Treaty of Versailles Flashcards
When did the Great War end?
November 1918
What did politicians do after the war?
In January 1919, politicians from the winning countries met at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, to decide what was to happen to the beaten army. This was called the Paris Peace Conference.
Who were the three most important politicians at the Paris Peace Conference?
The leaders of France, Great Britain and the USA.
What were these leading politicians nicknamed as? Why?
The ‘Big Three’ because they were the three most powerful winning countries.
What were Germany not allowed to do?
The Germans were not allowed to send any politicians to put their viewpoints across; nor were the Austro-Hungarians, the Turks or Bulgarians.
What were Britain’s aims?
David Lloyd George - Prime Minister of Great Britain
Was elected by the public to ‘hang the Kaiser’ and ‘make Germany pay’.
He wanted to keep Germany weak; however he wanted to avoid humiliating them.
He wanted to end German threat to the British Empire and Navy.
What were the USA’s aims?
Woodrow Wilson - President of the United States of America.
The USA joined the war in 1917 so didn’t suffer as much as Britain and France.
He wanted to prevent Germany becoming aggressive but didn’t think they should be punished.
Wanted different national groups to have the right to rule themselves - known as self-determination.
What were France’s aims?
George Clemenceau - Prime Minister of France
Around 1.4 million Frenchmen had been killed in the war and huge areas of the country had been destroyed.
He wanted revenge on Germany for all of this suffering.
Wanted Germany to pay for all of the damage that the war had caused.
Wanted to weaken Germany’s armed forces so they would never be able to attack France again.
When did the politicians announce their decision?
June 1919
What was document called with Germany’s punishments?
The Treaty of Versailles
How did Germany agree to the treaty?
German politicians who were sent over to the Palace of Versailles for the day were told to sign the peace agreement, or face invasion. So they signed it.
What was written on the treaty?
- Germany must pay for the war in money and goods. The figure was set at £6,600 million. They must sign to agree that they had started the war too.
- Germany must have no air force or submarines. Only tiny army and navy. No tanks or submarines allowed. No German soldiers allowed anywhere near France.
- Germany to hand over colonies to Britain and France.
- Part of countries cut off to make new countries.
- League of Nations set up. All countries should join this so they can talk about their problems rather than fight.
What happened to the other losing countries?
The other losing countries (Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria) lost land and weapons, and were fined too.
What did the winners do after the losers were punished?
They tried to stop wars forever by setting up a League of Nations, a kind of international club for settling problems peacefully.
How many countries joined the League of Nations straightaway?
About 40, hoping to solve any disputes y discussion rather than war.
