Treaty of Versailles
A treaty made in Versailles, France to officially end WW1. Was signed on the 28th of June 1919, and involved many countries, though discussions were dominated by the Big Three (USA, France, and Britain)
What Georges Clemenceau Wanted from the ToV
Wanted:
Revenge on Germany for the damage it inflicted onto France and the French people
Compensation for all of the damage caused by Germany to France
To weaken Germany to such an extent that there would be no chance of invasion to France
In overall, he wanted it very harsh
What David Lloyd George Wanted from the ToV
Wanted:
Punishment, though not too harsh as to not cause another war
To weaken the Germany navy so that it wasn’t a threat to the British
To establish a trade partnership with Germany
Overall, believed there should be punishment, but not as harsh
What Woodrow Wilson wanted from the ToV
Wanted:
Peace all over the war and not a chance for another war
To establish a League of Nations in order for future problems to be discussed without war
To enact all of his 14 Points
Overall, wanted to be very soft on Germany
Examples of Articles of the ToV
Blame Clause
Army to be made up of at most 100,000, of all volunteers
No navy, tanks or submarines
To leave the Rhineland alone
Give away the Ruhr to the League of Nations for 15 years
Significance of the Blame Clause
Meant that Germany would have to accept blame for the war starting, and that it would have to pay reparations (132 billion gold marks)
The Roaring 20’s
The time period of the 1920’s where people put behind the negativity of the war behind them and spent more time having fun. Introduced many new innovations, inventions and new ideas, though it did not affect everyone and in someways, hurt more than helped. Is also known as the jazz age due to the introduction of Jazz (introduced by African American people, and made popular by musicians like Louis Armstrong
Technology in the 1920’s
Introduced electricity to many homes in urban areas, which created a market for new inventions like vacuums and other household appliances. Also introduced the assembly line, which was important as it made many goods much cheaper to make and thus more accessible to the public. Movies became increasingly popular, with film stars being the first real celebrities, such as Charlie Chaplin
Paying on Credit
A method of payment in which one pays for something using the banks money, and pays the bank back later. Became popular in the 1920’s with many expensive goods on the market. Was a factor to the Great Depression as people could not pay back banks with no job, causing the banks to lose a lot of money
The Assembly Line
A system of assembly for goods invented in 1913 by Henry Ford in order to make his very accessible to the general public, as beforehand, they were limited to only the super-rich. This lowered cars from taking 12 hours to make, to taking 90 minutes, making cars very popular
Flappers
Young women in the 1920’s who rebelled against social norms for women at the time by wearing loose dresses, revealing skin, having short hair, and openly smoking and drinking. These women were seen as incredibly scandalous and were hated by conservative groups like the Catholic Church
Who the 1920’s affected
Only affected white people who lived in urban areas that were not apart of oppressed minorities. Those who lived in the country did not experience flapper women, nor electricity. As well as this, African American people still experienced much racism, as well as people of other races
1920’s Effects on Women
Introduced flapper women, though at the same time, caused a lot of women to be paid less. Women’s roles in the house also never changed, still being expected to stay at home and complete household tasks while the man worked
Prohibition
The time between 1920-1933 where alcohol was illegal in America
Weinmar Republic
A system of Democratic Government for Germany which lasted from 1919-1933. Was largely blamed for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, though they had little choice. Known as Weinmar as it was made in a town by the same name
Effect of the Reparations on Germany
Was too large and destroyed the economy. Caused the government to print more money to pay it off faster, though it hyperinflated the mark and made it practically useless
Hyper-inflation in Germany
A problem caused by the government printing more money to pay off the reparations to France and Britain. Made the German mark worthless, and cheaper for people to use the bills as insulation or burn them as fuel
Political Uprisings in Germany
There were many attempts to overthrow the Weinmar Republic, being the Communist Putsch (1919), the Kapp Putsch (1920), and the Beer Hall Putsch (1923, was led by Hitler)
Reason why People Disliked the Weinmar Republic
It was the government which signed the Treaty of Versailles, causing much hardship for all German people. This was practically forced though, as Germany had few resources, spent $40 billion on the war and feared invasion from the Allies
Leaders of Germany in the Weinmar Republic
Friedrich Ebert (1919-1925 (his death))
Gustav Stresemann (1925-1933)
Diktat
The nickname of the ToV for German people, which means “enforced peace”, and was due to how the ToV was made to weaken Germany so much that no fighting could occur
Gustav Stresemann
The second president of the Weinmar Republic, who greatly contributed to helping solve the economic problem of hyperinflation for Germany at the time
Contributions of Gustav Stresemann
Introduced a new currency known as the Rentenmark to replace the hyper-inflated Mark
Encouraged Germans to work in the Ruhr after the Ruhr invasion
Negotiated with the Allies to make reparations more realistic
Secured many loans for Germany
Introduced new plans to help Germany pay of the reparations
The Ruhr Invasion
An invasion by France and Belgium of the Ruhr Region of Germany (the main working area) in 1923 to steal money from Germans after Germany had failed to pay off the scheduled reparations. Caused many Germans to be scared of working
Land Taken from Germany in the ToV
German colonies were taken away
Alsace-Lorraine was given back to France
Rhineland was demilitarised
Germany forbidden to unite with Austria
Posen was given to Poland
North Schleswig was given to Denmark
The Saar Coalfields were given to Russia
Problems with Gustav’s New Currency (Rentenmark)
Was highly fragile and fully dependent on the the US economy
Only the working class experienced better conditions, with the middle class losing all of their savings
The Great Depression
A time of economic depression, where the economy severely worsened between 1929-39. Demand became extremely low and unemployment rates skyrocketed (at 32% in Australia)
Cause of the Great Depression
The massive spike of demand in products in the 1920’s flattened as consumers had already bought products, leading to workers being laid off. With people getting fired, they could no longer pay their debts to the bank, leading to banks losing a lot of money. This all lead to the domino effect of the Wall Street Crash in 1929, that made the problem worse
Men in the Great Depression
Many left their towns, families and wives/children in search of seasonal work for any income possible. Led to many women having to support entire households as they were paid less, meaning jobs were achieved easier, as well as some supported
Economic Effects of the Great Depression on People
Led to intense poverty
Much homeless (meaning people had to live in Hoovervilles)
Jobs were scarce
Men left households for any work possible
Social Effects of the Great Depression on People
Women supported entire households as they worked easier
Less trust in the Government
Living conditions worsened
Crime rates hightened
Hooverville
A makeshift town of homes made from salvaged wood, cardboard, and tin, created by homeless people in the Great Depression
Governments’ Reaction to the Great Depression
Many relied on charities at first to feed the poor, but upon realising that the charities were unable to handle such high levels of poverty, started giving sustenance payments known as susso
Susso
Sustenance payments given to people by the Government in the Great Depression which were in the form of limited food and coupons, and was only given to those who were desolate, with no savings and unemployed for a long time