Conflict and Tension

• Armistice- an agreement for peace
• Paris Peace Conference

  1919- 32 countries, victorious allies + no Germany

  • met at Palace of Versailles (France)
  • decided how to deal with losing countries
• 11th November 1918- WW2 ended

  • The Kaiser abdicated and fled to Holland
  • Germans blamed the Kaiser for losing WW1
• The Big 3:

  1. George Clemenceau (France)
  2. David Lloyd George (Britain)
  3. Woodrow Wilson (America)
• The Big 3 aims:

  • prevent another war
  • promote peace
• France aims:

  war largely fought in France, suffered most deaths, land and railways destroyed

  • heavily punish Germany
  • cut Germany's armed forces
  • demilitarise the Rhineland
  • Germany to pay for damage caused, so France could repair country
• British aims:

  • to 'make Germany pay'
  • suffered many deaths
  • not too harsh punishments (scared of WW2)
  • wanted Germany's colonies to build British Empire
  • wanted Germany to be strong enough to trade
• America aims:

  joined war late so suffered fewer deaths

  war wasn't fought on their land

  they made made selling weapons and didn't want revenge

  • wanted Germany to have self-determination
  • wanted Germany to be able to trade freely
  • suggested the 14 points for fairness and peace
• ToVs aims:

  • to weaken German economically and socially
  • prevent another war
  • Germany forced to sign Treaty otherwise allies would resume war
• T: territory

  R: reparations

  A: armaments

  W: war guilt

  L: League of Nations
• T: Territory (13% land taken away)

  • Germany's colonies in Africa taken away
  • Rhineland demilitarised
  • 8 new countries created as Germany split (Poland)
  • Alsace- Lorraine given back to France
  • The SAAR (industrial area) given to France
  • Anschluss- Germany not allowed to unite with Austria in war
  • 6 million Germans no longer lived in Germany
• R: Reparations

  • had to pay £6.6 billion to the Allies
  • take over 60 years to pay
  • 2010- Germany made final payment of £59 million
  • poverty, deaths from starvation
• A: Armaments

  this humiliated Germany as they were proud of their military under the Kaiser's leadership

  • 100,000 men in army
  • 15,000 men in navy
  • no tanks
  • no submarines
  • no air force
  • 6 battleships
• W: War Guilt

  Article 231 stated Germany had to accept full responsibility for causing WW1. This was humiliating as Germans didn't believe they caused war.
• L: League of Nations

  • set up after war
  • promote peace and prevent further wars
  • Germany not allowed to join
  • USA didn't join although they created it
• Treaty of St Germain (1919)

  • Austria lost land to Romania and Italy
  • land taken away from Austria to form new countries (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia)
  • Austria asked to pay reparations
  • army reduced to 35,000 men
  • no navy allowed
• Treaty of Neuilly (1919)

  • Bulgaria lost land to Greece
  • limited army
  • no air force
• Treaty of Trianon (1920)

  • Hungary lost land, given to Czechoslovakia
  • 35,000 men allowed in army
  • asked too pay reparations
• Treaty of Sevres (1920)

  • Turkey lost land to Greece, lost all their land in Europe
  • 50,000 men allowed in army
  • navy allowed sailboats and 6 torpedo boats
  • had to give access to their sea
  • Ottoman Empire split up

  Turkish people overthrew government for agreeing to the treaty, new treaty was set up (Treaty of Lausanne)
• Treaty of Lausanne (1923)

  • Turkey didn't have to pay reparations
  • allowed to take some land back from Greece
  • gained control over armed forces

  Significant- Turkey refusing to stick to terms of the treaty showed the world they didn't have to do what the allies said
• Structure of the LoNs: The Assembly

  • met once a year
  • desicions only made it all members agreed
• Structure of the LoNs: The council

  • met atleast 4 times a year
  • permanent members: Britain, France, Italy, Japan
  • temporary members could vote
• Structure of the LoNs: The Secretariat

  • carried out the work of the League
• LoNs growth:

  • 42 countries at first
  • 1930- 60 countries
• Weaknesses of the LoNs:

