Unit 1 - Paris Peace Settlement

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States (1913-1921) and a leading figure at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Aims

Idealistic - 14 Points

League of Nations

Disarmament

Self-Determination - use a plebiscite

He was unable to persuade the U.S. Congress to ratify the Treaty of Versailles or join the League of Nations.

Fourteen Points

A series of proposals in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I.

His 14th point was for a League of Nations.

League of Nations

an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations

Self-Determination

the right of people to choose their own form of government

David Lloyd George

Britain's prime minister at the end of World War I and a leading figure at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

Aims

Pragmatic

Reasonable reparations

Moderately strong Germany, wants to keep Germany as an economic partner

Georges Clemenceau

"tiger of France", the French prime minister who wanted to ensure that Germany would never again threaten France. He was at the Paris Peace Conference.

Aims

Revenge - Crush Germany (invaded France twice in 50 years)

Massive reparations to weaken Germany

Break up Germany

Reparations

Payment for war damages

Plebiscite

A direct vote in which a country's people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal

War Guilt

Blaming a country for the outbreak of war. Most of the treaties at the Paris Peace Conference mention war guilt.

Article 231 -- Germany

Article 177 -- Austria

Article 161 -- Hungary

Bulgaria and Turkey had to admit they caused loss of life and damages, not responsible for causing the war.

Disarmament

Reduction of armed forces and weapons. Article 8 of the Covenant stated that members must reduce arms. (They didn't)

ARTICLE 8. The Members of the League recognize that the maintenance of peace requires the reduction of national armaments to the lowest point consistent with national safety

Paris Peace Treaties (1919-1923)

The Treaties that ended WWI. THERE ARE 5. (6 if you count Lausanne)

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WWI With Germany (TRAWL below)

TERRITORY

10% of its land was removed and redistributed including:

Saar to France for 15 years, then plebiscite

Colonies were lost

Rhineland demilitarized, remained part of Germany

Alsace-Lorraine to France

Polish corridor split Germany in 2

Unification with Austria forbidden (Anschluss)

REPARATIONS

Reparations set at 132 billion gold marks (but never paid in full)

ARMS

Army reduced to 100,000 men

Navy 15,000 men

No conscription

No air force, no tanks, no artillery

Navy limited to 6 battleships, 12 destroyers, 12 torpedo boats, and no submarines

WAR GUILT

War guilt clause = Article 231, Germany was forced to accept responsibility for the war

LEAGUE

Not allowed to join

Saar

The Saar, an important German coalfield, was to be given to France for 15 years, after which a plebicite would decide ownership.

Rhineland

A region in Germany designated a demilitarized zone by the Treaty of Versailles; Hitler violated the treaty and sent German troops there in 1936

Alsace-Lorraine

Territory taken by Germany from France as a rest of the Franco Prussian war. Was later returned to France as a result of German defeat in WWI

Polish Corridor

A strip of German territory awarded to newly independent Poland by the Treaty of Versailles. It was 20-70 meters wide and gave Poland access to the Baltic Sea and separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Although originally Polish, a large minority of the population was German-speaking.

Anschluss

Union of Austria and Germany. Forbidden by the ToV. Many in Austria would like to unite with Germany.

Spartacists

Marsixt revolutionaries in post-World War I Germany, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Leibknecht, who were dedicated to bringing a socialist revolution to Germany.

November Criminals

Those in the German government that signed the Armistice ending WWI. They were known as criminals because the population believed that had been betrayed by them.

Freikorps

German paramilitary organizations formed by returning defeated German soldiers. (Right Wing) The Freikorps served as the key paramilitary groups of the Weimar Republic to put down communist rebellions.

Munich Beer Hall Putsch

The Nazis' first attempt to take over power in 1923. They marched on Munich city halls but were put down by police and Hitler was arrested.

Locarno Treaty

(1925) Pact that secured the frontier between Germany and France; as well as Germany and Belgium. It also provided for mutual assistance by France and Italy if Germany invaded its border countries.

