Year 10 Unit 1 Versailles Peace Treaties PDF

Treaty of Versailles Paris Peace Conference January 18 – June 28, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles June 1919  The Story so far…  World War I is over, the killing has ceased.  January 18, 1919, a conference was built at the Palace of Versailles. The Allied powers...

Treaty of Versailles Paris Peace Conference January 18 – June 28, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles June 1919  The Story so far…  World War I is over, the killing has ceased.  January 18, 1919, a conference was built at the Palace of Versailles. The Allied powers, the victors of WWI, meet to clean up the war mess.  Meeting at Versailles  Paris Peace Conference Delegates representing 32 countries Major decisions were made by the Big Four:  Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)  Georges Clemenceau (France)  David Lloyd George (Great Britain)  Vittorio Orlando (Italy)  The Treaty Of Versailles On 28 June 1919, the victors met at the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, and forced two Germans to agree to the terms of peace. Germany and its allies were not allowed to send any delegates, and had no choice but to accept whatever was decided. The first 26 Articles of the Treaty set out the Covenant of the League of Nations; the rest of the 440 Articles detailed Germany's punishment.  What did the winners want? France Prime Minister Clemenceau wanted to punish Germany; Made 3 demands to ensure war never happened again: – Return Alsace-Lorraine (taken during Franco- Prussian War) – Pay reparations to cover the entire cost of rebuilding – Give up Rhineland so Germany cannot attack France again Britain Many in England wanted to punish Germany too: “Squeeze ‘em until the pips squeak”; but Prime Minister David Lloyd George disagreed: – If Germany was treated too harshly it will cause more trouble in the future; Germany should be allowed to recover – Rhineland should be demilitarized (military removed), not taken over Italy ◼ Prime Minister Orlando had agreed to leave the Triple Alliance (with Germany & Austria-Hungary) & fight for Allies after France & England secretly promised to give Adriatic Coast to Italy after the war; Italy’s only demand: – France & England should keep their promise to give this land to Italy USA ◼ President Woodrow Wilson came up with 14 Points of Light to restore Europe: – Europe should have freedom of seas, free trade; Reduction of weapons; Divide all colonies – Self Determination— countries should have right to choose their own type of government – Create a League of Nations to prevent future wars  Wilson’s ideas 1. Don’t be too harsh on Germany. 2. Strengthen Democracy in defeated countries. 3. Give self determination to small countries that had once been part of the European empires. 4. International co-operation.  Did everyone Share Wilson’s view point?  When Wilson talked about lasting peace and justice, other leaders agreed with him.  However, many were doubtful about Wilsons ideas for achieving it e.g Self-determination-It would be very difficult to give the people of Eastern Europe the opportunity to rule themselves because they were scattered across many countries.  Some people were bound to end up being ruled by people from another group with different customs and a different language.  Did Lloyd George agree with Wilson?  In public Lloyd George praised Wilson and his ideas but in private he was less positive.  He agreed with Wilson on certain points e.g. 1. That Germany should be punished but not too harshly because he did not want Germany to seek revenge in the future which would possibly start a war.  2. He was deeply concerned that a harsh treaty would lead to a communist revolution like the one in Russia in 1917. 3. He also wanted Britain and Germany to begin trading with each other again because they were trading partners before the war and the British people may not like it but the fact was that the trade meant more jobs in Britain  What did Britain Want? In public Lloyd-George said he wanted to punish the Germans. The British public was very anti-German at the end of the war. In private he realised that Britain needed Germany to recover because she was an important trading partner. He was also worried about the “disease from the east”, communism. The Russian government had been overthrown by a communist revolution in 1917. Lloyd-George believed that the David Lloyd-George spread of communism had to be stopped. A strong Germany would be a barrier against it.  Unlike Wilson, Lloyd George had the needs of the British empire in mind. He wanted Germany to loose its navy and its colonies because they threatened the British empire.  Pressures on Lloyd George  He faced huge public pressures at home for a harsh treaty.  People in Britain were not sympathetic to Germany in any way because: 1. they had suffered over 1 million casualties in the fighting as well as food shortages and other hardships at home. 2. They had also been fed anti-German propaganda for 4 years. 3. They had seen how Germany had treated Russia in 1917 when Russia surrendered ( Under the treaty of Brest Litovsk Germany had stripped Russia 25%of its population and huge areas of Russia’s best agricultural land)  Lloyd George had just won the 1918 election in Britain by promising to ‘make Germany pay’ even though he realized the dangers of this course of action, so Lloyd George had to balance these pressures at home with his desire not to leave Germany wanting revenge.  