Treaty of Versailles

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

War guilt, pay reparations, Germany give up their territories and colonies, Germany's armed forces reduces and the League of Nations set up

War guilt

Simple clause that was seen by the Germans as extremely harsh. Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war.

German Payment of Reparations

Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies for the damage caused in the war. 6,600 million pounds was the exact figure but was soon later changed under the Young Plan in 1929 to 2 billion pounds

Germans giving up Territories and Colonies

Germany had to give up land to give to Denmark, France, Poland and also Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia became independent states as Germany had taken them away from Russia in 1918. Then the Rhineland also became demilitarised

Germany's armed forces

Germany army was very strong and raised concerns, the army was limited to 100,000, conscription was banned, Germany was not allowed armoured vehicles, submarines or aircrafts, the navy could only have 6 battleships and the Rhineland became demilitarised (the border area between France and Germany)

League of Nations

Previous methods of creating peace had failed so the League of Nations was set up as an international "police officer" and Germany was not invited to join the league unless until they proved themselves as a peace-loving country.

14 points

In 1918, Woodrow Wilson made a speech outlining the 14 points

Main ideas of the 14 points

Don't be too harsh on Germany so that they wouldn't want revenge, Strengthen democracy in defeated countries as a key to peace in Europe, give self-determination to smaller countries (countries to rule themselves), and International co-operation by an organisation called the League of Nations.

Woodrow Wilson

USA president during the war, he made a speech on the 14 points and was an idealist - meaning he had a very optimistic outlook.

Georges Clemenceau

French prime minister just before the war and the later half of the war

David Lloyd George

British prime minister during WWI

Did Lloyd George agree with Wilson?

In public he praised Wilson but in private he was less positive he only agreed with certain points, Germany should be punished but not to harshly, for Germany to not start a war, also didn't want communism to start in Germany and he wanted Britain and Germany to begin to trade with each other. However, Lloyd George wanted the better of the British Empire so he wanted to crush the German Empire and its naval power to give Britain the upperhand

Did Clemenceau agree with Wilson?

In public he agreed with Wilson's aim for a lasting peace, however he found Wilson very hard to work with. The major disagreement was over Germany , Clemenceau and other French leaders saw the treaty as an opportunity to cripple Germany so that it could not attack France

Pressure on Clemenceau - What percentage of French soldiers were killed in the war?

Over 2/3

Pressure on Clemenceau - What type of damage did France suffer in the war?

Enormous damage

Pressure on Clemenceau - How did Germany's population compare to France's after the war?

Germany had a significantly larger population than France

Pressure on Clemenceau - What geographical feature did France and Germany share?

A land border

Pressure on Clemenceau - How was Germany perceived in comparison to France after the war?

Germany was seen to be extremely powerful

Pressure on Clemenceau - How was Germany affected by the war compared to France?

Germany hadn't been as badly affected in the war

What did Clemenceau resent about Wilson's attitude towards Germany?

Clemenceau resented Wilson's more generous attitude towards Germany.

What two regions did Clemenceau and Wilson disagree on?

They disagreed on what to do with the Rhineland and the Saar.

What did Wilson ultimately have to do regarding the disagreements with Clemenceau?

Wilson had to give way on these issues.

What was Lloyd George's stance on treating Germany after World War I?

Lloyd George wanted not to treat Germany too harshly.

What was Clemenceau's concern regarding Lloyd George's approach to Germany?

Clemenceau felt that the British were happy to treat Germany fairly in Europe, where France was under threat.

What did Clemenceau believe about Britain's feelings towards Germany's navy and colonies?

Clemenceau believed that Britain was less happy to allow Germany to keep its navy and colonies, as this would pose a heavier threat to Britain.

What was Lloyd George's concern regarding access to the sea?

He was not happy with the idea that all nations should have access to the sea as proposed in Wilson's 14 points.

How would self-determination affect the British Empire according to Lloyd George?

He believed that people ruling themselves would heavily weaken the British Empire.

What was a major criticism of the Treaty of Versailles regarding war guilt from the German perspective?

War guilt was hated; blame should be shared.

What did Germans believe about the reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany should not have to pay everything; the economy was severely weakened.

Why did Germans find the limitation of their army to 100,000 men unfair?

The army was a symbol of pride.

What was one way Germany felt insulted by the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany was insulted by not being able to join the League of Nations.

How did Germans feel about their representation in the peace talks after World War I?

They were not represented in peace talks and were being forced to accept the treaty.

What did Germans believe about the Allies' adherence to Wilson's Fourteen Points?

Allies were not following Wilson's Fourteen Points.

What was the overall impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?

It was a major blow to German pride and economy.

Consequences of the Treaty for Germany

Political violence

Conflict in the Ruhr

Hyperinflation

Conflict in the Ruhr

When the French and Belgian soldiers entered the Ruhr and took what was owed to them in the form of raw materials .The German government ordered the workers to go on strike so that they were not producing anything for the French to take . The strike meant that Germany had no goods to trade, and no money to buy things with and this led to Hyperinflation.