Stresemann

Chancellor of the Weimar Republic from August-November 1923 and then Foreign Minister from 1923-29. He negotiated the end of the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr and the Hyperinflation crisis the Dawes Plan, the Locarno Treaty and the Young Plan.

Ruhr Crisis (1923)

Germany announced they couldn't pay their reparations, France invades the Ruhr Valley to collect reparations "in Kind." (leads to Germany printing money causing hyperinflation)

Reichsmark

Was introduced to help end hyperinflation from the Ruhr crisis along with the Dawes Plan.

Hyperinflation

A very rapid rise in the price level; an extremely high rate of inflation.

Treaty of St. Germain

Ended WWI With Austria (TRAWL below)

TERRITORY

Lost 2/3 of its pre-war population & lost land including:

Bohemia and Moravia to Czechoslovakia

Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia to Yugoslavia

Galicia to Poland

Tyrol to Italy

Unification with Germany forbidden (Anschluss)

REPARATIONS

Before a reparations figure was set Austria went bankrupt

ARMY

Army reduced to 30,000 men

No air force

No navy

WAR GUILT

War guilt clause = Article 177, accept responsibility for pulling Austria- Hungary into war

LEAGUE

Joined Dec 1920

Problems with Austrian territorial adjustments

-Land Locked, small country of 6.5 million people

-Vienna = 2.5 million people

-Primarily urban, so lacked food stuffs and was dependent on neighbors to import food. But her neighbors were hostile to the new Austrian state.

Problems with Austrian Politics

Christian Social Party = Conservative, Catholic, bases of power in smaller cities and in rural areas, included many in the middle class and industrialists

Social Democrats - socialists, supported by the working class of Vienna

Vienna = run by Social Democrats

National Politics = controlled by Christian Social Party

Both parties formed paramilitary organizations in by the mid 1920

1933 - in the midst of tension and violence between the paramilitary groups, and economic crisis, parliament was suspended and a dictatorship under the Christian Social leader Dollfuss was established, he banned all other parties

Problems with Austrian Economics

-Vienna = manufacturing capital (had been one of the centers of industry in the Austrian Hungarian Empire)

-Neighboring states wanted to develop their own industries, placed taxes on Austrian imports = Austrian industries shut down from lack of supplies and markets = increase in unemployment

-Hyperinflation - prices increased 14,000% from 1919-1923

League loaned 650 million crowns to Austria

Treaty of Trianon

Ended WWI With Hungary (TRAWL below)

TERRITORY

Lost over ⅔ of its territory and 64% of its pre-war population including:

Transylvania to Romania

Slovakia, Ruthenia to Czechoslovakia

Slovenia and Croatia to Yugoslavia

REPARATIONS

Reparations set at 200 million gold crowns (payment suspended due to Hungary's financial difficulties)

ARMY

Army reduced to 35,000 men

No air force, no tanks, no submarines

WAR GUILT

War guilt clause = Article 161

LEAGUE

Joined Dec 1922

Problems with Hungarian territorial adjustments

-Land locked, small country

-Lost over ⅔ of its territory and 64% of its pre-war population

-Primarily rural, neighbors feared Hungarian calls to revise the Treaty, this lead to the formation of the Little Entente

Problems with Hungarian Politics

-Communist revolve led by Bela Kun (inspired by Russian Bolsheviks), created the Hungarian Soviet Republic

-Fighting broke out between the Hungarian communists, their opponents, Czechoslovak forces, and Romanian communists.

