WW1 - Paris Peace Conference

Question 1

Which alliance won WW1? Which countries were in this alliance?

Answer 1

The Allies; Britain, the USA, France, Japan, Italy.

Question 2

What was the purpose of the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 2

The victorious countries held this conference to decide on the peace settlement.

Question 3

Which countries dominated the conference? Who were the representatives of these countries? What were they known as?

Answer 3

The United States, Britain and France.
Woodrow Wilson, president of the US, David Lloyd George, prime minister of Britain, and Georges Clemenceau, prime minister of France.
They were known as the “Big Three”.

Question 4

Describe Georges Clemenceau’s aims in deciding on the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 4

He wanted to punish Germany harshly economically and militarily so it would be permanently weakened as much as possible.

Question 5

Why did Georges Clemenceau want to punish Germany harshly?

Answer 5

1. Germany had done a lot of damage to France and its people over the course of WW1. France had been devastated and 2/3 of its soldiers had been injured or killed.
2. France wanted revenge after they were defeated and humiliated in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and invaded by Germany in 1914.
3. France wanted to prevent a similar war from happening.
4. Germany was threateningly close to France.

Question 6

Why was the Franco-Prussian War humiliating for France?

Answer 6

In the Franco-Prussian War, France suffered a defeat by a coalition of German states led by Prussia.
They were forced to sign the Treaty of Frankfurt, which states that they had to:
-Pay an indemnity of 5 billion gold Francs to Germany
-Support the German army of occupation until the French paid the indemnity
-Surrender the territories of Alsace and Lorraine

Question 7

Describe David Lloyd George’s view of the punishment that Germany deserves.

Answer 7

He believed that Germany should be punished, but not harshly, to prevent a new war. His views were often in-between France and USA.

Question 8

Why did David Lloyd George want to punish Germany moderately?

Answer 8

1. Britain suffered little land damage but high war losses
2. He wanted to maintain the balance of power in Europe so as to prevent another war
3. He wanted to please the British who wanted to make Germany pay but didn’t want to impose a punishment that was too harsh on Germany so as to prevent another war
4. He did not want to weaken Germany too much so that they are still strong enough to trade with Britain
5. He aimed to take over German colonies overseas and maintain the naval supremacy of Britain

Question 9

Describe Woodrow Wilson’s view of the punishment that Germany deserves.

Answer 9

He was opposed to punishing Germany harshly. He believed that Germany should not be blamed for the war and that it should not be destroyed.

Question 10

Why did Woodrow Wilson want to punish Germany mildly?

Answer 10

1. He wanted to make the world safe and end war by making just and lasting peace
2. The US had not been involved in the war as long as France and Britain; hence they had not received as much damage
3. He wanted to prevent another world war and revenge-hungry Germans

Question 11

What role did the defeated countries play in deciding on the peace terms?

Answer 11

They were not consulted about them. They were just asked to sign the peace treaties between 1919 and 1920.

Question 12

How were the defeated countries punished according to the peace treaties? Which country was punished the most harshly?

Answer 12

They had to disarm, pay reparations and cede some land. Germany.

Question 13

Why were Italy and Germany unhappy with the treatment they received at the Peace Conference respectively?

Answer 13

Italy was unable to get all of the land the Central Powers promised her, while the Germans thought that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh.

Question 14

Why wasn’t Italy able to get all of her promised land?

Answer 14

This was because the Big Three thought Italy did not perform well during WWI after joining in 1915, and Dalmatia was given to a new nation, Yugoslavia to strengthen it.

Question 15

Why did Italy choose to betray the Triple Alliance and join the Central Powers instead?

Answer 15

This was because Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty with Italy, promising her land such as Trieste, Southern Tyrol, and northern Dalmatia in return for a pledge to enter the war within a month.

Question 16

Why was Italy invited to join the Central Powers?

Answer 16

This is because of her strategic importance. As she was located next to Austria-Hungary, she could attack it from the south.

Question 17

Why did the Italians resent the arrangements made at the Paris Peace Conference?