Did everyone share Wilson’s viewpoint? When Wilson talked about lasting peace and justice, other leaders agreed with him. However, many were doubtful about Wilsons ideas for achieving it e.g ‘self determination’: it would be very difficult to give the people of Eastern Europe the opportunity to rule themselves because they were scattered across many countries Some people were bound to end up being ruled by people from another group with different customs and a different language. Some historians have pointed out that while Wilson talked a great deal about eastern an central Europe, he did not actually know very much about the area.  Did Clemenceau agree with Wilson?  In public, Clemenceau agreed with Wilson’s aim for a fair and lasting peace, however, he found Wilson very hard to work with.  The major disagreement was over Germany.  Clemenceau and other French leaders saw the treaty as an opportunity to cripple Germany so that it could not attack French again.  What did France want from the treaty? Security Revenge Reparations Clemenceau wanted to make sure that Germany could not invade France in the future. He was determined that Germany should be Clemenceau : The made to pay for the damage that had Tiger been caused in northern France by the invading German armies.  Strengthen democracy in defeated countries. For Wilson, the key to peace in Europe was to strengthen democracy in the defeated nations so that their people would not let their leaders cause another war. The American public did not support him. They were fed up with involvement in European affairs. The USA became more isolationist.  How did the peace making process actually work? In theory, the major issues like borders and reparations were discussed in detail by all the delegates at the conference-over 32 leaders with all their officials and advisers. it soon became clear it would be impossible to agree terms that everyone would agree about i.e 1. Clemenceau clashed with Wilson over many issues: The USA had not suffered nearly as badly as France in the war. Clemenceau resented Wilsons more generous attitude to Germany. They disagreed over what to do about Germany’s Rhineland and coalfields in the Saar. In the end, Wilson had to give way on these issues. In return, Clemenceau and Lloyd George did give Wilson what he wanted in eastern Europe, despite their reservations about this idea of self determination.  2. Clemenceau also clashed with Lloyd George: Particularly over Lloyd George’s desire not to treat Germany too harshly. e.g Clemenceau said that if the British are so anxious to appease Germany, they should look overseas and make colonial, naval or commercial concessions. Clemenceau felt that the British were happy to treaty Germany fairly in Europe, where France, rather than Britain was most under threat. However, Britain was less happy to allow Germany to keep its navy and colonies, which would be more of a threat to Britain. 3. Wilson and Lloyd George did not always agree either Lloyd George was was unhappy with point 2 of the 14 points-allowing all nations to access the seas. Also Wilson’s views on people ruling themselves were somewhat threatening to the British government because the British empire ruled millions of people all across the world from London.  The Treaty Of Versailles The main points of the Treaty [BRAT] B lame Reparations A rmy T erritory  The Treaty Of Versailles 1. War Guilt Clause - Germany had to accept the Blame for starting the war.  The Treaty Of Versailles 2. Germany had to pay £6.6 billion (called Reparations) for the damage done during the war.  The Treaty Of Versailles 3. Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air force. She could have a navy of only six battleships, and an Army of just 100,000 men. In addition, Germany was not allowed to place any troops in the Rhineland, the strip of land, 50 miles wide, next to France.  The Treaty Of Versailles 4. Germany lost Territory (land) in Europe. Germany’s colonies were given to Britain and France. Also, Germany was forbidden to join the League of Nations, or unite with Austria. The Treaty Of Versailles The Treaty Of Versailles What did Germany have to say? Germany had no choice but to agree to the above terms – No debating, or compromising. “The criminal madness of this peace will drain Germany's national life-blood. It is a shameless blow in the face of common-sense. It is inflicting the deepest wounds on us Germans as our world lies in wreckage about us.” from a speech made by a German MP in the Reichstag in 1919.  Results of Versailles ◼ Treaty of Versailles created more problems than it solved ◼ Riots, debt, humiliation in Germany will allow leaders (Hitler) to rise to power by promising revenge ◼ Italy was not given land it was promised; economic problems will lead to strong leaders who promise a return to glory (Mussolini)  How did Germans react to the treaty?  1. War guilt and reparations ◼The war guilt clause was hated because the Germans did not feel they started the war. They felt that the blame should be shared. ◼ They were bitter that Germany was expected to pay for all the damage caused by the war even though the German economy was severely weakened.  2. Disarmament ◼ Germans felt that these terms were very unfair. An army of 100,000 was very small for a country of Germany’s size and the army was a symbol of German pride. ◼ Also, despite Wilson’s 14 points, calling for disarmament, none of the allies were being asked or forced to disarm in the same way.  3. The fourteen points and the League of Nations ◼ To most Germans, the treatment of Germany was not in keeping with Wilson’s Fourteen points. E.g. while self determination was given to countries like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, German- speaking peoples were being hived off into new countries like Czechoslovakia to be ruled by non-Germans. Anschluss (union) with Austria was forbidden. ◼ Germany felt further insulted by not being  4. Non-representation ◼ Germans were angry that their government was not represented at the peace talks and that they were being forced to accept a harsh treaty without any choice or even comment. ◼ Germans did not feel they had lost the war so they should not have been treated as a defeated country.  