History (Were the treaties of 1919-1923 fair)

• Treaty of Versailles signed by Germany on 28th June 1919
• Took away 13% of Germany's land, 12.5% of its population, 16% of its coalfields, nearly 50% of its iron and steel industry, and ¾ of its iron ore
• Terms of the Treaty of Versailles:

  • Guilt: Article 231 appointed blame on the Germans for starting the First World War
  • Arms restrictions:
  • Army limited to 100,000 soldiers
  • Navy limited to 6 battleships, 15,000 sailors, and no submarines
  • Airforce forbidden
  • Rhineland demilitarised
  • Conscription ban
  • Restrictions on the development of modern weaponry such as Tanks
  • League of Nations established
  • Reparations: Germany had to pay 6.6 billion pounds
• Changes in German Territory:

  • Alsace Lorraine given to France
  • Danzig given to Poland
  • West Prussia & Posen formed the Polish corridor
  • East Prussia separated from the rest of Germany
  • Colonies Togoland, Cameroon, German South West Africa, and German East Africa given to victors
• • Treaty of St. Germaine with Austria, 1919:
  • Established Anschluss ban
  • Imposed reparations
  • Reduced army to 30,000 men
  • Ended dual monarchy
  • Gave Galicia to Poland, Bohemia & Moravia to Czechoslovakia & Bosnia & Herzegovina to Yugoslavia
  • Severe economic problems as a result as industrial land gone to Czechoslovakia
  • Displacement of people
• • Treaty of Trianon with Hungary, 1920:
  • Induced economic crisis in Hungary
  • Transylvania to Romania, Slovakia & Ruthenia to Czechoslovakia; Slovenia, Croatia Yugoslavia
  • 3 million Hungarians displaced
• Why was France dissatisfied with the treaties?

  • French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau was a realist, wanted peace and compensation, aimed to punish Germany without crushing them completely, wanted reparations, wanted military restrictions - Germany broken into smaller confederations + independent Rhineland + permanent control of Saarland.
• Why was USA dissatisfied with the treaties?

  American President Woodrow Wilson was an idealist who wanted to punish Germany but not too harshly, worried about the spread of communism if too weak and revenge from Germans, and wanted to strengthen democracy based on ’14 points’ = disarmament, League of Nations, and self-determination. His main intention was to build a more peaceful world.
• Why was Britain dissatisfied with the treaties?

  • Lloyd- George wanted to keep Germany as a trading partner for the British and to keep Britain's economy up. He was happy that they weren't completely economically destroyed and could keep up the economic revival of Europe but was upset with how harshly punished the Germans were, fearing retaliation. He also wasn't pleased with the number of German-speaking people who weren't under German rule. Eg: In Czechoslovakia and Poland.