NAME ______
Topic 2: Peacemaking 1918–1919 and the League of Nations
Key issue: How did the Treaty of Versailles establish peace?
The Paris Peace Conference: the aims of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson: the Fourteen Points
The main terms of the Treaty of Versailles: Diktat; territorial changes; military restrictions, war guilt and reparations
The strengths and weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles: why Germany objected to it.
What was the Paris Peace Conference?
Aims of the Allies
Name and country / Attitude towards Germany and aims for Conference / Reasons whyFourteen Points
The Fourteen points were made by Woodrow Wilson, the American president, and were announce to convince that the Great War was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe. Many people welcomed his ideas however most of his allies were skeptical about how Woodrow would apply his idea of idealism.
The speech made by Wilson laid a policy, mainly consisting of self-determination, free trade, democracy open arrangements.
•Open covenants of peace
•Freedom of the seas
•The removal so far as possible of all economic barriers
•The reduction of national armaments to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety
•Impartial adjustment of all colonial claims
•The evacuation of all Russian territory
•The evacuation and restoration of Belgium
•The liberation of France and return to her of Alsace and Lorraine
•Readjustment of the frontiers of Italy to conform to clearly recognisable lines of nationality
•The peoples of Austria-Hungary should be accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development
•Evacuation of occupation forces from Romania, Serbia and Montenegro; Serbia should be accorded free and secure access to the sea
•Autonomous development for the non-Turkish peoples of the Ottoman empire; free passage of the Dardanelles to the ships and commerce of all nations
•An independent Poland to be established, with free and secure access to the sea
•A general association of nations to be formed to guarantee to its members political independence and territorial integrity (the genesis of the League of Nations)
The speech was made without prior consultation with Wilson's counterparts in Europe. Clemenceau, on hearing of the fourteen points, was said to have sarcastically claimed ‘The good Lord only had ten!’
The report was made as negotiation points, and later the Fourteen Points were accepted by France and Italy on November 1, 1918, the day of the armistice. Britain later signed off on all of the points except the freedom of the seas. Britain also wanted Germany to make reparation payments of 6.6 billion for the war, and thought that that should be added to the Fourteen Points.
The speech was delivered 10 months before the armistice with Germany and became the basis for the terms of the German surrender, as negotiated at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The Treaty of Versailles had little to do with the Fourteen Points and was never ratified by the U.S. Senate.
Key issue: Why did the League of Nations fail in its aim to keep peace?
Membership 1919–1939: why and how it changed; implications for the LoN
Organisation, powers and peace keeping role: the Assembly; the Council; the Permanent Court of Justice; military and economic sanctions
The Manchurian Crisis 1931–1933: events; action taken by the League; effect on the League as a peace keeping force
The Abyssinian Crisis 1935–1936: events; action taken by the League; effect on the League as a peacekeeping force
The reasons for the collapse of the League.
The Manchurian crisis
Manchuria was invaded by the Japanese after trade had been stopped. The Japanese wanted a bigger empire and saw china with its economic crisis as easy to get to so they invaded Manchuria because apparently the Chinese soldiers interfered with the Japanese railway in Manchuria. The civilian government in Japan told the army to stop but it was then made clear that the army was in charge.
The league had to interfere because China asked for help but they had to be very careful because Japan was a major power in the League of Nations. The leagues officials sailed around the world to assess the situation. They took a year (September 1931 - September 1932) for the league to make a decision. They decided that Japan was in the wrong and told them to withdraw. They refused but there was nothing the league could do because Japan's army and navy were too big and they could not defend china with the army the league had.
The league was too weak to stop the Japanese army which caused people to doubt it and also Japan left the League of Nations and because it is one of the biggest powers because it is not recovering from WW1. The league failed because it could not agree on what actions to take (like sanctions or even a ban on weapon sales). Britain and France did not want a war so nothing was done. The league was shown as being powerless in the face if a determined aggressor.
This cartoon from 1933 by the British cartoonist David Low , is entitled 'the doormat'. What is the cartoonist suggesting about the league during the Manchurian Crisis ?
Abyssinian Crisis
What was the effect on the league as a peacekeeping force?
Which Event Undermined The League of Nations More: Abyssinia or Manchuria?
In the 1930s there was a worldwide depression which Japan tried to overcome by building up its empire. In 1932, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria and threw out the Chinese. They set up their own government there and called it Manchukuo. It was at this point that China asked the League to help.
Many countries had important trading links with Japan and the League could not agree on sanctions or even a ban on weapon sales. In spite of further requests from the League to leave Manchuria, Japan continued its refusal to vacate the area. The other League members felt it necessary for Japan to leave the League of Nations, even if this meant losing a part of its vast empire, because Japan continuing to ignore demands undermined the League and made it look weak. Britain and France did not want war, so nothing was done in retaliation towards Japan. The Japanese stayed in Manchuria and the League had failed to assert its authority. America’s constant refusal to do nothing more than speak words of support to the League of Nations had shown just how toothless and helpless the international community was when it came to enforcing and upholding the peace. A dangerous precedent had been set.
