Treaty of Versailles

Question 1

What were Wilson’s aims?

Answer 1

• 14 Points
• Long lasting peace by strengthening democracy in defeated countries
• Self-determination
• no more empires
• Disarmament
• League of Nations (International cooperation)
• Believes Germany needs to be punished but not too harshly, as otherwise it would recover and want revenge. Also concerned with extremist groups (especially communists)

Question 2

Who were the big three?

Answer 2

Woodrow Wilson (USA)
David Lloyd George (Britain)
Georges Clemenceau (France)

Question 3

What were Clemenceau’s aims?

Answer 3

• Large amount of reparations
• Return of Alsace-Lorain to France
• Weaken Germany’s army
• More pressure as France suffered the most in the war
• Break Germany into smaller staters
• Wanted Germany to cripple so it can’t pose as a threat to France
• Guilt

Question 4

What were Lloyd George’s aims?

Answer 4

• Wanted to harm Germany to satisfy the people
• Wanted to continue trade
• Wanted Germany’s oversea colonies
• Wanted to continue being the strongest naval force in Europe (have Germany lose their navy)

Question 5

What were the main terms of the Treaty?

Answer 5

Guilt
Army
Reparations
German territory
League of Nations

Question 6

Guilt clause

Answer 6

Germany was to accept full blame

Question 7

Army

Answer 7

• Forces limited to 100,000 soldiers, six battleships, no air force.
• Conscription was not allowed.
• Rhineland was demilitarized.

Question 8

Reparations

Answer 8

6.6 billion Pounds

Question 9

German Territory

Answer 9

• Germany lost about 10% of their land.
• Forbidden to join with former ally, Austria (Anschluss)
• Poland gained polish corridor.
• Silesia given to Poland
• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.
• Germany lost their colonies, for example Cameroon, which became mandates controlled by the League (effectively mean that Britain and France controlled them)
• Saarland was given to France for 15 years.

Question 10

League of Nations

Answer 10

Established – Germany not invited

Question 11

Why could the treaty be justified at the time?

Answer 11

• Compromise was reached: reparations and guilt clause
• Harsh but could have been worse: Brest-Litovsk (89% of coal mines lost) and Celmenceau wanted to split Germany into states (if he had gotten his way, there would be no more germany)
• Flawed treaty with positive principles: Self determination (no more empires) and LofN (international diplomacy)

Question 12

Why could the treaty not be justified at the time?

Answer 12

• too harsh and punitive, created roots for war: guilt clause and loss of coal mines + hurt pride (economy and army)
• more problems created than solved: excluded from LofN and forced germans to move (eg polish corridor)

Question 13

Impact of war guilt and reparations

Answer 13

• Germans felt that the blame should be shared and thought they were not responsible for starting the war
• Germans were bitter that they had to pay for the damage especially since their economy was very much weakened

Question 14

Impact of disarmament

Answer 14

• Army was reduced to 100,000 men which was very little for a country that big
• Army was also a symbol of Germany’s pride
• Wilson said that everyone had to disarm but only Germany did

Question 15

Impact of non-representation

Answer 15

Germany thought they had not lost the war and thought it was no fair that they were not included

Question 16

Impact of territory

Answer 16

Germany lost a lot of its population, land and coal fields, it was a blow to their pride and economy

Question 17

Political impact

Answer 17

• Germans were angry at the treaty, there were many rebellions and strikes as well as assassination attempts (Kapp Putsch 1920, Munich Putsch 1923)
• The government ordered its workers to stop working so France would stop taking their materials. In return, France killed over 100 workers

Question 18

Economic impact

Answer 18

• (1922) no more money to pay reparations
• french invade the ruhr to get raw material as compensation
• workers stop working (ordered by government)
• less export
• print money
• lose value
• hyperinflation

Question 19

Social/morale impact

Answer 19

People were bitter, poor, and angry at the treaty

Question 20

Did the victors get what they wanted?

Answer 20

• Clemenceau’s anger clashed with Wilson’s idealism as Wilson didn’t want to punish Germany too severely. They argued over what to do with Germany’s Rhineland and the coalfields in the Saar. They also clashed over the amount of reparations with Wilson feeling they were much too severe.
• Clemenceau argued with Lloyd George because he felt Britain had very selfish aims. Clemenceau felt George was happy to be fair in Europe but not over its empire if Africa. He remarked, ‘If the British are so anxious to appease Germany they should look overseas and make colonial concessions’.

Question 21

Versailles Impact on Germany by 1923

Answer 21

• General shock and bitterness
• Political Unrest: Spartacists, Kapp Putsch, Freikorps, Munich Putsch
• Economy Collapse: Hyperinflation
• Germans Suffered: Unemployment

Question 22

Land losses

Answer 22

• Nutshell - lost 10% of its land
• Alsace Lorraine - given back to France
• Sudetenland - to Czechs. 2.5 million Germans there
• Land in east - to Poland including the Polish corridor
• African colonies - placed under League mandate
• North Schleswig - to Denmark.

Question 23

Outcomes for Clemenceau

Answer 23

• Nutshell - French Premier who wanted revenge
• Why - Anger at German invasion, damage and death
• What - Germany broken up, pay for war, Alsace Lorraine, Independent Rhineland, no Germany army, security
• Impact - Would push for and influence a severe treaty

Question 24

Outcomes for Lloyd George

Answer 24

• Nutshell - British P.M wanted a hard treaty that did NOT destroy
• Why - British public wanted revenge but he feared chaos.
• What - Opportunistic and wanted to grab Germany’s African colonies and navy
• Impact - His hypocrisy over how and where to punish Germany angered Clemenceau.

Question 25

Outcomes for Wilson

Answer 25

• Nutshell - wanted a fair peace based on his 14 Points
• Why - He was an idealist
• What - Aim was for end of European imperialism, self determination and League of Nations
• Impact - His idealism was no match for the anger and need for revenge to Clemenceau.

Question 26

Plebs + Mans

Answer 26

• Plebiscite - Upper Silesia - vote on joining Poland or Germany
• Plebiscite - North / South Schleswig vote for Denmark or Germany
• Mandate - Saarland to League / France for 15 years
• Mandate - African colonies to League - effectively under the control of Britain and France.