treaty of versailles

• WOODROW WILSON (USA) Wished for the world to be fit and safe to live in

  • No possibility of war
  • Safe for “every peace loving nation”
  • Proposed the league of Nations
  • Thought Europe should be democratic
• CLEMENCEAU (FRANCE) Believed germany was responsible for every aspect of WWI

  • Wants to punish Germany and weaken its economy
  • Rebuild France with reparations from Germany
• DAVID LLOYD GEORGE (UK): Felt terms were severe

  • Still wanted to take resources
  • Took middle ground (“between Napoleon and Jesus Christ”)
  • Wanted navy cut down
• MILITARY RESTRICTIONS:

  • Army: limited to 100,000 men
  • Conscription was banned
  • Navy could only have 6 battleships
  • Rhineland became a demilitarized zone
• LOSS OF LAND:

  • League of nations was given control of the Saar nation (15 yrs)
  • Germany lost land to Poland, Belgium + Denmark
  • Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria
  • In total Germany lost: 72,500 km2 of land and 6-7 Mil. people
• WAR GUILT:

  • CLAUSE 231: forced Germany to accept responsibility for war
  • Provided the reason for punishing Germany so harshly
• REPARATIONS:

  • Germany had to pay damages caused by he war
  • The sum was set in 1921 at £6600 million: Germany paid a certain amount per year
• TREATY SIGNED: 28TH JUNE 1919
• Reparations contributed to economic depression in an already weakened Germany
• WR faced political opposition from the Right 
• Territory loss impacted on industrial production and govt. Finances (13% of land lost)
• Military restrictions meant that Germany would not be able to defend itself: sense of vulnerability and fear
• Led to the invasion of the Ruhr (January, 1921)
• The Weimar republic was always associated with defeat:

  “November criminals”, “Stabbed in the back”

  People believed they were betrayed by the WR: led to political divisions
• The Weimar republic was always associated with defeat:

  “November criminals”, “Stabbed in the back”

  People believed they were betrayed by the WR: led to political divisions
• There were feelings of depression, anxiety and shame in Germany: felt like a defeated nation
• JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES: The treaty was an attempt by the french to gain revenge; the sum was way more than Germany could pay (1919)
• GERHARD WEINBERG: the treaty was advantageous to Germany, it avoided post-war military occupation (1995)
• CORELLI BARNETT:

  The treaty was extremely lenient compared to the peace terms Germany intended to impose on the allies

  Germany was in a superior position strategically, with safer Eastern borders
• ECONOMISTS: 

  The restrictions of the German military saved it so much money it could have afforded reparations