Treaties Flashcards
(a) What did Wilson hope to achieve from the peace settlement of 1919–20? [4]
– World disarmament
– League of Nations
– Self-determination for colonies and defeated powers (eg. Austria-Hungary)
– To punish Germany softly to ensure no revenge
(a) What military restrictions did the Treaty of Versailles impose on Germany? [4]
– Reduced to 100,000 men – No conscription – No air force, armoured vehicles or submarines – Only 6 battleships – Rhineland demilitarised
(a) What did Lloyd George want to achieve from the peace settlement of 1919-20? [4]
– Punish Germany sternly but not too harshly
– Gain control of the German colonies
– Decrease the size of the German army and particularly the navy
– Gain some money to help widowed families
(a) In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles weaken the German economy? [4]
– Reparations payments -> £6.6 billion
– Lost 12.5% of their population -> large amount of working population lost, decrease productivity of country
– Lost half their iron and steel works -> now have to import these raw materials and no longer able to make profits from selling them abroad
– Lost 16% of their coalfields -> more importing and less exporting leads to less profits
(a) What were Germany’s main territorial losses under the Treaty of Versailles? [4]
– Lost Alsace Lorraine to France
– Lost all their colonies (eg. Cameroon and Samoa)
– Lost Saar Coalfields
– Lost West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia to Poland
– Lost North Schleswig to Denmark after plebiscite
(b) Why did Clemenceau and Lloyd George disagree over how to treat Germany? [6]
- Different experiences during the war
– France -> fighting on soil, two thirds of army wounded or dead, Zone Rouge (1,200 square kilometres) => needed high reparations to rebuild damaged cities
– Britain -> no fighting on their soil but huge casualties too -> almost every family had a member who had died during the war => needed less reparations to help pay widowed families - Different aims for the future
– France -> wanted protection for the future, Clemenceau was determined not to see another invasion of France during his life, wanted Germany split into states, harsher on continental Germany than colonies
– Britain -> wanted to continue trading with Germany so not too harsh a treaty, wanted to expand empire so harsher on the colonies
(b) Why did the ‘Big Three’ disagree over how to treat Germany? [6]
- Different experiences during the war
– France -> fighting on soil, two thirds of army wounded or dead, Zone Rouge (1,200 square kilometres) => needed high reparations to rebuild damaged cities
– Britain -> no fighting on their soil but huge casualties too -> almost every family had a member who had died during the war => needed less reparations to help pay widowed families
– America -> only joined war on 6th April 1917, came to war with peace in mind, no fighting on their soil and far fewer casualties - Different aims for the future
– France -> wanted protection for the future, Clemenceau was determined not to see another invasion of France during his life, wanted Germany split into states, harsher on continental Germany than colonies
– Britain -> wanted to continue trading with Germany so not too harsh a treaty, wanted to expand empire so harsher on the colonies
– America -> League of Nations, ever lasting peace, self-determination
(b) Why were German people horrified when they discovered the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? [6]
- The terms were unfair
– War Guilt Clause (Article 231)
– Not allowed to join the LON
– 12.5% of their population was lost and Germans living in Alsace Lorraine and the Polish Corridor were forced to live in France and Poland - The terms made Germany feel vulnerable
– Military terms meant that Germany was vulnerable to attack
– Reparations meant that they would not be able to recover from the war
– Lost large important industrial areas (Saar Coalfields etc.)
(c) ‘The Treaty of Versailles was a fair settlement.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [10]
- Fair -> Germany needed to be weakened so it could not fight another war
– Army = reduced to 100,000 men, no aircraft, no conscription
– Land = Rhineland demilitarisation protected France from German troops
– Land = Alsace Lorraine returned to France, also fair because people felt French - Fair -> Not as harsh as it could have been
– Brest-Litovsk = much harsher (3 billion roubles, 27% arable land compared to 10% of Germany’s land taken in TOV)
– Army = generals and other important officials allowed to stay in their roles
– Clemenceau wanted to ask for even more than £6.6 billion - Not fair -> Terms made Germany wished to seek revenge
– Kapp Putsch (13th March 1920) -> Freikorps vowed to get revenge for the TOV in the future
– War Guilt Clause (Article 231) -> unfair to expect Germany to take full responsibility
– Unfair that they were not allowed to join LON until “peaceful” enough
– Diktat -> not allowed to negotiate the terms and were forced to sign on 28th June 1919 - Not fair -> Terms so harsh they made Germany economically vulnerable
– Germany quickly became unable to pay the reparations, failing to deliver 10,000 telegraph poles to France, prompting the Occupation of the Ruhr (Jan 1923)
– Caused hyperinflation (1923)
– Reparations had to be revised twice -> Dawes Plan (1924) and Young Plan (1929)
(c) How far did the ‘Big Three’ achieve their aims at the Paris Peace Conference? Explain your answer. [10]
- Achieved their aims -> TOV was quite harsh = France (and Britain)
– Huge territorial losses
– Britain pleased by Germany’s loss of all their colonies
– France pleased Rhineland = demilitarised
– Britain and France pleased by the limits on the army and navy (esp. Britain) - Achieved their aims -> TOV wasn’t too harsh = America (and Britain)
– America was pleased France got Alsace Lorraine back (justice as was rightfully French)
– America was pleased that the League of Nations would be set up - Didn’t achieve their aims -> TOV wasn’t harsh enough = France (and Britain)
– France wanted to split Germany into states
– France wanted more reparations to pay for rebuilding of devastated areas (eg. Zone Rouge) - Didn’t achieve their aims -> TOV was too harsh = America (and Britain)
– America thought that the reparations were too harsh -> they later give $2 billion loan under Dawes Plan (1924)
– America wanted everyone to disarm not just Germany
– America wanted self-determination for the colonies, not for them to be passed from one empire’s control to another