Answer 17

This is because they hoped that Italy would increase in size after getting the land promised to her by the Central Powers, at the same time having an enhanced international status and being able to enjoy glory and prestige.
However, she only received Tyrol and Istria, failing to get Dalmatia and the port of Fiume, despite the fact that they fought the war for more than three years and lost 60,000 men in WW1. Hence, they are angry to see that their sacrifice was in vain.

Question 18

How did the Italians feel after experiencing unfair treatment at the Peace Conference? What did this result in?

Answer 18

They felt betrayed by the Allied powers, and blamed their government for being unable to protect national interests. It led to the rise of Mussolini, who encouraged ideas of war, expansion and a strong Italy.

Question 19

What is the peace treaty that Germany was forced to sign at the end of WW1 called? What was it designed to do?

Answer 19

The Treaty of Versailles. It was designed to cripple Germany militarily, territorially and economically.

Question 20

Name the 7 main terms in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 20

Germany’s military forces reduced
Rhineland to be demilitarised
War guilt clause
Reparations
German national territory
German overseas territories
No union with Austria

Question 21

Describe how the Treaty of Versailles reduced Germany’s military forces.

Answer 21

—Army restricted to 100,000 men
—No modern weapons such as tanks, military air force
—Navy could not have battleships over 10,000 tons and U-boats

Question 22

Explain why the Treaty of Versailles included the terms concerning the reduction of Germany’s military forces.

Answer 22

For peace — they wanted to weaken Germany militarily by reducing the number of her soldiers and her land, air and naval strength so that she could not start war again — and revenge.

Question 23

Why did the Germans resent the terms in the Treaty of Versailles concerning the reduction of Germany’s military forces?

Answer 23

It hurt their national pride, as Germany was no longer strong militarily and did not gain respect from other countries. Moreover, Germany was not strong enough to defend herself and was vulnerable from attacks.

Question 24

Describe how the Treaty of Versailles forced Germans to demilitarise Rhineland.

Answer 24

The treaty prohibited Germany from placing its military in Rhineland. Although German still had political control of this area, and it was still part of German territory, Germany was not allowed to put any troops into it. It was occupied and controlled by French troops until 1925.

Question 25

Explain why the Treaty of Versailles included the terms concerning the demilitarisation of Rhineland.

Answer 25

The winning powers included this term to protect France from Germany’s attack in the future, as Rhineland was located in between the two countries.

Question 26

Why did the Germans resent the terms in the Treaty of Versailles concerning the demilitarisation of Rhineland?

Answer 26

Many Germans concluded that they did not actually fully control the area despite it being in Germany itself. Moreover, if there were no German soldiers in Rhineland, France could invade it easily, putting Germany in a dangerous position.

Question 27

Elaborate on the term “war guilt clause” in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 27

Germany had to accept the entire blame for starting WW1.

Question 28

Explain why the “war guilt clause” was included in Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 28

This is because the winning powers wanted to force Germany to bear the cost of the destructions and compensate themselves by placing the blame on Germany.

Question 29

Why did the Germans resent the war guilt clause in the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 29

This is because it was unfair to Germany.

Question 30

Describe the reparations that Germany had to pay according to the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 30

Germany was forced to pay a massive fine for war damages of 1,000,000,000 Marks (6.6 billion pounds).

Question 31

Explain why the terms concerning the reparations that Germany had to pay were included in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 31

The winning powers placed this burden on Germany to weaken them, get revenge, and of course, money.

Question 32

Why did the Germans resent the terms concerning the reparations that Germany had to pay in the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 32

This is because Germany was forced to pay an unreasonably large amount of money to the winning powers, causing them financial and social problems . Moreover, Germany didn’t have enough money for post war recovery because of this.

Question 33

Describe the terms concerning Germany’s national territory in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 33

Germany lost 13% of her national territory which was given to Belgium and Denmark, while most went to Poland, a new nation.
North Schleswig was given to Denmark; Eupen and Malmedy was given to Belgium; Posen, a rich farmland, was given to Poland; Poland was given a corridor to the Baltic Sea, cutting off East Prussia from Germany — the Polish Corridor; Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.

