Conflict & Tension

Created by

SwiftRaccoon45375

Cards (95)

What was the devastation caused due to World War I?
Dead and injured from Britain and France added up to 9 million (6 million in France)
9 million civilians died
Economies of countries involved devastated especially Germany
As fighting took place in Northern France and Belgium, towns and villages were destroyed
USA only joined in 1918 so suffered less than European nations
Who were the big three peacemakers involved in the post WWI agreement?
Britain - Lloyd George
France - Clemenceau
USA - Wilson
Wilson's 14 points (1)
No secret treaties (agreements)
Free access to ports for trade purposes during peace and war
There should be free trade between countries (no taxes)
All nations needed to try disarm and only have enough weapons for self defence
Colonies (empires) should have a say in their own future
German troops should leave Russia
Belgium should become independent
Wilson's 14 points (2)
The border between Italy and Austria had to be changed
France should get back Alsace and Lorraine from Germany
Self determination (rule themselves) for the people of Eastern Europe who had been part of other nations
Self determination for the people of the Turkish empire who had been part of other nations
Poland was to become a new country and have access to the sea
Serbia was to have access to the sea
A League of Nations was to be set up where countries would discuss problems rather than fight about them
What did Prime Minster Lloyd George want from the peace agreement?
He wanted a compromise as Germany was a trading partner, so Germany could not be too weak if they both wanted to build up their economies again
He wanted Britain to maintain its naval superiority over Germany a so did not mind a reduced German navy and colonies
He did not want self determination to proceed as it was a threat to the British Empire
Public opinion in Britain wanted a harsh peace agreement that made Germany suffer
What did President Wilson want from the peace agreement?
He was an idealist and wanted to create a better world with a just and lasting peace and for countries to cooperate
He saw the USA as morally superior as they were not involved as the start of the war
His belief in self determination was unrealistic as different nationalities were spread across different countries
He did not believe in punishing the German people, he thought that if democracy was strengthened then the people would help the government to rule well
What did George Clemenceau want from the peace agreement? 
He wanted to have a strong border with Germany so that they would never be attacked again
This meant that an economically and military weak Germany would be helpful
Public opinion in France demanded a harsh agreement, they wanted revenge as France had suffered the most, with the highest death rate in WWI due to the fighting that took place there
Treaty of Versailles (1919): Territorial Changes 
Germany's overseas empire was given to the League so in effect Britain and France took control
Germany was forbidden to join with Austria to create a greater German alliance
The Saar region of Germany was rich with coal fields (useful for economic growth) but was given to the League to control for 15 years
Alsace and Lorraine had been annexed by Germany in a previous war but was now given back to France
Treaty of Versailles (1919): Territorial Changes
Some German and Austrian was given to create a Polish corridor, so that the newly created Poland had access to the sea
New countries like Czechoslovakia were also created
Germany had taken about a quarter of Russian land as part of the Treaty of Brest Litovsk when Russia left WWI due to revolution
This land was now made into the new states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
German reactions to the Territorial Changes:
They thought it was unfair that their colonies were being shared out to the victorious nations and was helping to make them more powerful
Austrians spoke German and shared a culture with Germany, so they saw this as unfair
The loss of the Saar region made Germany economically weaker
They needed coal to power their industry (factories) and sold it too other countries too
German reactions to the Territorial Changes:
6 million Germans found themselves outside of German borders (they lost 13% of the land)
They were mistreated by having less access to opportunities for jobs and educations, they suffered verbal abuse too
They were angry as it went against Wilson's idea of self determination, so were not expecting it
Treaty of Versailles: Military Restrictions
Germany were allowed an army of 100,000 volunteers only and they were not allowed to have armoured vehicles
They could have 6 battleships and 15,00 men but no submarines|
The German Rhineland which bordered France had to become a demilitarised zone
They were not allowed to have an air force
German reactions to Military Restrictions:
They thought it was unfair
The army was a symbol of their pride
They believed it was a hypocrisy as Wilson's 14 points had said all nations should demilitarise yet Germany was the only one having it forced on them
Germany believed that it was being weakened so much that it would no longer be able to defend the borders against an aggressor country
Treaty of Versailles: War Guilt Clause 
Germany and their allies had to accept full responsibility for starting WWI
German reaction to the War Guilt Cause: 
This was the most hated part of the Treaty as Germany knew that they were not the only ones involved; the victorious nations had played their part too
There was shock and anger
Treaty of Versailles: Reparations
Germany had to pay £6.6 billion to the victorious nations so that they could rebuild their countries after the damage caused by war
German reaction to the Reparations:
This was a massive amount of money and would take many years to pay back
Germany believed that they needed money to rebuild there own country
For example, there ere already food shortages and hardship amongst civilians
1923 - the printing of money to solve their problems led to hyperinflation
How was the Treaty a Diktat?
The Treaty of Versailles made between the victorious countries and Germany was imposed on them
They were not even allowed to attend peace talks, it was known as a Diktat
What problems were caused in Germany due to the Treaty?
The citizens of Germany felt that their government should not have signed the agreement
The Kaiser (leader) fled and the new government was seen as weak
The German military leaders had briefly considered not signing , especially as they did not really feel defeated as no fighting took place in Germany
In June 1919 the Treaty was signed and the terms of the Treaty was so harsh that they led to chaos on Germany in the 1920s; unemployment, hyperinflation, public disorder and food shortages
What were the reactions in the USA? 
Wilson was very disappointed that his 14 points had been rejected and the victorious nations had chosen revenge
The American Congress failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and signed a different agreement with Germany
The USA was becoming isolationist and moving away from European issues (which was seen as far away)
What were the reactions in Britain? 
In Britain, public opinion were pleased with the Treaty and thought that it was a harsh enough on Germany
