exam treaty of versailles:

IDK

The Big 3 Leaders

Georges Clemenceau (France) wants (2)

revenge
security
* Germany permanently weakened

France had suffered huge destruction in WW1 and feared another invasion.

David Lloyd George (Britain) wants (1-2)

Wanted:

punishment for Germany
protection of British trade and empire
* Germany strong enough to recover economically and not want revenge and be willing to trade

Britain wanted a balance:
punish Germany, but not destroy it completely.

Woodrow Wilson (USA) wants (5)

Wanted:

fairness
long-term peace
* self-determination
* League of Nations

Wilson believed a harsh treaty would cause another war.

Wilson believed WW1 had been caused by: (4)

nationalism
* imperialism
* alliances
* arms races

(5) So his Fourteen Points aimed to create:

open diplomacy
* free trade
* disarmament
* self-determination
* collective security through the League of Nations

Goal:
prevent future wars permanently.  

Why France wanted a harsh treaty

France was devastated during WW1.
Germany had invaded northern France.
* Clemenceau remembered France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71).
* France feared another German attack.
* France wanted security above everything else.

What France wanted (8) land areas wise too…..

Revenge.
Massive reparations.
* Alsace-Lorraine returned.
* Germany permanently weakened.
* German army drastically reduced.
* Rhineland separated or controlled as a buffer zone.
* Saar coalfields for industry and compensation.
* German colonies removed.
* Germany possibly split into smaller states to prevent future strength.  

France disagreed with the USA because

Wilson believed:

peace should be fair
Germany should not be destroyed

Clemenceau believed:

Wilson was too soft
Germany must be crippled for French safety

Disagreements included:

reparations
Rhineland
* colonies
* severity of punishment

France disagreed with Britain because- big reparations..

Britain wanted Germany strong enough to trade.
France wanted Germany weakened far more severely.
* Britain opposed fully breaking Germany apart.

big reperations, breaking into smaller, and stuff like that

What France got (5)

Alsace-Lorraine returned.
Reparations.
* Saar coalfields for 15 years.
* Rhineland demilitarized.
* Germany’s military reduced.

wanted eveennnn harsher

What France DIDN’T get

Rhineland permanently separated from Germany.
Germany split into smaller states.

This disappointed Clemenceau.

Why Britain wanted moderation

British people wanted Germany punished.
Britain still wanted to trade with Germany.
* Britain feared Germany could turn communist if treated too harshly., or start another war
* Britain wanted to protect its navy and empire.
* Britain wanted European stability.

What Britain wanted 6 middle esat

German navy reduced.
German colonies removed.
* Reparations.
* Germany economically stable enough for trade.
* British Empire protected.
* Middle Eastern colonies for oil and imperial expansion.

Britain disagreed with the USA because

Britain disliked:

full self-determination
freedom of the seas

Reason:
Britain’s empire and navy depended on controlling trade routes and colonies.

Britain disagreed with France because

France wanted a much harsher treaty.
Britain feared Germany would collapse economically.
* Britain did not want Germany completely destroyed or divided.

What Britain got 4

Germany’s navy dismantled. which was a scrary big one in ww1
Colonies gained as League mandates.
* Reparations.
* British Empire protected and expanded. with mandates

Wilson’s main belief and waht he wanted

Wilson’s main belief

A harsh treaty would create resentment and future wars.

⸻

What the USA wanted

Fair peace.
No revenge.
* League of Nations.
* Self-determination.
* Free trade.
* Open diplomacy.
* Worldwide disarmament.
* Democracy in defeated nations.
* No empire-building.

Wilson also opposed creating “unnatural borders” that forced different peoples together.  

USA disagreed with France because

France wanted revenge.
Wilson thought reparations were too harsh.
* Wilson opposed crippling Germany.
* Disagreed over Rhineland and colonies.

USA disagreed with Britain because

Britain protected its empire.
Britain rejected freedom of the seas.
* Britain opposed full self-determination.

What the USA got

* League of Nations created.
* Some influence over Eastern European borders.
* Some democratic governments established.

What the USA DIDN’T get

USA Senate refused to join the League of Nations.
Treaty became harsher than Wilson wanted.

1. War Guilt Clause

Germany accepted full blame for WW1.

Purpose:

justified reparations
morally blamed Germany

Why it mattered:

Germans felt humiliated
seen as unfair

Reactions:

France → happy
Britain → mostly satisfied
* USA → thought it was too humiliating

2. Reparations

Germany had to pay £6.6 billion.

Purpose:

* pay for war damage

Problems:

damaged German economy
caused resentment
* weakened recovery

Reactions:

France → wanted even more
Britain → worried Germany could not recover
* USA → thought it was dangerously harsh

3. Territories and Colonies

Germany lost:

Alsace-Lorraine → France
Saar coalfields → France for 15 years
* overseas colonies
* military control of Rhineland

Reactions:

France → safer and stronger
Britain → gained colonies and mandates
* USA → disliked empire-building

4. Disarmament

Germany limited to:

100,000 soldiers
6 ships
* 15,000 sailors
* no tanks
* no submarines
* no air force

Rhineland also demilitarized.

Reactions:

France → felt safer
Britain → naval rivalry reduced
* USA → wanted ALL countries to disarm, not only Germany

5. League of Nations

Aim:
prevent future wars through discussion and collective security.

Problems:

USA never joined
Germany excluded at first
* Britain and France did not always support it strongly

Reactions:

France → did not fully trust it
Britain → thought it useful
* USA → Wilson’s greatest success

economic Consequences for Germany

Huge reparations.
Ruhr occupied by France in 1923 after missed payments.
* Hyperinflation after Germany printed excessive money.
* Economic collapse and poverty.

Political consequences

Hatred of the treaty.
Anger toward Weimar politicians.
* Politicians who signed the treaty were attacked and sometimes assassinated. november criminals
* Growth of extremist groups.

Social consequences article 231

* National humiliation.
* Deep resentment. novembr criminals
* Germans called it a “Diktat” (“dictated peace”).
* Many Germans believed they had been betrayed.

France high chain

France wanted reparations
→ because France was devastated during WW1
→ because France wanted Germany weakened
→ because France feared another invasion.

France = security + revenge.

Britain

Britain wanted moderation
→ because Britain needed German trade
→ because economic collapse could spread communism
→ because Britain wanted European stability.

Britain = trade + empire but trade with germany

USA

Wilson wanted fairness
→ because he believed revenge would create resentment
→ because resentment could lead to another world war.

USA = fairness + peace.

10 second emergency:)

France wanted Germany crushed for security.

Britain wanted punishment but also trade and stability.

USA wanted fairness and long-term peace.