DEPARTMENT: HUMANITIES

O’LEVELCAMBRIDGE HISTORY
SYLLABUSS CODE-4070
TOPIC: WAS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES FAIR?
Why were the Peace Treaties held?
 To discuss how best countries can preserve peace in the world.
 To punish the defeated countries
 To share the spoils amongst the victors
 To set the basis of the League of Nations

How was the Paris Peace Conference organized?

 It lasted for twelve months from January 1919 to January 1920.

 Thirty-two nations were supposed to be represented.

 It was a Conference for the victors. The defeated nations were not invited.

 It was under the chairmanship of Georges Clemenceau.

 There was a Council of Ten with two members from the five leading
countries. These were the USA, Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
 The important decisions were taken by the ‘Big Three’, the USA, Britain and
France.
 There were many diplomats and advisers to support the heads of state.

 There were over fifty commissions set up to advice on such topics as

prisoners of war, who was responsible for war and undersea cables.
 The ‘Big Three’ met informally over one hundred and forty times to
determine what would happen and then the rest would ratify what had
been agreed.
 It was agreed that five treaties would be drawn up at the Conference.

What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?
David Lloyd George of Britain
 He wanted an end of the German threat to the British navy and empire.
  To make Germany a non-aggressive country without colonies.
 To prevent Germany from becoming economically weak so that a revival
of European industry and trade is not hindered.
 To prevent Germany from becoming very poor such that the Germans
won’t turn to communism.
 To avoid humiliating Germans so that they have no reason to seek
revenge.
 To help secure France against Germany but prevent France from
becoming too powerful.
 To create a balance of power so that no one European country can
threaten others.
 To hang the Kaiser

 To make Germany pay for war damages.

Georges Clemenceau of France
 To have revenge on Germany for France’s suffering.

 To make Germany pay for the cost of damage.

 To punish Germany for the humiliation she had inflicted on France

after defeating her in the 1870-71 Franco Prussian war.
 To ensure that Germany would never be able to attack France again.

 To take away German lands.

 To weaken German industries.

 To reduce her armed forces.

 To weaken Germany militarily and economically.

 To have Germany divided into small state.

 To hang the Kaiser.

 The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.

 Prevention of Union of Germany and Austria.

 Return of French flags taken by Germany.

 Germany was to accept the responsibility of causing the war

Woodrow Wilson of USA

Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points
1. There was to be an end of secret diplomacy and secret treaties.
2. There was to be freedom of navigation on seas.
3. There was to be removal of economic barriers to trade.
4. There was to be reduction of armaments to a level consistent with domestic
safety.
5. There was to be settlement of colonial claims with proper regard for the
interests of the inhabitants.
6. German troops were to evacuate [move out of] the Russian territory.
7. There was to be restoration of Belgian sovereignty.
8. Alsace-Lorraine was to be returned to France.
9. Italy was to recover her proper boundaries [frontiers].
10.The subject peoples under Austria-Hungary were to be independent.
11.Romania, Serbia and Montenegro were to be evacuated and Serbia was to
be given access to the sea.
12.The people under Turkish rule were to be autonomous and the Dardanelles
were to be open to ships and commerce of all nations.
13.An independent Poland was to be created and given access to the sea.
14.An international Organisation was to be formed to guarantee the
independence of all states, both great and small.
What were Wilson’s aims in establishing the League of Nations?
• Wilson wanted the League to keep the peace.
• Disputes between nations would be resolved by the League.
• Wilson wanted the League to improve living and working conditions.
• Wilson wanted the League to establish agencies to address humanitarian
issues.
• Wilson intended the League to encourage disarmament.
• Wilson intended that all states would join.
How did the peace making process actually work

The Treaty of Versailles

 It was signed with Germany at Versailles in France.
  It was signed exactly five years after the Sarajevo assassination.
 The German delegates were never directly involved in the negotiations.

 They were invited only to endorse [sign] the treaty.

 Thus it was a diktat settlement.

The Territorial Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
 Germany lost Alsace-Lorraine to France.

 The Saar was to be administered by the League of Nations for 15 years.

 Eupen, Malmedy and Moresnet went to Belgium.

 North Schleswig was given to Denmark.

 The Port of Memel and surrounding land was placed under international
control.
 The Rhineland remained part of Germany but it was demilitarised
permanently.
 Poland was made independent.

