1. How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?
Conflict & Tension
Part One: Peacemaking
Key individuals
Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles
Georges Clemenceau
Prime Minister of France, wanted to cripple Germany, revenge for the destruction that had been caused to France during WW1 and to make sure Germany could never attack again.
Woodrow Wilson
President of the USA, an idealist, and wanted a future where everyone could be treated fairly.
David Lloyd George
Prime Minister of Britain, elected by the British public after WW1 as he promised to make the Germans pay. However, he did not want Germany seeking revenge and wanted to resume trading with Germany.
France were pleased that they were no longer threatened by the German army, they were pleased with reparations and the Saar.
However many wanted the treaty to be harsher. France was angry that Germany could have an army, keep the Rhineland and they wanted higher reparations.
USA favoured isolationism (didn’t want to be involved) and believed that the Treaty was too harsh. Wilson lost the next election and the USA refused to ratify the Treaty.
Some British people felt it was a fair punishment but could have been harsher.
Other British people (including Lloyd George) were worried it was too harsh, especially the reparations, and could lead to another war.
The German reaction:
Shocked and felt it was harsh. Called it a ‘Diktat’.
The new German government that signed it, the Weimar Republic, were hated by many people who felt stabbed in the back.
Germans had hoped it would be based on Wilson’s 14 points and that the Kaiser would be blamed, not the ordinary people.
How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?
Reasons it was unfair (unjustified):
-6 million Germans found themselves living outside Germany
-They lost land that German families had owned for generations.
-Germans felt vulnerable with a reduced military.
-Reparations crippled ordinary German people.
Reasons it was fair (justified):
-WWI had been the most devastating war ever and the losing country needed to pay for the damage.
-Germany had made Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk when they had surrendered in 1917, which was harsher.
- Something needed to be done quickly, under pressure the peacemakers did the best job they could.
The Treaty of Versailles
Guilt Clause - Article 231
War guilt clause – Germany and her allies had to take full responsibility for the war. This was a ‘diktat’.
Armed forces
The German army was limited to 100,000 men
Conscription banned
The navy was limited to 6 large battleships.
No tanks, submarines or an air force.
The Rhineland was demilitarised.
Reparations
Figure was agreed at £6.6 billion.
It was estimated it would take until 1988 to pay back.
German land
Lost 10% of land, including Alsace Lorraine back to France and North Schleswig to Denmark.
The Saar, an important industrial area, put under French control (on behalf of League of Nations) for 15 years.
Germany split in two by the Polish Corridor.
Lost all colonies.
Anschluss (union) was banned with Austria.
League of Nations
Set up to keep peace, but Germany was not allowed to join.