniently forgotten
• Ludendorff had advised the Kaiser to appoint a new civilian-led government in the hope that better peace terms would be secured and that the high command would avoid responsibility for the defeat and the signing of the armistice.

Question 32

Who particularly supported the ‘stab in the back myth’ and why?

Answer 32

• Ludendorff and his superior von Hindenburg. This myth was the justification for continued nationalist attacks on the Republic, its political supporters and on the treaty.
• It was also particularly 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 in the throes of revolution.

Question 33

True or False: All the soldiers who returned to Germany after the defeat in the war were hostile towards the Republic

Answer 33

False - many working-class soldiers, who had previously been members of trade unions and supported the SPD, supported the new democratic system

Question 34

What were the different reactions of ex-soldiers returning to Germany after their defeat in the war?

Answer 34

• some were nationalists and found the ‘stab in the back’ myth very attractive, and thus were opposed to the Republic
• Some were working-class and supported the SPD, therefore was also in favour of the new democratic system
• others gravitated towards the communists
• many couldn’t adjust to civilian life, and especially found it difficult in regards to employment, yearning for the sense of comradeship and purpose that they had experienced in the war. These men gravitated towards the Freikorps and right-wing nationalist groups.

Question 35

Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles from abroad: Britain

Answer 35

• PM Lloyd George was greeted by a large crowd when he returned from signing the treaty
• Overall, the British public opinion was satisfied that Germany had lost its overseas empire, along with its large fleet, and would be unable to threaten European peace for a generation
• Privately, Lloyd George believed that Germany shouldn’t be so weak that it wouldn’t be able to resist the expansion of the USSR westwards, and he wanted Germany to become a strong trading partner with Britain again
• Many saw the French as being greedy and vindictive and there was a growing feeling that Germany had been unfairly treated at Versailles.
• Economist John Maynard Keynes argued that the level of reparations was too high. He believed that the level of reparations ‘was one of the most serious acts of political unwisdom for which our statesmen have ever been responsible’

Question 36

Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles from abroad: France

Answer 36

• Felt they had suffered the most out of all the combatant nations and thus were determined to seek revenge
• The returning of Alsace-Loraine, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland an the payment of reparations were all key demands that had been met
• But there were many who regarded the treaty as being too lenient on Germany, and Prime Minister Clemenceau, who was blamed for making too many concessions, thus lost the next election in 1920
• Wartime military commander, Marshall Foch, stated a widely held view that “This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years.”

Question 37

Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles from abroad: The United States

Answer 37

• Reactions were generally negative
• Widespread opinion that the treaty had been unfair on Germany and that Britain and France had used it to enrich themselves at Germany’s expense
• The Republicans in the American Congress opposed the treaty and Wilson failed to win the Congressional vote to ratify the treaty, leaving the USA to make a separate peace with Germany in 1921
• Refused to join the League of Nations and, in the 1920s, retreated from involvement in European affairs.