treaty of versailles

general

• given to Germany @ Trianon Palace of Versailles April 1919

• George Clemenceau: “You have asked for peace. We are disposed to give it to you”

• shaped by France to ensure wouldn’t be threatened by Germany again

• no negotiations allowed, 15 day response period

terms of treaty

• military provisions

• territorial provisions

• colonial provisions

• reparations

• war guilt

military provisions

• army < 100 000 men

• forbidden to produce heavy artillery, poisonous gas + tanks

• compulsory military service forbidden

• no academies + airforces

• no submarines, navy reduced to coastal patrol

territorial provisions

• Saar Basin (coal producing region) placed under international control

• Posen given to Poland —> East Prussia being cut off from Germany

• the Rhineland (area on the French border) forbidden to have any military forces

• union between Germany + Austria (Anschluss) forbidden

colonial provisions

• deemed “colonially unworthy”

• all colonies administered as mandate territories by LoN eg. Papua New Guinea

reparations

• was to pay for the cost of the war

• 132 000M gold marks / 32B USD

war guilt

• was to accept the responsibility for war

• clause 231

  • required Germany to “accept all the losses which Allied + associated powers suffered as a consequence of the war forced upon them”

german response

• shock + anger

• announced government would not accept

• “We must hold together, we must stick together. We are one flesh + blood” Chancellor Scheidemann May 1919

• govt had little choice but to accept as allies threatened to resume war

• prioritised rep of army + placed the blame on politicians

signing of the ToV

• 28/6/19

• Hall of Mirrors @ Versailles

• Dr Müller + Bell (delegates)

• same room where Bismarck declared German Empire in 1871

criticisms of the ToV

• motivated by desire for revenge

• threatened Germany’s democracy + economic stability

• assisted the Nazis rise to power which led to WW2

• criticised by John Maynard Keys (British economist) in “Economic Consequences of the Peace”

support for the ToV

• some argue treaty wasn’t that harsh

• Hitler’s rise to power was solely propaganda based

• only lost 13% of territory compared to Russias 25%

• Germany was neither occupied or divided after WW1 like WW2

• still largest country in Europe (next to Russia) w strong industrial capactiy

• Jürgen Tampke “A Perfidious Distortion of History” 2017 argues:

  • economic impacts of treaty were overstated

  • payed much of reparations w loans

effects of the treaty

• sense of bitterness, humiliation + betrayal

• republic + democracy blamed by the people

• extreme left + right used treaty as propaganda to attack democracy

• no loyalty established to a political system that “failed” them

• Clause 232 required G to pay damages —> economic + political instability

• ToV failed to make G and ally OR to completely eliminate them as a threat