World War I and Treaty of Versailles

• The document discusses the Treaty of Versailles and the causes and characteristics of the First World War, including long-term and short-term causes, and the debate surrounding the question of guilt for the war.

Treaty of Versailles

• This material outlines the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, as well as its preconditions, and its effects.

Preconditions

• Evacuation of occupied territories in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg was required.
• The army had to retreat behind the Rhine.
• The left bank of the Rhine was occupied.
• All allied prisoners of war had to be released immediately.
• There was a retreat from the occupied eastern territories.
• The entire High Seas Fleet faced disarmament.
• Cannons, airplanes, machine guns, trucks, railroads, and railroad cars had to be handed over.

Question of Guilt

• Article 231 forced Germany and its allies to recognize their sole guilt for the outbreak of World War I.
• Germany alone had to pay for all losses, expenses, and debts resulting from the war.
• This damaged the German people morally and led to the "stab-in-the-back legend".

Timeline

• On September 28, 1918, the German High Command requested an armistice.
• The armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
• The Paris Peace Congress opened on January 18, 1919.
• The German delegation received the finished treaty on May 7, 1919.
• Allied and associated governments stated, and Germany recognized, that Germany and its allies were responsible for all losses and damages suffered by these governments and their nationals as a result of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and its allies.
• Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles is key to understanding the treaty's impact.
• German counter-proposals were rejected on May 29, 1919.
• The treaty was finalized on June 16, 1919.
• The peace treaty was accepted on June 22, 1919.
• The treaty was signed in Versailles on June 28, 1919.
• The treaty came into force on January 20, 1920.

Terms

• General conscription was abolished.
• The army was limited to 100,000 men in ten divisions.
• Heavy weapons, submarines, and an air force were banned.
• The navy was reduced to a minimum of 36 ships.
• The merchant fleet was to be handed over to the Allies.
• Reparations included financial payments of 226 billion RM, raw materials (coal), and material assets (machines, means of transport, dyes, chemicals, livestock, etc.).
• The Kaiser and other prominent figures were to be extradited to the victorious powers as war criminals.
• There were economic restrictions.

Territorial Cessions

• Alsace-Lorraine went to France.
• Posen and West Prussia went to Poland.
• The Memel Territory went to Lithuania.
• The Hultschin area went to CSR.
• Eupen-Malmedy went to Belgium.
• Northern Schleswig went to Denmark.
• Danzig became a free city under the League of Nations.
• The Saar region was placed under League of Nations administration and French occupation for 15 years.
• All colonies were transformed into mandates of various Allied states under the control of the League of Nations.
• The Rhineland province and the Palatinate fell under Allied control.
• Germany lost 13% of its territory (72,068 km²) and 10% of its population (6.451 million).

Causes of World War I

Long-Term Causes

• Nationalist movements, especially in the Balkans, triggered by the weakening of the Ottoman Empire were a major cause.
• The founding of the German Empire led to a strong concentration of power, disturbing the balance of power in Europe and causing anxiety, further fueled by Wilhelm II's foreign policy, which did not continue Bismarck's alliance system.
• The division of Europe into Entente powers (F, GB, R) and D, Ö-U led to an arms race and mutual distrust.
• The German Reich's naval construction program caused conflict with GB, leading to a belief that other countries wanted war.
• Austria-Hungary became entangled in Balkan conflicts, with Serbs opposing Austria, but not allied with Russia at this time.
• There was conflict over colonial territories and influence, such as the Morocco crisis in 1905/1911.
• Increased politicization of the population through education led to demands for world power status.

Short-Term Causes

• The assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist was a critical event.
• Russia assured Serbia of its support, and France assured Russia of its support.
• Germany issued a "blank check" to Austria-Hungary, promising support in the event of war, such as against Serbia.
• On August 1, 1914, the German Reich declared war on Russia, and on July 28, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia.
• Forty states followed suit in declaring war.
• The Schlieffen Plan began, aiming to prevent a two-front war.

Character of World War I

• World War I was different from previous wars due to new technologies, enormous casualties, and extreme burdens on the population.

Trench Warfare

• After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, trench warfare developed on the Western Front.
• Soldiers dug themselves into kilometer-long trenches.
• The no man's land between the fronts was heavily mined and secured with barbed wire.

Industrialized Warfare

• Modern weapons were used on a large scale for the first time:
  • Machine guns caused high casualties.
  • Artillery had enormous destructive power.
  • Poison gas was used.
  • Tanks were first used by the British in 1916.
  • Airplanes were used for reconnaissance and air raids.

Effects on the Population

• High losses: Approximately 17 million people (soldiers and civilians) died.
• There was hunger and hardship, especially in Germany due to the British naval blockade.
• The "turnip winter" of 1916/17 was especially difficult.
• Women had to work in factories because many men were at the front.
• The brutality of the war led to psychological disorders among many soldiers.

Treaty of Versailles (Chat)

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919
• Discusses the end of the war and the Treaty of Versailles.

End of the War

• There was war-weariness and revolutions.
• The Central Powers were economically and militarily exhausted.
• In Germany, there was a revolution in November 1918, and the Kaiser was overthrown.
• Germany signed an armistice with the Allies in Compiègne on November 11, 1918.
• The war was officially over.

Versailles Treaty

• Terms include land loss, military restrictions, and war guilt.
• Germany had to sign the treaty, although it was not involved in the negotiations.
• Key provisions:
  • Alsace-Lorraine was to return to France.
  • West Prussia and Poznan went to Poland.
  • The Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations.
• Military restrictions included:
  • The army was limited to 100,000 men.
  • Heavy weapons and submarines were banned.
• Germany had to pay high compensation (132 billion gold marks).
• Germany and its allies were blamed as the sole cause of the war.
• This dictated the peace.

Question of Guilt (Chat)

• The war guilt question is still controversial today.

Position of the Victorious Powers

• Germany was seen as primarily responsible for the war.
• The "war guilt article" led to great outrage in Germany.

Historical Debate

• Fritz Fischer said Germany deliberately provoked a war (e.g., aggressive foreign policy before 1914).
• Most historians see the blame as distributed
  • Austria-Hungary and Serbia as direct triggers
  • Russia and Germany's roles were escalation factors
  • The alliance system contributed to the expansion of the conflict.

Further Key points relating to the Treaty of Versailles

• Germany was not allowed to have a say.
• Germany was assigned sole responsibility for the war.
• The Rhineland was demilitarized
• The army was capped and armaments given to the victors.
• Territories were ceded to France and Poland.
• Coal mines were ceded to France.
• Germany had to surrender all colonies to the League of Nations.
• Extremely high reparation payments were issued.
• The Kaiser was expected to be extradited or abdicate.
• Annexation with Austria was prohibited.
• The League of Nations sought collective security to ensure peace.