5. German territories 10% of its land to Europe, all of its overseas colonies, 12.5% of its population, 16% of its coalfields and almost half of its iron and steel industry. ◼This was a major blow to German pride, and to its economy. Both the Saar and Upper Silesia were important industrial areas. ◼ Meanwhile as Germany was loosing colonies, the British and French were increasing their empires by taking control of German territories in Africa. The Impact of the treaty on Germany ◼ The treaty of Versailles had a profound effect on Germany for the next ten years and more. ◼ The treaty was universally resented. ◼ The historian Zara Steiner contends that hatred of Versailles treaty was almost the only issue all Germans in this period agreed on.  Political violence ◼ Right wing opponents of Eberts government could not bear the treaty and in 1920 they attempted a revolution called the Kapp Putsch which was defeated by a general strike by Berlin workers which paralyzed essential services like power and transport. ◼ It saved Ebert’s government but it added to chaos in Germany and bitterness on Germany towards the treaty. ◼ Although Kapp was defeated there constant political violence. ◼ There were a number of assassinations and attempted assassinations like in the summer of 1922 foreign minister Walther Rathenau was murdered. ◼ In November 1923 Adolf Hitler led an attempted rebellion in Munich called the Munich Putsch, was defeated and over the next years he exploited German resentment of the treaty to gain support for himself and the Nazi party.  Conflict in the Ruhr ◼ Under the treaty, Germany had agreed to pay 6,600 million pounds in reparations to the allies. ◼ The first instalment of 50 million pounds was paid in 1921, but in 1922 nothing was paid. ◼ Because of the default, the French ran out of patience even after several negotiations by Ebert and so in 1923 French and Belgian soldiers entered the Ruhr region and simply took what was owed to them in form of raw ◼This was legal under the treaty. ◼ The German government ordered the workers to go on strike so that they were not producing anything for the French to take. ◼ The French reacted harshly killing over 100 workers and expelling over 100,000 protesters from the region. ◼ The strike meant that Germany had no goods to trade and no money to buy things with.  Hyperinflation ◼ The government solved the problem of not having enough money by simply printing extra money but this caused a new problem Hyperinflation. ◼ The money was virtually worthless so prices shot up. The prices of goods could rise between joining the back of a queue in a shop and reaching the front. Wages began to be paid daily instead of weekly. ◼ Some Germans gained from this disaster- the government and big industrialists were able to pay off their huge debts in worthless marks. ◼ But others especially pensioners, were practically wiped out. A prosperous middle class family would find that their savings which might have bought a house in 1921, by 1923 would not even buy a loaf of bread. ◼ Germany eventually recovered from this disaster, but it left a bitter memory and the bitterness was directed towards the treaty of Versailles and so when Germany faced problems in 1929 many Germans believed Hitler’s claims that the treaty was to blame and they should support his plans to overturn it. How was the Treaty seen at the time? ◼ None of the big three was happy with the Treaty although for different reasons and some of the diplomats who helped shape the treaty were dissatisfied. ◼ Some commentators at the time believed that the treaty was unfair and unjust.  A British cartoon from 1921. The Big Four are shown in the cartoon, leaving the Paris Peace Conference By artist Will Dyson.  Unfair? ◼ Will Dyson, (an artist)thought that the peace makers were blind and selfish and as a result they produced a disastrous Treaty that would cause another terrible war. ◼ John Maynard Keynes wrote a very critical book called The economic consequences of The peace published in 1919. This book was widely read and accepted and influenced the way people  Fair? 1. Many people felt that the Germans were themselves operating a double standard because their call for fairer treatment did not square with the harsh way they had treated Russia in the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk in 1918. Versailles was a much less harsh treaty than Brest-Litovsk 2. Also, the fact that Germany’s economic problems although real, were partly self inflicted. Other states had raised taxes to pay for the war. The Kaiser’s government had not done this. He had simply allowed debt’s to mount up because it had planned to pay Germany’s war debts by extracting reparations from the defeated states.  Issues about the peace settlements. ◼ The treaties were harsh on the defeated countries, especially Germany. Would this help keep peace in future or it would lead to trouble? ◼ Germany was left feeling humiliated. The German economy was in desperate trouble. All these would lead to problems in future. ◼ Self determination had not really been achieved. There were 2 million Germans living in Czechoslovakia- This would lead to future trouble. In fact countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland had many different nationalities living in their borders. ◼ Germany, Russia and USA were all missing from the league of Nations. Would the treaties make it powerless? ◼ It is easy to criticize the treaties now but was it possible to do any better at the time?  The Treaty Of Versailles The Failure of the Treaty =