Britain had gained land and money
Pope, thought that Germany had been so harsh on Russia, they deserved the same treatment
The PM Lloyd George privately thought the Treaty had been too harsh and would result in another war
What were the reactions in France?
In France, Clemenceau lost the 1920s elections because the public were displeased with the Treaty
They thought it should have been even more harsher and Germany should have been broken up and more land taken from it to make it weaker
What was the Covenant?
In 1919 the key countries signed the Covenant which set out the key aims of the League of Nations:
discourage aggression from and between countries
to promise to protect each other if invaded
encourage all nations to disarm
encourage trade and business links
improve living and working conditions all over the world
Membership of the League and how it changed:
Britain and France were the most powerful countries when the League was set up, they controlled most decisions
Britain, France, Japan and Italy were the 4 permanent members of the Council
From the start Britain and France doubted the potential of the League
France felt like it could not count on Britain and was very concerned about the threat from Germany
Britain was more interested in maintaining its world power, status and increasing its trade
Membership of the League and how it changed:
Germany and Austria were not allowed to join at the start as they were being blamed for WWI
Germany joined in 1926
Russia was not allowed to join until 1934, other countries feared its communism
The USA never joined the League as it was becoming isolationist
Overtime membership increased, by the 1930s there were 59 countries in the League
What was the structure of the League?
The Secretariat was the administration, it kept records and prepared reports, experts gave advice
The Assembly - each member of the League sent one representative, they voted on various various issues. It was ineffective as it took too ling to make decisions and implement them
The permanent members of the Council - this small group of 4 met more regularly, they could veto any decision made by the Assembly
What actions could the League impose?
Moral Condemnation - when a country was told off and pressure was out on them to stop what they are doing as it was wrong
Economic Sanctions - trade would be reduced on raw materials and other goods, to make a country suffer, this would add further pressure but without a powerful trading nation like the USA its impact was limited
What actions could the League impose?
Military Force - soldiers from member countries could be used to stop an aggressive country, few countries were willing to risk their soldiers so soon after the horror of WWI. This meant that there was not enough military strength to the League to enforce these decisions
The USA may have been useful with it's military but they were not part of the League
Successes no related to conflicts - the agencies of the League: 
The International Labour Organisation - aimed to improve working conditions around the world. Governments met with employers and employees to try to introduce minimum wages and reduce hours
The Refugee Committee - helped to repatriate millions of people
After WWI prisoners of war were returned and refugees resettled
Successes no related to conflicts - the agencies of the League:
The Health Committee - educated people about health and sanitation, it also coordinated efforts for prevention of dangerous diseases like Malaria
The Court of International Justice - based in Hague, Netherlands and gave advice on issues like border disputes but had no power
Examples of League successes in the 1920s: 
Upper Silesia bordered Germany and Poland, it had rich resources like iron and steel
1921 - both countries claimed it, the League organised a vote
The land was split with Poland getting more of the industrial land than Germany
Neither country was pleased but they accepted the decision
Examples of League successes in the 1920s:
The Aaland islands lie between Sweden and Finland
1920 - both countries claimed them, the League investigated and gave them to Finland
Finland was not allowed to used them as a military base
Sweden accepted the decision
Examples of League successes in the 1920s:
1925 - Greece invaded Bulgaria as Greek soldiers had been killed on the border
The League ordered Greece to withdraw their soldiers
Even though they thought it was unfair they complied
Examples of League failures in the 1920s: 
1920 - Poland invaded Vilna (the capital of Lithuania)
Most of Vilna wanted to be Polish
When the League asked Poland to withdraw their soldiers they refused
Poland got away with it as France refused to send soldiers to enforce a decision, they were allies with Poland
Britain would not send soldiers without France's support
Examples of League failures in the 1920s:
1923 - Mussolini invaded the Greek island of Corfu because he blamed them for the murder of a General and wanted compensation
Even though the League condemned this action they supported the stringer country and persuaded Greece to pay compensation
This showed that the League wanted an easy solution and were unwilling to stand up to Italy
Examples of success through treaties but not made by the League:
1923 - France invaded Germany (Ruhr region for access to factories and resources)
They had not made all of its reparation payments
1925 - both sides wanted to improve their relations
The Locarno Treaty was signed were both countries agreed not to invade each other
Germany agreed to keep the Rhineland demilitarised
It showed that Germany was trying to make an agreement rather than have agreements imposed on it
Examples of success through treaties but not made by the League:
1928 - Kellogg Briand Pact was led by America and France
61 countries agrees to use less force and aggression
It increased optimism for peace across the world
Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931?
Japan depended on imports of food and resources like iron and coal from China
It had build rail links to transport goods and even had factories in Manchuria
The stock market crash of 1929 and Great Depression had a negative impact on Japan as the USA was an important trade partner e.g. sales of Japanese silks declined
This les to poverty and unemployment
Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931?
Japan felt that it had to develop its economy by controlling more of China
At the time Japan was supported by a strong army that had already taken over Korea
Japan took over the whole of Manchuria by force and set up a puppet government, the civilian government lost control
1932 - the rest of China was being attacked, the Japanese army had the support of the public who wanted Japan to be strong and powerful again
What was the Mukden Incident?
1931 - an explosion took place on the South Manchurian Railway (built and owned by Japan)
Japan blamed Chinese soldiers for sabotage, China denied this but Japan said that they had to control this vital link
They said that there was chaos and anarchy in Manchuria and that they would look after their economic interests by keeping peace and security
China asked the League for help as it seemed Japan staged the incident as an excuse to invade China