YEAR 10 END OF YEAR Flashcards
What were Clemenceau’s aims at Versailles?
- Harsh punishment of Germany (revenge, they had attacked France twice in the past 50 years)
- Cripple Germany to prevent any future attacks
- Rhineland independent state so that they no longer shared a common border
- Return of Alsace-Lorraine, and Saar Basin transferred to France
What were Lloyd George’s aims at Versailles?
- Wanted Germany to have a fair reparations fee, but not too much, as they were a valuable trading partner and he didn’t want to lose that (Germany to keep Rhineland)
- A ‘just and firm’ treatment which satisfied the British people, but not too harsh that it would provoke retaliation
- Wanted Clemenceau to make key concessions to stop France becoming the dominant power in Europe
What were Wilson’s aims at Versailles?
- Fourteen points system (aimed to allow nations to decide their own political future)
- Wanted a League (future LoN) where international cooperation would happen; countries could peacefully settle disputes calmly and verbally
- Fair and lasting peace to Germany (didn’t want reparations too high incase of retaliation/future violence)
What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
- Anschluss (Germany/Austria former allies forbidden to unite)
- Rhineland to be demilitarised (and additional allied army of occupation on the west bank for 15 years)
- Disarmament: German army limited to 100,000, conscription banned, no tanks/heavy artillery/military or naval airforce/submarines permitted. Navy restricted to 36 warships.
- War guilt clause: Germany accepting total responsibility for starting the War
- Reparations of £6,600m decided in 1921
- League of Nations (USA’s idea, however did not join as congress voted against them becoming a member)
What was the decision about what was to happen about German colonies under the Treaty of Versailles?
- Become mandates of the League of Nations
- Controlled by Britain and France
What was the decision about what was to happen about Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under the Treaty of Versailles?
-Set up as independent states
What was the decision about what was to happen about Alsace-Lorraine and Saar Basin under the Treaty of Versailles?
- Alsace-Lorraine returned to France (what Clemenceau wanted)
- Saar Basin administered by the League of Nations for 15 years, plebiscite held to decide if it should belong to France, Germany, or remain under League control (not what Clemenceau had wanted)
What was the decision about what was to happen about Danzig under the Treaty of Versailles?
- Became a free city administered by the League of Nations
- Poland could use the port and the strip of land known as the ‘Polish Corridor’
What was the decision about what was to happen about Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet, and North Schleswig under the Treaty of Versailles?
- Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet transferred to Belgium
- North Schleswig transferred to Denmark
What was the decision about what was to happen about West Prussia, Posen and Parts of upper Silelsia under the Treaty of Versailles?
-Transferred to Poland
What was the decision about what was to happen about Memel under the Treaty of Versailles?
-Transferred to Lithuania
Why did France not get everything they wanted?
-Did not get a Treaty of Guarantee with his Allied partners, meaning no guarantee that they would come to his aid in the event of future German aggression
Why did The United States not get everything they wanted?
- Thought the whole Versailles treaty was too harsh overall
- The principle of free navigation of the seas was abandoned (Britain’s fault mainly)
- It was obvious that Britain, France and Japan had rewarded themselves with Germany’s former colonies even though they officially were supposed to be governed as mandated territories
- While National Self-determination was mostly implemented for people of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, there were some exceptions:
- Austria not allowed to unite with Germany
- The Sudeten Germans were not consulted about their future
Why did Britain not get everything they wanted?
- Most happy, on the whole he got his way
- He didn’t like the placing of German-speaking people under French or Polish rule
What was the impact (political) of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany up to 1923?
-Deprived of the very resources they needed in order to pay their reparations (coal, iron ore etc.)
-Diktat- Forced peace- German officials excluded from negotiations deciding their fate
POLITICAL CAUSES:
-Right-wing politicians and activists expressed disapproval by supporting attempts to overthrow the Government, such as Munich Putsch of 1923, left wing extremist groups exploited unpopularity of Weimar government by promoting rebellions, such as Ruhr of 1920
-Members of the Army furious at the Government, formed Freikops , refused to intervene in Coup in Berlin, nearly collapsing the Government