-Occupied by Romanians from 1919-1920. When Romanians left in March 1920 they took factory machinery, 50% of all railroad equipment, 30% of all livestock and agricultural equipment, 35,000 wagon loads of animal feed and grain

-When Romania left, Admiral Horthy became regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, ruled like a king

Problems with Hungarian Economics

-Had been the supplier of agricultural products for the A-H empire - Hungary produced 500% more farm products than they could consume in the early 1920's, led to increased unemployment and grain production declined by 70%

-Industry suffered from a lack of raw materials, left with only 16% of former iron mines, and 11% of former timber resources

-Hyperinflation = 1924 League loaned them 250 million crown, new currency introduced, the pengo

Rise of Authoritarian Regimes

A common trend in C. and E. European countries during the interwar period.

Czechoslovakia

A Successor State in C. Europe. Rather successful compared to many of the other successor state.

Successes with Czechoslovakian territorial adjustments

-Ethnically diverse, Czechs dominated the government and decided that Slovaks would be counted as Czechs (Slovaks saw themselves as distinct and disliked this)

-Czechs managed the government and Czech officials were moved into regions as government officials and teachers = resentment among minority groups

-Germans wanted to merge with Austria or Germany, Slovaks and Hungarians wanted to return to Hungary

Successes with Czechoslovakian Politics

Stable parliamentary government.

Little Entente - coalition of Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia to resist Hungarian attempts to reclaim lost lands which they now occupied

Successes with Czechoslovakian Economics

Contained 80% of all industries that had existed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Relatively high standard of living

Little Entente

This alliance joined Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia against defeated and bitter Hungary. France was also closely associated with this alliance

Poland

a recreated country in E. Europe after WWI

Polish Territorial Adjustments

-Created with land from Russia, Austria-Hungary , and Germany

-Had access to the sea through the Polish Corridor

A- lot of Germans lived in Poland, a lot of ethnic Poles were not living in Poland

-65% of the population were peasants

Polish Politics

Began with parliamentary democracy, but by 1926 Jozef Pilsudski took over as head of the military and head of the country. He appointed the president of Poland and reduced the number of parties, limited press freedoms. He ruled until his death in 1935

Supported by France - Alliance formed in 1921 as a counterbalance to Germany

Polish Economics

-A lot of destruction from WWI

Poland had been part of 3 countries, so what railroads remained connected poland to other countries, but not with each other

-1919 industry operated at 30% of the 1913 level

-Poor relations with neighbors limited trading

Germany as a trade partner

This was one of the British goals during the Paris Peace Conference. It was in opposition to the French goal of completely hobbling Germany.

Colonies

lands that are controlled by another nation -- These were taken away from Germany and distributed to other nations in the form of mandates.

Conscription

compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces -- Germany was forbidden to have conscription in the Treaty of Versailles

Kapp Putsch (1920)

Freikorps attempt to overthrow the German government, workers didn't support and called for a general strike, takeover was averted

Passive resistance

Nonviolent opposition to authority, especially a refusal to cooperate with legal requirements.

Passive resistance was used during the Ruhr crisis. Workers refused to keep working. In exchange the German government printed money to pay workers. This led to the hyperinflation crisis (1923).

Engelbert Dollfuss

In 1933 this Christian Social Party leader became chancellor of Austria. He tried to steer a course between the Austrian Social Democrats and the German Nazis, who had surfaced in Austria. He abolished all parties and established a dictatorship in Austria. He was eventually executed by the Nazis in the 1934 attempted Nazi coup.

Romanians Stripped Hungary of Infrastructure

Hungary was occupied by Romanians from 1919-1920. When Romanians left in March 1920 they took factory machinery, 50% of all railroad equipment, 30% of all livestock and agricultural equipment, 35,000 wagon loads of animal feed and grain.

When Romania left, Admiral Horthy became regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, ruled like a king.

Treaty of Neuilly

Ended WWI With Bulgaria (TRAWL below)

TERRITORY

Various lands lost to Greece, Romania, and Yugoslavia (thereby losing access to the Aegean Sea)

REPARATIONS

Reparation set at 100 million pounds

ARMY

Army reduced to 20,000 men

No air force

Navy reduced to 4 torpedo boats, 6 motor boats, and no submarines

WAR GUILT

Had to admit that it caused loss of life and damages, not responsible for causing the war

LEAGUE

Joined Dec 1920

Lost access to the Aegean Sea

Due to the territorial changes in the Treaty of Neuilly Bulgaria lost access to the Aegean Sea.