 The Polish Corridor and Posen were given to Poland.

 The Port of Danzig, a predominantly German area, was made an

independent city under the League of Nations. But in practise it fell
under Polish control as this was to allow Poland direct access to the Sea
though the creation of the Polish Corridor which led to Danzig.
 The coal and rich iron of Upper Silesia was again given to Poland.

 The union of Germany and Austria [Anschluss] was forbidden yet Austria
was a German state.
 The Kiel Canal was opened to the shipping of all nations.

 The Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia were granted

independence from Germany.
 Finland was made an independent state.

 Strasbourg and Metz were given to France.

 All German Islands in the Pacific Ocean were divided amongst Australia,
New Zealand and Japan.
 South East Asia [Samoa Islands] went to New Zealand.

 Caroline Islands were given to Japan.

  New Guinea was given to Australia.
 Tanganyika [German East Africa] was given to Britain.
 Germany lost Namibia [South West Africa] to South Africa.
 Rwanda and Burundi went to Britain.
 Cameroon and Togo were given to Britain and France who governed them
jointly.
Non Territorial Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
 These included the disarmament clause / military clause, the war guilty
clause and the reparations clause.
The War Guilty Clause
 Germany was forced to accept responsibility of causing all the loss and
damage to which the allied and associated powers have been subjected as
a consequence of a war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany
and her allies.
 Germany was given the entire blame for causing the war.

 The clause accused Germany of being a war criminal who among other
things violated Belgian neutrality, destroyed occupied territories, bombed
civilians and sunk merchant ships [through the U-boat campaign or
submarine warfare].
 Germany was forced to accept all these and was to suffer a heavy penalty.

 French flags captured in 1871 were to be returned.

 The Kaiser and other officials were to be handed over for trial.
The reparations Clause
 Germany was forced to pay compensation for the damages she had caused
to the allied powers.
 The compensation was also to cover the suffering incurred by individual
family members.
 Germany was to pay 6,6million pounds [132 million gold marks] to the allied
powers.
 The payment was to be done in 30 years.

 France was to get 52% of the total amount, Britain 22%, Italy 10%, Belgium
8 % and the rest of the allies were to share 8%.
  Part of the reparations was to be paid in form of warships which were to be
built by Germany for Britain for the next 5 years.
 France was to be paid with minerals like coal from Germany.

 Belgium was to be paid with cattle.

 Germany was to surrender part of her fishing fleet to the allies.

 Germany was to surrender the Saar coal fields to France for 15 years.

 German railway engines and wagons were to be handed over to the allies.
Disarmament Clause / The military Clause
 German army was reduced to 100000 men [it was reduced to the size of the
army of Greece].
 Conscription was forbidden. Thus soldiers were to be recruited voluntarily.

 German soldiers were to serve for a period of less than 12 years.

 The German General Staff of 1914 to 1918 was dissolved and was not to be
reformed.
 Germany was not allowed to have warships or submarines

 Germany was allowed to have only 6 battleships.

 Germany was not allowed to have tanks.

 Germany was not allowed to have an air force.

 Germany was allowed to have 6 cruisers [vessels].

 Germany was to have 12 destroyers.

 Germany was to have 12 torpedo boats.

 Germany navy was reduced to 15000 men.

 German naval base at Heligoland was demolished.

 Germany was banned from manufacturing heavy artillery and heavy guns.

 Germany was not allowed to have armoured cars.

 Germany was demilitarised on the Rhineland.

How the Germans react to treaty of Versailles?

 The terms of the Treaty were announced on 7 May to a horrified
German nation.
War guilt and reparations
 Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war and therefore had to
pay reparations.
 This war guilt clause was particularly hated. Germans did not feel they had
started the war.
 They felt at the very least that 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 forced
to disarm in the same way.

Disarmament
 The German army was reduced to 100,000 men. Lt could have no air force,
and only a tiny navy.
 This war guilt clause was particularly hated. Germans did not feel they had
started the war. They felt at the very least that blame should be shared
 Germans felt these terms were very unfair. An army of 100,000 was very
small for a country of Germany size and the army was a symbol of German
pride.
 Also, despite Wilson’s Fourteen Points calling for disarmament, none of the
Allies were being asked or weakened.
German territories
 Germany certainly lost a lot of territory.