  • relied on armies of member states but most of them didn’t commit troops
  • 3 of the most powerful countries (USA, Germany, Russia) didn’t join
  • large organisation- very complicated
  • could introduce sanctions that would only work if powerful countries applied them
• League‘s Contributions:

  • helped refugees after WW1
  • sent over 500,000 prisoners of war home
  • freed 200,000 slaves in Burma and Sierra Leone
  • combatted the spread of serious diseases
  • persuaded countries to introduce minimum wages and working hours
• Leagues Resolved disputes

  1. Upper Silesia (region with valuable industry)- arguments whether Poland or Germany should rule. 1921- League suggested dividing area
  2. Aaland Islands- belonged to Finland, wanted Sweden to rule. 1921- League decided Finland should keep the islands (agreed)
  3. Bulgaria was invaded by Greece in 1925, League ordered Greece to withdraw
• Washington Conference 1921

  for the USA, Britain, Japan and France to reduce the size of the navies

  Strengths- showed countries were keen on disarmament

  Weakness- afterwards nobody wanted to reduce arms further, Japan's navy was the most dominant power
• Geneva Protocol 1924

  tries to make countries use the League to sort out disputes

  Strengths- strengths the League

  Weakness- British refused to sign after a change in government
• Dawes Plan 1924

  USA lends Germany money to pay their reparations

  Strengths- helps Germany recover

  Weakness- benefits wiped out by the Depression
• Young Plan 1929

  Germany's reparations reduced by 75%, take 59 years to pay

  Strengths- helps Germany recover

  Weakness- benefits wiped out by the Depression
• Leagues unsuccessful disputes:

  • Corfu (Greek island) was occupied by Italy in 1923 (in response to an Italian diplomat being shot dead in Greece). The league told Italy to leave and fined Greeks. Italy ignored this and demanded compensation from the Greek. The league agreed that Greece should give Italy money. Greece obeyed and Italy withdrew there troops
• Leagues unsuccessful disputes:

  • in Vilna (Lithuania) most of the population were Polish. Poland seized Vilna and refused to give it up when the League told them too. League was powerless
  • the Ruhr was invaded by France in 1923 after Germany didn‘t pay reparations. French shipped its products back to France and the League didn’t intervene.
• Locarno Treaties 1925

  • Germanys western borders set at Versailles should be permanent
  • Germany were prepared to accept the treaty
  • Treaties were proposed by Stresemann and signed voluntarily
  • Germany would treated like an equal
  • 1926- Germany allowed to join LoNs
  • (nothing was said about the eastern borders, worried Czechoslovakia and Poland)
• Kellogg- Briand Pact 1928

  • 65 nations agreed to not use aggression to settle arguments
  • however, there were no confirmed consequences if the rules were broken
  • step towards lasting peace and preventing future wars
  • USA signed this pact, despite not being in the LoNs
• • Japan invaded the Chinese province (Manchuria)
  • Japan had a railway line through Manchuria

  The Manchurian Crisis (1931)- Reasons:

  • rich in materials and agricultural land
  • Japan suffered in the Depression
  • silk was Japan's main export, because of the Depression, Americans weren't buying silk
  • 1932- silk worth 1/5 of it's value in 1920
• September 1931- explosion on Manchurian railway in Mukden

  • Japan blamed China for this
  • March 1932- Japan invaded Manchuria and renamed it
• League and the Manchurian Crisis:

  • people argued that Japan was entitled to take Manchuria
  • too far away for League to do anything
  • League told Japan to remove troops, but they refused
  • League appointed Lord Lytton to go investigate Manchuria
  • Lytton Report concluded the invasion was not justified
• Significance of Manchuria Crisis:

  • showed the League was weak
  • The league was ineffective and slow
  • Japan left the League and continued to occupy Manchuria
• The Abyssinia Crisis (1935)- East Africa

  • Italy owned land either side of Abyssinia
  • in 1896- Abyssinia defeated Italy at Adowa
  • Abyssinia was rich in natural resources and had fertile land
  • Mussolini confident he could get away with invading, after the League did nothing in Corfu and failed in Manchuria