Treaty of Versailles Flashcards
Eupen-Malmedy to..
Belgium
Rhineland..
Demilitarised
North Schleswig to..
Denmark
Posen and Upper Silesia to..
Poland
Memel to..
Lithuania
Population reduced by..
12%
How did the German Workers feel about the Treaty?
How did German Nationalists feel about the Treaty?
How did German Soliders feel about the Treaty?
How did Weimar politicians e.g. Scheidemann feel about the Treaty
What did Wilson want out the Treaty?
- Self determination
- League of Nations
- 14 points
- Disarmament
What did Clemenceau want out the Treaty?
- Annex Rhineland to create a ‘buffer state’
- Major disarmament on Germany
- Heavy reperations
- Split Germany into separate states
What did Lloyd George want out the Treaty?
- Guarantee British military security
- Secure naval supremacy
- Keep communism at bay
- Limit French demands as they could lead to revenge
What was meant by ‘Armistice’?
- An agreement to stop fighting + withdraw German troops
- Many didnt believe they were defeated
Why was the Treaty not as severe as made out in 1919?
- Clemenceau didnt get his extreme demands
- Self determination not unfair as Germany stated -> Alsace Lorraine would have voted to be part of France, Eastern frontiers of Posen and West Prussia more mixed in ethnicity then Germans wanted
- Austria and Sudetenland never apart of Germany
- Moderate compared to Brest Litovsk
What did the American Diplomat - George F Kennan say about the Treaty?
- Humiliating and “silly”
What did Richard Evans say in “Coming of the Third Reich”
- German Nationalists wouldve felt cheated of victory anyway
- Germany had a chance of success but not in 1919
What did Wolfgang Mommsen say?
- It was harsh but understandable
- Created a political climate -> difficult to develop democracy
- Allies under pressure of the public to be harsh
- Believes less harsh treaty wouldve worked too
What happened to Scheidemann’s government as a result of the Treaty?
He resigned + new coalition formed under Gustav Bauer
Who was Gustav Bauer?
What did Paul von Hindenburg do about the Treaty?
- Renew military actions against Allies instead of signing Treaty
What impact did the Treaty have on support for the Republic?
- Many people turned against republic
How did Right wing react to it?
- Refused to accept + Blamed government for signing it
- Committed to overthrow republic
What were the politicians who signed the Treaty and Armistice known as?
November Criminals
In what way was Ludendorff responsible for Germany’s problems?
- Encouraged civilian government to sign the armistice
- Started revolution from above
- Promoted ‘stab in the back myth’
How did Soldiers adjust to life in the republic and why was this problematic?
- Some did
- Some turned to Freikorps - threat to government