 10 percent of its land in Europe

 All of its overseas colonies for example in Africa she lost Tanganyika, South
East Africa (Namibia), Togoland, Cameroon to either Britain or France.
 12.5 percent of its population

 16 percent 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 losing colonies, the British and French were
increasing their empires by taking control of German territories in Africa.
The Fourteen Points and the League of Nations
  To most Germans, the treatment of Germany was not in keeping with
Wilson’s Fourteen Point1. For example, while self—determination was given
to countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, German-speaking
peoples were being hived off into new countries such as Czechoslovakia to
be ruled by non-Germans. Anschluss {union) with Austria was forbidden.
 Germany felt further insulted by not being invited to join the League of
Nations.
Non-representation
 Germans were angry that their government was not represented at the
peace talks and that they were being forced to accept a hash 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.
Why the Germans Hated the Treaty of Versailles
Limitations on its armed forces
 The Germans hated the part of the Treaty of Versailles that limited their
armed forces because it made them into a second rate power.
 The Germans knew they could not be a major power with only 6 battleships
and only 100,000 men.
 Also they felt weak and open to invasion from enemies such as France and
Russia that had much larger armies.
 Germany also hated the humiliation of having to lose its once large armed
forces of which it had been so proud.
Loss of raw materials and industry
 Germany lost 16% of its coal and 48% of its iron production to countries
such as France and Poland and this made the Germans hate the Treaty of
Versailles.
 Losing so many raw materials and factories made Germany very poor and
meant they could not rebuild themselves after the war.
 These losses created unemployment and poverty in Germany, which made
the Germans very angry at the Treaty.
Loss of Land
 Germany lost 13% of her land including Alsace Lorraine and West Prussia.

 With this land went 12% of its people.

 All of this was humiliating for Germany as some of the land went to her
enemy France.
  Germany hated having to lose land because it meant families were divided
and raw materials and wealth were also lost. Losing land made the Germans
weaker and poorer.
War Guilt Clause
 The War Guilt Clause made the Germans accept all responsibility for
starting the Great War.
 Many Germans felt that this was unfair, as they felt other countries such as
Russia, Serbia and Austria Hungary were also responsible for causing the
outbreak of war in 1914.
 The humiliation of being blamed in this way angered the Germans.

 They were also angry that because they had to accept the blame they could
also be punished in other ways such as reparations and loss of land.
The Reparations Settlement
 The Reparations Settlement said that Germany had to pay £6.6 billion to
the allies to compensate them for the damage done in the war.
 This was a massive amount of money that bankrupted Germany and caused
unemployment and hardship.
 The Germans hated this because it destroyed their country’s economy and
created unrest.
Loss of Empire
 The loss of empire was a great embarrassment to Germany.

 Having an empire was a sign of great power and both France and Britain
had a large one.
 Germany also made money from trading with her empire so when she lost it
she was even poorer.
The impact of the Treaty on Germany
Political violence
 Right-wing opponents of Ebert's government could not bear the treaty. In
1920 they attempted a revolution. This rising, called the Kapp Putsch, was
defeated by a general strike by Berlin workers which paralysed essential
services such as power and transport. Lt saved Ebert's government but it
added the chaos in Germany-and the bitterness of Germans towards the
Treaty.
  Although Kapp was defeated, political violence remained a constant treat.
There were numerous political assassinations or attempted assassinations.
In the summer of 1922 Germany's foreign minister Walther Rathenau was
murdered by extremists. Then in November 1923 Adolf Hitler led an
attempted rebellion in Munich, known as the Munich Putsch. Hitler's
rebellion was defeated but he was got off lightly when he was put on trial
and it was clear many Germans shared his hatred of Versailles. Over the
next ten years he exploited German resentment of the treaty of Versailles to
gain support for himself and his Nazi party.
Conflict in the Ruhr
 Under the Treaty Germany agreed to pay £6,600 million in reparations to
the Allies. The first instalment of £50 million was paid in 1921, but in 1922
nothing was paid. Ebert tried to negotiate concessions from the Allies, but
the French ran out of patience. In l923 French and Belgian soldiers entered
the Ruhr region and simply took what was owed to them in the form of raw
materials and goods. This was quite legal under the treaty of Versailles.
 The results of the occupation of the Ruhr were disastrous for Germany. The
Germany 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. More importantly, the strike meant that Germany bad no
goods to trade, and no money to buy things with. This in turn led to
hyperinflation.
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
price 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.
The bitterness was directed towards the treaty of Versailles. It is no
coincidence that when Germany faced economic problems again in l9'29
many Germans believed Hitler's claims that the treaty was to blame and
they should support his plans to overturn it.
What did the Treaty of Versailles decide about (i) the Saar and (ii) Danzig? [4]
The Saar
 The Saar was to be run by the League of Nations.

