History ( Conflict & Tension )

• The First World War

  -> WW1 was fought from 1914 - 1918

  -> At the end of the war, Germany surrendered and signed the armistice

  -> They agreed to..

  • Pay reparations
  • Give Alsace-Lorraine back to France
  • move the German army out of the Rhineland
• The aims of the peacekeepers

  -> January 1919, 32 countries met in the palace of Versailles to decide terms of the peace treaties

  -> Known as the Paris Peace Conference

  -> The big 3, had a lot of pressure on them to keep peace and make everybody happy

  -> Europe was falling apart so they had to act quickly
• Georges Clemenceau

  -> Leader of France

  -> His aims were to..

  • Get Germany to pay reparations to rebuild areas of France which were affected by the war
  • Get revenge for all the lives lost 
  • To weaken Germany so it couldn’t attack again
  • Push German borders back to make France feel safer 
• David Lloyd George

  -> Leader of Britain

  -> His aims were to..

  • Wanted a cautious approach
  • Wanted to keep Germany strong for trade 
  • Aimed to gain German colonies and add them to the British empire
  • Wanted naval supremacy 
• Woodrow Wilson

  -> Leader of USA

  -> His aims were to..

  • Wanted fair peace
  • Proposed the 14 points, which included the League of Nations, self-determination and freedom 
  • But America didn’t want to get involved in European affairs again 
• Terms of the Treaty

  -> The treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th of June 1919

  -> The final Treaty was a Diktat

  -> Germany took the whole blame without being able to negotiate
• Terms

  -> War guilt clause

  -> Reparations = £6.6million

  -> Navy restrictions

  -> No Tanks / Submarines / Air crafts

  -> Army = Only 100,000 men

  -> Conscription was banned

  -> Rhineland was demilitarised
• Achieved aims ?

  Clemenceau

  -> reparations were “to low”

  -> Germany should have no army

  David Lloyd George

  -> British empire gained colonies

  -> Treaty was too harsh

  Woodrow Wilson

  -> creation of the league

  -> 14 points was ignored
• Germanys reaction


  -> they felt betrayed by the government

  -> people had little food

  -> Germany was left very vulnerable

  -> Felt the treaty was forced onto them

  -> 13% of their land was lost
• Treaty of Versailles - strengths

  -> The war caused a lot of damage, reparations were needed to rebuild

  -> France regained Alsace-Lorraine

  -> Many areas We’re gaining independence
• Treaty of Versailles - weaknesses

  -> new states were created but Poland weakened as it was surrounded by enemies

  -> Lloyd George and Wilson feared the treaty would lead to another war

  -> people felt humiliated by the treaty

  -> Nobody was fully satisfied with the outcome of the treaty
• Leagues aims

  • collective security
  • Encourage disarmament
  • Improve living and working condition
  • Tackle deadly diseases
• structure of the league

  The assembly

  -> every country sent a representative to meet once a year

  The council

  -> Britain, France, Italy, Japan

  -> council could Veto rulings

  The secretariat

  -> arranged any actions that wanted to be taken

  Special commissions

  -> tackles special issues
• Leagues agency

  international labour organisation - improve working conditions

  Commissions for refugees - help people who lost their homes because of war

  Economic and financial committee - improve living conditions

  Health organisation - cure diseases

  Slavery commission - end slavery
• international Agreements - Locarno treaties

  -> France and Germany

  -> 1925

  -> working together peacefully
• International agreements - kellogg briand pact

  -> 65 countries

  -> 1928

  -> agreed war would not be used to solve disputes
• collapse of the league - Manchurian crisis


  -> 1929 Japan suffered from the Great Depression

  -> its export of silk was something most people couldn’t afford

  -> the government looked for land to invade for natural resources

  -> Manchuria was rich in natural resources
• collapse of the league - Abyssinian crisis


  -> Mussolini wanted to Rebuild the Roman empire

  -> it had alot of natural resources

  -> 1896 Italy tried to invade Abyssinian but was humiliated when the poor country defeated them

  -> he was confident the league would stop him
• hitlers aims

  • lebensraum
  • Overturn Versailles
  • Volksdeutsche
  • Destroy communism
  • Rearmament