The Treaty of Versailles

• The Weimar Republic was deeply unpopular for two main reasons: the signing of the armistice seen as a betrayal and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles
• Many in Germany saw the signing of the armistice as a betrayal
• The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were harsh and damaged Germany's struggling economy
• The government who signed the armistice were called the November criminals by some in Germany
• Conspiracy theories spread among the enemies of the republic, including anti-semitic theories blaming the Jews for the loss of the war
• German propaganda of World War I led to some people having no idea about the troops' suffering from food shortages or the stalemate on the western front
• Some felt that the surrender in World War I was a betrayal of German national pride
• The surrender was seen as a betrayal and became known as the Dolchstoß or stab in the back theory
• President Ebert of Germany dismissed the idea of defeat by telling the returning troops that no enemy had vanquished them
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles in France

  28th of June 1919
• Negotiators of the Treaty of Versailles

  • David Lloyd George for Great Britain
  • Woodrow Wilson for the USA
  • Georges Clemenceau for France
• Woodrow Wilson's 14 points


  • Included a League of Nations to settle international disputes, democracy, and disarmament
• The Treaty of Versailles comprised 440 articles which can be split into four categories: land, army, money, and blame (LAMB)
• Categories of the Treaty of Versailles

  • Land
  • Army
  • Money
  • Blame
• Details of land taken away from Germany

  • Posin
  • East Prussia
• Areas taken away from Germany and restrictions imposed

  • Posin and East Prussia given to Poland (Polish Corridor)
  • Alsace Lorraine given to France
  • Renounce all rights over Poland and Czechoslovakia
• Germany's army was limited to no more than a hundred thousand men
• Germany was allowed only six battleships and no air force
• The Rhineland was to be demilitarized
• No German army force or fortifications were allowed in the Rhineland
• Germany had to pay reparations of 6,600 million pounds to the Allies
• Article 231 of the treaty stated that Germany accepted responsibility for the losses and damages caused by the war
• The Treaty of Versailles was met with mixed reactions around the world
• In Germany, the Treaty of Versailles was hugely unpopular
• The Treaty of Versailles was labelled as dictat in Germany
• Some of the territories lost were populated by people who considered themselves German
• The military restrictions were seen as a humiliation in Germany
• The reparations payments created serious economic problems for Germany
• Article 231 was seen as a humiliation by the German people