 The coal mines in the Saar would become the property of France for fifteen
years.
 Coal profits from the Saar would be given to France for fifteen years.

 A plebiscite would be held in the Saar after fifteen years.

 After fifteen years a plebiscite would determine if the Saar should belong to
Germany, to France or remain under League control.
 If the plebiscite said the Saar was to return to Germany, then France would
receive compensation for the loss of the mines.
Danzig
  Danzig was to be a free city.
 Danzig would be run by the League of Nations.
 Poland could use the port of Danzig.
 Danzig would be in customs union with Poland.
 Poland would control Danzig’s foreign affairs.

What were the ‘successor states’? [4]

 They were new states set up under the terms of the Paris Peace
Settlement.
 They were established from the old European empires such as
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
 They included Yugoslavia and Poland.

 Czechoslovakia was a new state formed from land which had

belonged to Austria-Hungary.
 Yugoslavia was a new state formed from Serbia and southwest
provinces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as Croatia.
Why did the Allies exclude Germany from the peace negotiations? [6]
 The Allies excluded Germany from the peace negotiations because they
wanted to make decisions quickly and they believed that Germany’s
attendance would slow down the negotiations as Germany would not want
to accept punishment.
 Europe was in turmoil, with revolutions occurring in the former Austro-
Hungarian and Turkish empires, civil war raging in Russia and Germany
facing a mutiny at Kiel and soldiers’ and workers’ rebellions.
 Negotiations needed to be concluded quickly to ensure that all these
problems could be dealt with and Europe could begin to rebuild after the
war.
Why did the Allies exclude Germany from the peace negotiations? [6]
 The Allies excluded Germany from the peace negotiations because they
wanted to make decisions quickly and they believed that Germany’s
attendance would slow down the negotiations as Germany would not want
to accept punishment.
 Europe was in turmoil, with revolutions occurring in the former Austro-
Hungarian and Turkish empires, civil war raging in Russia and Germany
 facing a mutiny at Kiel and soldiers’ and workers’ rebellions.
 Negotiations needed to be concluded quickly to ensure that all these
problems could be dealt with and Europe could begin to rebuild after the
war.
 Germany was viewed as a defeated nation.
 Germany would have argued against punishment.
 The Allies believed only the victors should negotiate peace.
 Turmoil in Europe meant decisions needed to be made quickly.
 There were domestic problems in Germany.
Why were the victors not free to make the peace they wanted? [6]
 The victors were not free to make the peace they wanted because they had
to consider each other’s views and compromise.
 The French wanted revenge on Germany for the destruction the war had
caused and therefore wanted Germany to pay huge reparations.
 Lloyd George was unhappy about this; he did not want to treat Germany
too harshly as he wanted to resume trading with Germany.
 The victors were from different countries and had different ideas.

 Clemenceau disagreed with Lloyd George about the level of Germany’s

punishment.
 They disagreed about Wilson’s desire to use his Fourteen Points in the
peace treaty.
 Lloyd George wanted to protect British interests.

 Lloyd George was concerned about the British Empire.

 Clemenceau wanted revenge.

 Wilson was more idealistic than the other victors.

 Public opinion in each of the victorious countries had to be taken into

consideration.
Questions
1 (a) How was the Paris Peace Conference organised? [4]
 (b) Why did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany harshly? [6]
(c) How successful was Wilson in achieving his aims at Versailles? Explain your
answer. [10]
2 (a) What were plebiscites in the peace settlement of 1919–20? [4]
(b) Why was Lloyd George generally satisfied with the peace treaties? [6]
(c) ‘The fact that it was a “diktat” was the main reason for German bitterness over
the Treaty of Versailles.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your
answer. [10]
3 (a) What were the main terms of the Treaty of Trianon? [4]
(b) Why was there discussion about the status of Danzig at the Paris Peace
Conference? [6]
(c) ‘The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were surprising.’ How far do you agree
with this statement? Explain your answer. [10]