were the peace treaties of 1919-23 fair? (Yr-9) Flashcards
On which day of the year was both Franz Ferdinand shot AND the Treaty of Versailles signed?
Franz F. was shot and the Treaty was signed on the 28th of June (Different years)
Who were the Big Three?
David Lloyd George, George Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson
‘I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon’ - said who, and why?
David Lloyd-George, British PM, because the French leader (George Clemenceau) was being very harsh and aggressive, while Woodrow Wilson, the US President was very keen to not be too harsh on Germany.
What were the 4 key aims of the British leader at Versailles?
1) Gain some of the defeated powers’ colonies
2) Maintain the British Empire
3) Not destroy Germany completely so that Britain could continue to trade with her
4) Gain some reparations from Germany
What were the 4 key aims of the French leader at Versailles?
1) Punish Germany harshly for the damage they inflicted on the French countryside.
2) Gain some of the defeated powers’ colonies.
3) Restrict Germany’s military to ensure they don’t attack France again.
4) regain Alsace-Lorraine
What were the 4 key aims of the American leader at Versailles?
1) Self-determination for colonies of the defeated powers and for Eastern European countries.
2) League of Nations to be set up.
3) Free access to the seas in wartime
4) No secret treaties. (Wilson’s 14 Points!!)
What was the name of the Treaty between Germany and Russia in 1917?
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
How many casualties did the Big Three suffer in WW1? (UK, France, USA)?
France: 6.16 million
USA: 364,000
UK (British Empire): 3,190,235
How many casualties did Germany suffer during WWI?
Germany suffered 7,142,558 casualties
What word did the Germans use to refer to the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans used the word ‘diktat’ to refer to the Treaty of Versailles
What is the alternative name for Clause 231 of the Treaty of Versailles?
The Guilt Clause
Give 4 military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles:
1) no conscription.
2) Army limited to 100,000 men
3) only 6 battleships (the largest type of ship).
4) no submarines
When were reparations agreed on for the Treaty of Versailles?
1921
Give 4 economic punishments of the Treaty of Versailles
1) £6.6bn reparation fee.
2) Germany lost Saarland for 15 years to LON.
3) Massive territory loss - reduction of the working population and tax base.
4) Loss of all overseas territory
What are some arguments for why the Treaty of Versailles was fair?
1) Germany’s Schlieffen Plan showed they had planned for WW1 and were therefore largely responsible for causing it as they thought they’d win.
2) Their backing of Austria in their confrontation with Serbia emboldened Austria-Hungary to attack Serbia
3) Germany invaded neutral Belgium - which is what brought the UK into the war.
4) The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Russia in 1917 showed how Germany planned to punish the Allies if Germany had won, which was much harsher than TOV.
What are some arguments for why the Treaty of Versailles was unfair?
1) The reparation burden was enormous - would not be paid off until 1984
2) The build-up of European tensions that caused WW1 was not solely Germany’s fault - e.g. the naval race and the imperial rivalries were as much the UK’s fault.
3) Germany was left largely defenseless and surrounded by strong countries (some of which hated them) - France, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.
4) Just because the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was unfair to Russia - two wrongs don’t make a right.
Name 4 European regions lost permanently by Germany (and who they went to) under the Treaty of Versailles:
1) Alsace-Lorraine lost to France
2) Eupen-Malmady lost to Belgium
3) West Prussia and Posen lost to Poland
4) Upper Silesia lost to Poland
When and why did French soldiers enter the Ruhr?
1923 French and Belgian soldiers entered the Ruhr (the industrial region of Germany) to take reparation payments in the form of raw materials after Germany did not pay any reparations in 1922 (they had paid £50million in 1921).
How did the German government immediately try and deal with the French invasion of the Ruhr?
Ordered the workers in the Ruhr to go on strike
How did hyperinflation occur in Germany after the French invade the Ruhr (in 3 stages):
1) the Germany government continue to pay the striking workers in the Ruhr.
2) The German government isn’t earning any money from the Ruhr and aren’t producing anything to trade.
3) The German government prints money in order to pay the striking workers, leading to more and more German Marks into circulation.
Which countries do the other peace treaties deal with?
Trianon - Hungary
St Germain - Austria
Neuilly - Bulgaria
Sevres (1920) - Turkey
Lausanne (1923) - Turkey
Give 4 conditions of the Treaty of Neuilly:
1) Army limited to 20,000
2) Reparations set at £10million
3) Land lost to Greece and Yugoslavia.
4) Land gained from Turkey
Give 4 conditions of the Treaty of Sevres:
1) Britain, Transjordan and Palestine lost to British Empire.
