Unit 1 - Key terms

From the Cambridge study and revision guide

Anschluss

Joining of Austria and Germany as one state which was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 but carried out by Hitler in 1938

Big Three

The three main leaders at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, composed of Lloyd George (Britain), Woodrow Wilson (USA), and Clemenceau (France)

Conscription

Compulsory service in the armed forces (Germany wasn’t allowed to have conscription as stated in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919)

Demilitarised zones

Areas of land where troops cannot be stationed (Ex. Rhineland area of Germany after the First World War)

Democracy

A political system in which the population votes for its government in elections held on a regular basis (The colonies or territories now freed from Germany and the defeated countries would uphold democracy in Wilson’s opinion)

Diktat

Term used in Germany to describe the Treaty of Versailles as a ‘false agreement’ because Germany had no say in the terms of the Treaty

Disarmament

The process of scrapping land, sea or air weapons (All countries had to work towards disarmament according to the 14 points by Wilson)

Fourteen Points

The statement of principles for the peace negotiations after the First World War, made by Woodrow Wilson

General strike

Large-scale co-ordinated strike by workers designed to stop essential services like power, transport, etc. (Germany’s government ordered workers to do a general strike to push French and Belgian soldiers out of the Ruhr area + Kapp Putsch)

Hyperinflation

The process of money becoming worthless (Germany in 1923 due to the excess printing of money to finance Germany when their money was used up to pay for debts in ToV)

Idealist

Someone who is motivated by particular beliefs (Ex. commitment to right of peoples to rule themselves) => Wilson who wanted future peace in Europe

Realist

A politician who accepts a particular course of action even though it is not what they would prefer to do => Lloyd George who wanted to punish Germany but not too harshly to avoid a future conflict

Kapp Putsch

The attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government in Germany in 1920 because they accepted the Treaty of Versailles without consulting the public opinion

League of Nations

An organisation set up to manage international disputes and prevent wars after the First World War (concept created by Wilson)

Paris Peace Conference

The conference which ran from 1919-1923 to decide how to officially end the First World War => Treaty of Versailles and 4 other treaties

Public opinion

The view of the majority of population on an issue, most important in democracies where politicians often must win over public opinion (Ex. The public opinion of Britain at the time was for harsh treatment on Germany but Lloyd George couldn’t exactly do that because of his own fears over Germany taking revenge in the future)

Reparations

Compensations to be paid by Germany to France, Belgium, Britain and other states as a result of the FirstWorld War (Germany had to pay all of this by themselves which was impossible because the amount they had, 6,600 million pounds, was just impossible to pay off)

Rhineland

An area of Germany that bordered France (Under the ToV, it was demilitarised)

Ruhr

Main industrial area of Germany (Was invaded by French and Belgian soldiers when Germany didn’t pay their debts in the 2nd year of the ToV)

Saar

The region on the border between France and Germany which was run by the LoN from 1920-1935 when its people voted to become part ofGermany

Secret treaties

International agreements between countries that are not made public to other nations (One of Wilson’s 14 points was for there to be no secret treaties)

Self-determination

The right for people to choose which nation they belong to, often by vote (Wilson’s 14 points was based heavily on this)

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A treaty between Germany and Russia in 1918 which ended war between the two, terms included for Germany to take massive amounts of land and reparations from Russia (ToV could be justified due to the harsh treatments Germany did to Russia, same as the Big Three being harsh to Germany)

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty that officially ended war between the allies and Germany in 1919 which was controversial because of its terms that Germany considered to be excessively harsh

War guilt

A clause in the ToV which forced Germany to accept blame for the First World War