ww2 causes - The treaty of versialles

Treaty of Versailles background

• 11th November 1918 - German armistice → needed ww1

• Ww1 → 9.7 million soldiers and 10 million civilian deaths worldwide

→ Germany got blamed for causing the war

The Paris peace conference

• allied powers held a conference at place of Versailles

• 27 countries present → ‘BIG THREE’ ← determined the terms - France, USA, Great Britain - George Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George (respectively)

• Central powers - not invited

TOV

• blame

• Land

• Army

• Money

• Empire

• Disputes

TOV - blame

• war guilt clause - article 231

• Said that Germany held a legal/moral responsibility for the conflict → lead to heavy financial and territorial losses

TOV - land

• Germany suffered territorial losses

• Had to surrender 13% of European territory

TOV - army

• restriction on military - max 100,000 soldiers + conscription banned

• Limited weaponry → no. Of rapid military hardware

TOV - money

• Germany held financial liability for all damaged

• Economy was crippled so Germany couldn’t pay → had to print more money → hyperinflation

TOV - empire

• striped of alll overseas colonies → handed to victors → humiliation

• Germans believed democratic gov wasn’t strong enough

TOV - disputes

• disagreement about TOV terms by Germans because they though it was unfair

• ‘Stab in the back’ notion went around the country