2) Syria lost to French Empire
3) Lost all territory on mainland Europe
4)Armed forces limited to 50,000 men and no air force.
Give 4 conditions of the Treaty of St Germain:
1) Army limited to 30,000 men
2) Anschluss forbidden
3) Austro-Hungarian Empire broken up.
4) Conscription abolished
Give 4 conditions of the Treaty of Trianon:
1) Austro-Hungarian Empire broken up.
2) Territory lost to Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
3) Reparations were set but never paid as Hungary was bankrupt.
4) Army limited to 35,000 men
Why was the idea of the League of Nations being established contentious among the Big Three?
USA - totally in favour (Wilson’s idea).UK - worried it might infringe on the British Empire’s power, and that the LON might interfere in the Empire.France - liked the idea of a powerful military force to keep Germany in check, but didn’t like the idea of mutual disarmament as France was worried about weakening itself.
What promise had Lloyd-George run on in the 1918 UK General Election in relation to the Treaty of Versailles?
To make Germany pay - so he knew that the public expected a harsh treaty.
What proportion of Germany’s population did it lose?
12.50%
Give three examples of political unrest in Germany from 1919-1923:
1) Spartacist uprising (1919)
2) Kapp putsch (1920)
3) Munich putsch (AKA the beer hall putsch).
Give 4 ways in which the Treaty of Versailles caused political unrest in Germany:
1) The ex-German soldiers (now the army was limited to 100,00 men) formed gangs of armed men (the Freikorps) who were used by Dr Wolfgang Kapp to take over Germany.
2) the massive reparation sums (and general unhappiness) caused Germans to turn to radical alternatives - such as the Communists (Spartacist uprising) and right-wing authoritarians (Kapp putsch).
3) The humiliation of the German army, a symbol of national pride, led to Germans spreading rumours about the new Weimar Government having ‘stabbed the Germany army in the back’ - this weakened the new German government.
4) As well as the Weimar government ‘stabbing Germany in the back’ minority groups such as Jews were also blamed, leading to the rising popularity of extremists like Hitler (Munich putsch).
What were the key events of the Kapp putsch?
1) a series of events led by Dr. Wolfgang Kapp. he and his followers united various Freikorps and seized Berlin.
2) The Weimar government tried to use the army to suppress this new threat, almost all army units refused to fight their old comrades (the Freikorps). 3) Dr. Kapp declared himself Chancellor (leader) of Germany.
4) the German government appealed to the workers of Berlin to resist the Kapp putsch and they responded. A general strike was declared in Berlin so that all workers ceased working
4) Kapp and his supporters fled and Kapp was arrested and died awaiting trial.
What were the key events of the Spartacist uprising?
1) The Spartacist Uprising was a general strike against the Weimar Government from 4th-15th January 1919 led by Communists Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebknecht. They were inspired by Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, in 1917, which had overthrown the Russian government and replaced it with workers’ councils (Soviets).
2) The Spartacists were supported by some soldiers and sailors, who felt that the Communists represented their interests the best; however, this was not the case with all soldiers.
3) Faced with this uprising the leader of Germany, Freidreich Ebert was forced to bring in the Friekorps to help put down the rising, because of the reductions in the Germany army. (The Freikorps were groups of ex-soldiers, who had not disarmed (or had refused to disarm) and so kept their weapons).
4) The Freikorps were not the greatest supporters of the new democratic government, but they hated Communism more than they disliked Ebert. The Spartacists proved no match for the recently demobbed soldiers and the rising was crushed, and both Luxembourg and Liebknecht shot with other left-wing leaders.
What were the key events of the Munich putsch?
The Munich Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt by the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler to seize power in Bavaria during 8th-9th November 1923. Hitler surprised other right-wing leaders at gunpoint during a political meeting and demanded their support. But his stormtroopers were no match for the regular army, who had been warned in advance by right-wing conservative members of the Bavarian government opposed to Hitler. The putsch was easily put down with little loss of life – 16 Nazis and 4 policemen died.Despite the revolt’s failure and his imprisonment, Hitler received public support at his trial for presenting his revolt as an attempt to undermine the Treaty of Versailles and make Germany great again. He used the trial as an opportunity to broadcast his message, and was never shut down during his speeches. Hitler’s crime of treason could carry life, despite the severity of his crime he was only sentenced to 5 years in prison; of this he only served 9 months. This shows a clear favouritism for such nationalist parties among the officials in Germany, despite the fact that Hitler had clearly attempted to overthrow the government.While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) which set out a large number of his political and ideological views, including his attitude towards Jews.