Question 34

Explain why the terms concerning Germany’s national territory were included in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 34

These terms are included in the Treaty of Versailles to weaken Germany and to strengthen new nations, especially Poland (as it required extra resources to resist the aggression of its neighbour — USSR, a big strong nation).

Question 35

Why did the Germans resent the terms concerning Germany’s national territory in the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 35

This is because this term made Germany smaller and weaker. Germany lost population, natural resources and prestige. Moreover, Germans living in East Prussia were discontented with being separated from Germany, and those who lived in the Polish Corridor were discontented with having to live under Poland’s foreign rule.

Question 36

Describe the terms concerning German overseas territories in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 36

Germany lost Chinese ports — Amoy and Tsingtao, Pacific Islands, and African colonies — Tanzania and German SW Africa.

Question 37

Explain why the terms concerning German overseas territories were included in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 37

These terms were included to weaken Germany, take away her colonies, and deprive her of natural resources, markets and cheap labour.

Question 38

Describe the terms concerning banning Germany from forming a union with Austria in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 38

Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria.

Question 39

Explain why the terms concerning banning Germany from forming a union with Austria were included in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 39

The purpose of these terms were to prevent Germany from getting stronger, and from expanding her territory.

Question 40

Why did the Germans resent the terms concerning banning Germany from forming a union with Austria in the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 40

This is because they could not unite in the Germans who lived in Austria.

Question 41

What did the Germans feel towards the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 41

They felt that it was too harsh and not fair. They also felt humiliated that Germany was forced to accept the War-guilt Clause.

Question 42

What did the harsh terms that Germany was forced to accept in the Treaty of Versailles result in?

Answer 42

The Germans thought that Germany was too harshly treated by the treaty and it was unfair for Germany to accept full responsibility for WWI; hence, they wanted to avenge their defeat in the war and revive Germany, later leading to the rise of Hitler, and his aggressive foreign policy led to the outbreak of WWII.

Question 43

Why is the Treaty of Versailles also harmful to the winning powers?

Answer 43

This is because they made the mistake of punishing Germany too harshly.

Question 44

Name and explain the terms that Georges Clemenceau wanted to put in the Treaty of Versailles. Did up end up on the Treaty? If not, why? Was there a compromise?

Answer 44

1. He wanted Germany to return Alsace Lorraine to France
   —This is because it is the land that Germany gained
   in the Franco-Prussian War
   —It was returned to France
2. He wanted to make Rhineland independent
   —So that Germany no longer shared a common border with France
   —Lloyd George persuaded Clemenceau to abandon the idea of an independent Rhineland state because he believed that it would become a cause of constant German resentment
   —Rhineland was to be a demilitarised zone. German troops were not allowed in the area, and there was to be an Allied army of occupation on the west bank or the Rhine for 15 years
3. Permanent disarmament of Germany
   —Germany was permanently disarmed
4. He wanted to impose a very high level of reparations on Germany to pay for the destruction she caused
   —This was because Germany had done a lot of damage to France’s land, industry, people and confidence
   —War guilt clause forced Germany to accept total responsibility for starting the war, and Germany had to accept liability for the damage caused by the war and pay reparations
5. The Saar Basin — a coalfield — to be transferred to France
   —This is because they wanted fuel to generate heat and hence produce products, which would be useful to the French industrial development, and the same time depriving Germany of coal and weakening her economically
   —It ended up being administered by the League of Nations for 15 years, and a plebiscite was to be held to decide whether it should belong to France or Germany after that time
6. He wanted to split Germany into smaller states
   —Lloyd George persuaded Clemenceau not to, to avoid France becoming a dominant power in Europe

Question 45

Apart from the proposed terms on the Treaty of Versailles, what else did Clemenceau want? Why? Why why? Did this happen? If not, why?

Answer 45

France wanted an Anglo-American Treaty of Guarantee to assist them if Germany became aggressive again.
This is because Wilson and Lloyd George persuaded Clemenceau not to make Rhineland independent and transfer the Saar Basin to France because they were afraid that Germany would be angry.
This did not materialise because America withdrew into isolation and Britain would not act independently.