Conflict + Tension { Interwar years }

• Frances Aims of the Peacekeepers:

  • Wanted Germany to pay for reparations , to rebuild areas of France which was affected by war
  • Wanted revenge for all the lives lost
  • Aimed to weaken Germany so it could never attack again
  • Wanted to push German border back to the Rhine so French would feel safer
• Britains Aims of the Peacekeepers:

  • Wanted a cautious approach , they didn't want Germany to want revenge
  • Wanted to keep Germany strong so it could trade with Britain and act as a buffer to communism
  • Aimed to gain German colonies to add to the British empire
  • Wanted Naval supremacy therefore wanted to reduce Germans navy
• USA'S Aims of the Peacekeepers:

  • Wanted a fair peace so Germany couldn't seek revenge
  • Proposed the 14 points including the foundation of League of Nations , self determination and freedom of the seas.
• What were the Treaty of Versailles?

  It marked the end of WW1 where Germany were made to accept blame for all of their actions as well as being punished
• What did the Germans call the Treaty of Versailles?

  Diktat ( Dictated peace )
• What were Wilsons fourteen points?

  • No secret Treaties
  • Free acess to the sea for all
  • free trade between countries
  • disarmament by all countries
  • Colonies to have a say in their own future
  • Russia to be free of German troops
  • Belgium to be independent
  • Alsace-Lorraine to go to France
  • New Frontier between Austria and Italy
  • Self-determination for people of Eastern Europe
  • Serbia to have access to the sea
  • Self-Determination for people in Turkish Empire
  • Poland to be independent with access to the sea
  • League of Nations to settle disputes
• What was article 231?

  The War guilt clause , this meant that Germany and their allies had to take full responsibility for starting the war
• TOV Blame:

  Germany had to take full blame for starting the war which Germany saw as a diktat as they felt like they were obliged to sign , Germany were left humilated
• TOV Reparations:

  Germany had to pay out 6.6 billion marks to the allies , Germany had payed all this off by 2010 October 3rd
• TOV Territory:

  Alsace Lorraine was returned to France

  Saar was given to France for 15 Years

  All Colonies were took

  Polish corridor was split to give Poland access to the sea

  Germany lost 13% of land leaving 6 million Germans living outside the border of their own country
• TOV Army:

  Military was limited to 100,000 men with no conscription

  No Tanks allowed

  No Air Force

  Navy reduced to 15,000 men , 6 battleships and no submarines

  Rhineland became a demilitarized zone to protect France from future attacks
• When was the treaty signed?

  On 28th June 1919 Germany signed the TOV
• Lloyd George's satisfaction with the TOV:

  He believed that in 25 years there would be another war

  Reperations crippled Germany meaning they could no longer trade with the UK

  He was pleased that the German navy was weakened and that Britain had gained territory from the German Empire
• Clemenceau's satisfaction with TOV:

  • Clemenceau wanted the Rhineland to be independent, not just demilitarized.
  • He was also unhappy that Germany had any army.
  • Reparations fees were still lower than the cost of the war.
  • Many French people believed the treaty had not gone far enough.

  Clemenceau was voted out of power at the next election.
• Woodrow Wilsons Satisfaction with the TOV:

  • Wilson was disappointed that the allies kept their empires.
  • He was pleased that the LON was formed and that nations agreed to work together to prevent war.
  • Like Lloyd George he was worried that the Germans would seek revenge for the treaty in the future.
• British Public's reaction to the TOV:

  Most people felt the treaty was fair.

  The war had taken its toll on the British people. Almost everyone had lost someone and food shortages had been difficult. They wanted to make Germans to pay.

  Overall the treaty was popular, it was declared that Germany would never again threaten Britain and Lloyd George was seen as a hero.
• Lloyd George's reaction to the TOV:

  • He worried that the treaty was far too harsh and would cause future conflict.
  • • He was concerned that reparations had damaged Germanys ability to trade. •
  • He was concerned that giving German land to Poland would result in the German people wanting to re-join Germany further down the line.
• Frances Public reaction to the TOV:

  • The French were desperate to punish Germany. Some parts of the treaty (Alsace-Lorraine, Saarland and the demilitarisation of the Rhineland) were popular. However, many people felt like the treaty had not gone far enough and that Germany was still too strong.
  • The French blamed Clemenceau for this and removed him from power next election.
• George Clemenceau's Reaction to the TOV:

  Clemenceau was angry about many things:

  • He was upset Germany had been allowed to keep any army at all.

  • He had wanted the Rhineland to be it’s own independent state not a demilitarised zone

  . • he did not think reparations were high enough, he was concerned Germany were not financially weak enough.
• America's public reaction to the TOV:

  Many Americans felt that the treaty was harsh on Germany and that GB and France had become too powerful as a result.

  Americans believed in Isolationism (The USA should not become involved in foreign affairs) As a result the Senate refused to accept the treaty as it was not based around the 14 points and as such was not in Americas best interest.
• Woodrow Wilsons reaction to the TOV:

  Wilson was also upset with the outcomes of the TOV:

  • He was worried that the harshness would lead to the USA being pulled into another war.

  • Most of his 14 points had been ignored.

