Teck Whye Secondary School

Name: ______( ) Class: Sec _____ Date: ______

Teck Whye Secondary School

Humanities Department

Elective History Notes #1

Establishing Peace

Learning Outcomes of the Chapter (i.e. potential SEQs!)

Students will be able to:

· Analyse the intent of the Treaty of Versailles (TOV) and German reaction to the treaty.

· Examine the reasons for the formation of the League of Nations (LON) and its role in promoting world peace in the 1920s

· Explain the efforts in disarmament in the 1920s

· Analyse the effectiveness of aid given to Germany

Background

After the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, the leaders of the former Allied Powers agreed to meet in Paris to discuss how to establish peace on a more permanent basis. The Paris Conference opened on 18

January 1919.

Intent of the Treaty of Versailles

Britain
(David Lloyd George) / France
(Georges Clemenceau) / USA
(Woodrow Wilson)
· Determined to protect British interests
· Wanted Germany to be punished but not too severely
· However, he had promised Britain during the elections that he would make Germany pay so he had to make good his promise to the British people / · Wanted to protect France from any future attacks from Germany as both countries shared a border and Germany had attacked France twice before
· Was for a harsh punishment to deter further German aggression
· He also wanted to cripple Germany as a military power and create a buffer zone between Germany and France
· As France had been physically devastated during WWI, the French people pressed Clemenceau for revenge / · Wanted a fair peace that would cause the least resentment
· Felt that Germany should be punished but not too severely
· Felt that world peace could only be achieved if revenge was put aside and people concentrated on new beginnings
· Wanted the creation of a League of Nations to ensure world peace
· Supported the idea of Self-Determination where people could choose their own governments or the boundaries of their country
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Territorial / Military / Economic
Colonies:
· Germany’s colonies were to be run by various Allied powers under mandates where the colonies had to be brought to a point where they could be independent as soon as possible
German Lands:
· Rhineland became a demilitarised zone
· Saar coalfields were to be run by the League of Nations till 1934
· Alsace-Lorraine was given back to France
· Germany was unable to have a union with Austria
· A lot of land that had once been under the former German empire) was either used to create new territory, returned to former owners or were managed by the League of Nations until they could be independent / · The German army was reduced in number and conscription was banned
· The Germany navy was reduced in number and ships
· Germany could not have submarines, tanks or planes
· German had to accept full blame for the war under the War Guilt Clause / · Germany had to pay a total of ₤6,650 million
· Profits from the Saar coalfields were to go to France
Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?
· The German government that had been responsible for the war had been overthrown and a new government was formed.
· The French were also responsible for the war.
· The German economy also suffered during the war.
· The Germans had not been allowed to participate in the negotiations of the peace treaty or the armistice that ended the war.
· The Germans were not allowed to join the Treaty of Versailles.
· Although Self-Determination was a key element of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points, it was not applied to Germany and it became fragmented instead.
· The Germans did not want to sign the treaty but the Allied Powers would have continued their naval blockade and essential supplies of food and raw materials would not have been able to reach the German people.
German Reactions to the Treaty
· Were German reactions to the Treaty of Versailles justified? [Annex A - Specimen Paper].
· The treaty was seen as a “diktat” – or dictated peace which was forced upon Germany.
· The treaty was seen as disgraceful and humiliating and many people wanted vengeance for its signing.
· The Weimar Government who signed the treaty were accused of betraying the country and backstabbing the people.