Mussolini took advantage of the League’s hesitation by sending his army to Africa. He felt able to ignore the League and invaded Abyssinia because he was after war and the glory that came with it. The League had banned weapon sales and even placed sanctions upon rubber and metal. The Abyssinian emperor Haile Selassie went to the League of Nations to appeal for help, but no help was given - in fact, Britain and France secretly agreed to give Abyssinia to Italy (the Hoare-Laval pact). Italy conquered Abyssinia. The league had failed again. This was also a cause of why Italy walked out on the League of Nations and some even say this was a cause of World War 2.
Sources and questions
Answer questions 4 and 5 below
Key issue: How did Hitler challenge and exploit the Treaty of Versailles 1933–March 1938?
Hitler’s aims in foreign policy
The return of the Saar, 1935
The beginning of rearmament in Germany: withdrawal from the Disarmament Conference 1933; non-aggression Pact with Poland 1934; reintroduction of conscription from 1935; Anglo-German Naval Agreement 1935
The remilitarisation of the Rhineland 1936
The Anschluss with Austria 1938.
The return of the Saar 1935
In ______1935 a plebiscite was held in the____ deciding who should be in control of it. Mostly German people lived in the Saar so ___ of votes were to re-join Germany,___ to stay with the league and ___ to join France. This ______was treated with great celebration in Germany and ______support for Hitler who announced there were now no issues between France and Germany. Hitler______in the terms of the treaty of Versailles and got closer to achieving his aim of all ______German speaking people.
8% / raised / stayed / January / reunitingvictory / Saar / 90% / 2%
Label this source using the questions to help you
What does the paper in Hitler’s hand represent?
Who do the ghosts represent?
The Remilitarisation of the Rhineland – 7th March 1936
Introduction: Fill in the blanks with the words below
On 7th March 1936 ______soldiers marched into the ______. This was against the ______of ______and the ______pact, which the German government had willingly signed in 1925. ______followed up the remilitarisation with promises that Germany would sign a 25-year ______pact and had no further ______ambitions in Europe. Britain, France and the ______should have acted against Germany. All that happened was that German action was condemned by the League but, when a vote was cast, only Soviet Russia voted in favour of imposing ______on Germany.
Sanctions / German / Territorial / Locarno / League of NationsHitler / Versailles / Non-aggression / Treaty / Rhineland
Exam Question (Jan 2013)
Source C: A Nazi photograph of German troops marching into the Rhineland, March 1936.
8) Study Source C.
Source C shows German soldiers marching unopposed into the Rhineland in March
1936.
Do you agree that the strength of the German army was the main reason why there was no opposition to Hitler’s remilitarisation of the Rhineland?
Explain your answer by referring to the purpose of the source, as well as using its content and your knowledge. (6 marks)
Outcomes of the Remilitarisation of the Rhineland: Fill in the diagram
Other Notes:
______
The Anschluss with Austria
The Anschluss (spelled Anschluß at the time of the event and is German for "connection" or union, political annexation), also known as the Anschluss Österreichs was the occupation and incorporation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.This was in contrast with the Anschluss movement (Austria and Germany united as one country), which had been attempted since as early as 1918 when the Republic of German-Austria attempted union with Germany but was forbidden the Treaty of Versailles peace treaty.
Wednesday 9th March 1938
On the 9 March 1938, in a desperate act, Schuschnigg announced a referendum whereby the Austrian people would decide for themselves if they wanted to be a part of Hitler's Germany. Hitler was furious. If the Austrians voted against joining Germany his excuse for invasion would be ruined.
Thursday 10th March 1938
Hitler told his generals to prepare for the invasion of Austria. He ordered Schuschnigg to call off the referendum. Knowing he would receive no help from Italy, and that France and Britain would not interfere in Hitler's plans, Schuschnigg conceded. He called off the referendum and resigned.
The Nazi Austrian Interior Minister, Seyss-Inquart, was ordered by Hitler to ask for German help in restoring order in Austria.
Friday 11th March 1938
Hitler reassured Czechoslovakia that they had nothing to fear.
On the morning of 12 March, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border to Austria. Austria in the first days of the Third Reich had many contradictions: at one time, Hitler's regime began to tighten its grip in every area of society, beginning with mass arrests as thousands of Austrians tried to escape; yet other Austrians cheered and welcomed the German troops entering their territory. Many Austrian political figures announced their support of the Anschluss and relief that it happened without violence.
Question
Annotate the source