  • The Senate refusing to accept the treaty meant that the USA did not join the LON. Wilson campaigned for the USA to join until his death in 1924. The USA however remained an isolationist nation until the late 1930s
• German Objections to the TOV ( BLAME )

  Article 231 meant that Germany had to take the blame. This was by far the most hated part of the treaty as it was a humiliation for the German people that would stay with them for generations. They did not feel that they were solely to blame for the start of the war and so were left feeling unjustly punished by this.
• German objections to the TOV ( REPERATIONS )

  The astronomical reparations bill of £6.6 billion left an already financially crippled Germany in turmoil. Things got so bad that when the Germans could not pay an installment in 1923 the French invaded the industrial Ruhr and took German goods in place of money. This led to the Germans printing more money which caused Hyperinflation (Where money becomes worthless) by the end of the year a loaf of bread was worth 200,000,000,000 marks
• German objections to the TOV ( ARMY )

  Germany objected to the limiting of their armed forces for a number of reasons. Their first objection was that the reduction in their armed forces left them defenseless and open to attack from any rival nation. As well as this the limit on not only their army but also their navy and air force meant that hundreds of thousands of men were left unemployed as a result.
• German objections to the TOV ( LAND )

  Germany were very upset to have lost 13% of their land particularly because much of it was valuable industrial land. Their main issue though came because over 6 million Germans were not left outside of Germany. They were concerned they would be discriminated against in a new nation and wanted to be a part of Germany again.
• How far did Woodrow Wilson achieve there aim: AGREE

  • Self Determination: Austria + Hungary become independent countries
  • The LON was created , 42 countries joined the LON
  • Stop Future wars ( the LON agreed to keep peace )
• How far did Woodrow Wilson achieve there aim: AGAINST

  Self Determination: German colonies in Africa were ruled by Britain

  LON : American Senate refused to join the LON because they were ruled by a politcal party that wanted isolationism

  Stop Future wars: Wilson felt the TOV was to harsh and therefore Germany would seek revenge ( As seen in WW2 )
• How far did George Clemenceau achieve his aim: AGREE

  Punishment + Revenge: German and it's allies had to accept responsibility for starting the war which made Germany a laughing stock

  Protection and Reduction: Germany army and Navy were reduced , they weren't allowed tanks or air forces as well as the Rhineland being de militarized
• How far did George Clemenceau achieve his aim: AGAINST

  Punishment and Revenge: Most people wanted Germany to be destroyed not weakened , many felt that Clemenceau had not gave the revenge they wanted

  Protection and Reduction:

  Clemenceau felt that Germany shouldn't be allowed an army at all.
• Czechoslovakia the new state:

  Czechoslovakia declared their independence from Austria-Hungary in 1918 this was then accepted at the Treaty of Versailles. They had inherited a lot of Austria’s industrial land and so were financially and mostly politically stable. 1/5 of their population was German, mostly in the Sudetenland, and they resented being forced to be part of Czechoslovakia.
• Yugoslavia the new state:

  Yugoslavia was formed from several differentethnic groups. Due to this there was frequently tension between them. However, Yugoslavia remained as a fairly stable state until their incredibly violent collapse in the 1990s
• Poland the new state:

  Polandwas created as a buffer between Germany and the USSR. Poland was given the Polish corridor, splitting Germany in two and giving Poland access to the sea. German citizens in this area resented living in Poland. To the east lay the USSR who were not happy about the Polish border. To the west lay the Germans who were unhappy about being split in two. Poland was surrounded by hostile nations from the start.
• Was the TOV fair? ( agree )

  • Germany could rebuild their army and military and start a war 20 years later
  • Expecting Germany to pay for a war that had caused untold damage especially to France was not unfair
  • It was normal for leading nations to be treated harshly .
  • Germany already agreed to many of the terms in the Armistice like reparations
• Was the TOV fair? ( disagree )

  • Germany was not fully to blame however they were made to take full responsibility
  • The Germans signed the TOV believing it'd be based on the 14 points however it was not
  • 6 million Germans now lived in hostile countries which gave them an excuse to regain land in the future
  • Wilson and Lloyd George thought the TOV was to harsh and would cause future problems
• What were the aims of the League?

  1)To resolve disputes between members

  2)To prevent future wars

  3)To encourage international cooperation

  4)To tackle diseases

  5)To improve living and working conditions
• What was the League of Nations?

  The League was an international organization committed to cooperation between nations and the promotion of international peace.
• Who Joined the LON?

  When the league was founded there were 42 member states. These included many European, South American and Asian nations. African countries mostly did not join as they were usually under the control of European Imperial powers
• Who didn't join the League of Nations?

  Germany, Austria and Turkey were not allowed to join as they had lost the war. GB and France were suspicious of the communist Russians so they were not invited to join. The US Senate refused to allow the USA to join as they did not want to be dragged into European issues. This was the beginning of US isolationism
• Change in Leadership in the League of Nations:

  Germany were allowed to join in 1926 after the Locarno treaty was signed. The USSR then joined in 1934. Some nations left the league over disputes: Germany (1933), Italy (1937), Japan (1933). The USSR were expelled in 1939.
• Why did countries join the League of Nations?

  Countries wanted to join the league to benefit from collective security, to avoid another large scale war, to have a say over matters such as disarmament and to cooperate on issues to do with health and the drug trade.