ToV Flashcards
What was war guilt?
- Blaming Germany for starting the war
- Germany had to take the blame
- Paying the reconstruction
- Article 231 blamed Germany
How much did Germany had to pay for reparations?
LoN acquired Germany to pay 6.6 billion
What happened to the German territory?
- LoN had forbidden Germany to join with Austria-Hungary (Anschluss)
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became independent states from Russia 1918
- Alsace-Lorraine given back to France
- North Schleswig given to Denmark
- Upper Silesia to Poland
- Bad relationship between Germany and Britain
- West Germany given to Poland
State the Military limitations
- No more than 7 divisions of infantry and 3 divisions of cavalry
- No more than 100,000 men
- Personal Staff: no more than 4000
- Army limited to 100k
- Conscription banned
- No tanks
- Navy limited to 6 battleships
What happened to the German colonies?
- USA, Great Britain, France and other allied states
- Germany lost all its colonies
- They imposed punitive territorial, military and economic provisions on defeated Germany
What happened to:
- Alsace-Lorraine
- Rhineland
- Saarland
Alsace-Lorraine:
- Disputed before WW1
- Given back to France
Rhineland:
- Area between France and Germany
- Demilitarised
Saarland:
-Controlled by LoN
Why did the Germans think that the treaty was too harsh?
- Lost 10% of land
- Lost 13% of Germany’s population
- Lost half of Germany’s iron and steel industry
- Lost all the colonies that made up the German Empire
Why were the Germans angry?
-Germany cut into 2 by the “polish corridor” made them more angry
-German reparations= £6,600 million in reparations
(42 years to be able to pay that amount of money)
-Disarmament (weakening) of German army
-They felt treated like outcasts since they were not allowed to join the LoN
-Germany never surrendered - Signed an armistice
-they were made to sign the ToV without negotiation
Name the German colonies:
- Cameroon
- German West Africa
- German East Indies
They all become LoN mandates, controlled by France and Britain
State the political effects on Germany made by the ToV
- 1920- Ebert government attempted a revolution (made this rise against treaty
- November 1923 Adolf Hitler lead an attempted rebellion in Munich (Munich Putsch)
- Hitler was given 5 years of prison
What happened in the Ruhr?
- 1922, nothing was paid to the LoN (French ran out patience)
- 1923 French and Belgian soldiers invaded Ruhr region and took the resources that repaid the bills.
- German government order workers to go on strike
- Result of this: murder of 100 workers and the expelling of 100,000 Protestants from the region
- Strike meant that Germany had nothing to trade - hyperinflation
What was hyperinflation?
- Printing more money (government)
- This caused ‘hyperinflation’
- Wages began to be paid daily instead of weekly
- Government and big industrials were able to pay off their huge depths
- Pensions weren’t able to afford a cup of coffee
- People that could afford to have a house (1921)
- Would not be able to afford a loaf of bread (1923)
Was the treaty fair?
Fair:
- Germany would have been equally harsh
- Treaty with Russia in 1917
- Germany threat must be taken away
- League of Nations will control colonies fairly
- Germany navy a key cause of WW1
- Other countries were threatened
- We must take revenge for WW1
- Germany militarism (a key cause of war)
- Must pay reparations
- Schlieffen plan attacks France first
- Germany must be tought a lesson
- Aggressive
- New country
Unfair:
- German military tradition is strong and Germans are proud people
- Unfair that Britain and France have colonies but not Germany
- Germany not the only cause of WW1
- Not liable for all reparations
- Germany is a large, developed country which must be allowed to defend itself.
- Other countries also militaristic
- Had war plans, plan 17 (Germany won’t recover with harsh conditions)
