Treaty of Versailles

Question 1

What are the terms of the Treaty of Versailles punishing Germany?

Answer 1

War Guilt Clause*
- Germany accepts complete blame for causing WW1 according to Article 231

Territorial Reductions
- Lost all overseas colonies in Africa & Asia Pacific*
- Lost Alsace-Lorraine and Saar Coal region to France*
- Lost territory between Germany and East Prussia to form Polish Corridor so Poland gets access to sea
- Not allowed to unite with Austria

Demilitarisation*
- Army limited to 100k
- Navy limited to 15k
- No air force, tanks, or submarines

Reparations*
- Had to pay 269 billion Reichsmarks

Question 2

What were the 4/5 impacts of the treaty on Germany?

Answer 2

1. Humiliation
2. Territorial reductions
3. Military weakness
4. Economic Weakness
5. Self determination (Not impt)

(BRAT)
BLAME : War Guilt Clause 231

REPARATIONS: 269 bil reichsmarks

ARMY: limited to 100k, NO subs,tanks, air force

TERRITORY: loss Saar coal region, Alsace-Lorraine, colonies in Asia, Africa, Pacific

Question 3

Explain the impact on German humiliation

Answer 3

• Germans greatly angered, humiliated and wronged having to accept total blame for causing WW1
• Because of War Guilt Clause according to Article 231, had to accept all blame despite not starting the war
• Austria-Hungary first started the war by declaring war on Serbia after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but Germany had to accept the blame.

Question 4

Explain the impact on German Territorial reductions

Answer 4

• Loss of territories greatly reduced Germany’s standing amongst world powers,
  Had their status as a powerful nation greatly reduced
• Loss of resource-rich regions like the Rhineland, Saar coal region & parts of Poland and its colonies, greatly impacting their economy
• This injured the pride of German citizens, damaged their economy & prevented further German expansion through merger with other countries eg. Austria-Hungary

Question 5

Explain the impact on German military weakness

Answer 5

• Harsh limitations placed on their armed forces ensured that they could not start another war
• They were left vulnerable as the Treaty greatly crippled their once powerful military capabilities
• Significantly less able to defend itself against the Allied Powers
• Was not allowed to defend its borders with France

Question 6

Explain the impact on German economic weakness

Answer 6

• Germany had Saar coal region taken away, and needed to pay 269 billion Reichsmarks in reparations
• Germany lost 15% of its active male population, faced manpower shortage to rebuild economy,
• Could not make payments in time
• France sent its army in 1923 into the Ruhr industrial region to confiscate coal & goods as payment
• They were unable to have necessary resources for economy to function, affected every German, lowered standard of living
• Germans were extremely bitter, over reparations & its impact of German economy

Question 7

Explain the impact on Self-determination & creation of new boundaries (not impt)

Answer 7

• Principle of self-determination called for creation of independent nation-states for various ethnic communities
• Tore Germany apart as Germans were taken away from Germany to form other countries,
• Left Germans in Czechoslovakia stranded
• Germans were angry because ‘self-determination’ only seem to apply to winners of the war