Problems with Bulgarian territorial adjustments

Lost access to Aegean Sea. Lost relatively little land compared to the other nations.

Problems with Bulgarian Politics

- Bulgarian Communist Party gained ground in the 1920 election

- The Agrarian Party - a pro peasant group - worked to re-establish Bulgaria's main industry, agriculture

- Army officers overthrew the Agrarian government in June 1923, a communist revolt shortly followed, the government then carried out mass terror to squash the violence. Prominent Agrarians were murdered

Problems with Bulgarian Economics

Economy was largely agricultural, competed with Hungary and Yugoslavia (which were closer to the consuming countries of Italy, Austria, and Germany)

Jozef Pilsudski

Polish leader who curtailed his country's experiment in democracy when he took power in 1926 and ruled till his death; He is considered largely responsible for Poland regaining its independence in 1918.

Treaty of Sèvres/Lausanne

Ended WWI With Turkey (Former Ottoman Empire); Only country successful at renegotiating their treaty with the passage of the Treaty of Lausanne (TRAWL below)

TERRITORY

Lost land including:

South-western Anatolia to Italy

Western Anatolia to create Kurdish and Armenian states

Smyrna and Eastern Thrace to Greece

Middle Eastern possessions became mandates under control of Britain and France

REPARATIONS

None -- Ottoman Empire had collapsed

ARMY

Army reduced to 50,000 men

No air force, tanks, or submarines

WAR GUILT

Had to admit that it caused loss of life and damages, not responsible for causing the war

LEAGUE

Joined Dec 1932

Problems with Turkish territorial adjustments

Before WWI the Ottoman Empire was one of the largest countries in the world, and it includes a large number of different nationalities

A series of mandates were established throughout the Middle East in previously Ottoman territory

Problems with Turkish Politics

- Mustapha Kemal had rose to power in Turkey, he set up a rebel government which controlled virtually all of Asia Minor and he refused to accept the Treaty of Sevres; he was underestimated by the Allied nations

- Kemal was about to invade the demilitarized straits - which were occupied with Allied troops in 1922 - when he negotiated an armistice and got pretty much everything he wanted

- The Armenian and Kurd states, promised in Sevres were unable to form

Problems with Turkish Economics

Due to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the loss of land and resources, the new economy was struggling

The League controlled all of Turkey's finances, currency rates, and banking

Revanche

The French desire for revenge against Germany for

- the loss of Alsace and Lorraine in the Franco-Prussian War (1870)

- the German invasion during WWI

132 billion gold marks over 42 years

The original reparations figure for Germany.

Eventually lowered to 112 billion (17% decrease), and allowed to be paid over 59 years in the Young Plan

Walter Rathenau

German Foreign Minister, he was also Jewish, he was assassinated in 1922. He was killed because he supported the Treaty of Versailles. Many Germans believed he was killed becuase he was Jewish and therefore unable to truly represent German interests.

Christian Social Party

Austrian Political Party -- Conservative, Catholic, bases of power in smaller cities and in rural areas, included many in the middle class and industrialists; National Politics = controlled by Christian Social Party.

Dollfuss was a Christian Social Party member when he took over he banned all other parties

Social Democrats

Austrian Political Party -- socialists, supported by the working class of Vienna; Vienna = run by Social Democrats

Horthy

When Romania ended their occupation of Hungary , Admiral Horthy became the leader of Hungary, ruled like a king

The Agrarian Party

Bulgarian Political Party -- a pro peasant group - worked to re-establish Bulgaria's main industry, agriculture

Army officers overthrew the Agrarian government in June 1923, a communist revolt shortly followed, the government then carried out mass terror to squash the violence. Prominent Agrarians were murdered