Nature – what type of source (book, diary, photo, etc)
Technique – how is message delivered
David Lloyd George - Great Britain
Didn't want harsh penalty
Wanted Germany to regain strong economy to pay back (too harsh penalty=bad economy)
Used harsh punishment to be elected (public view)
Georges Clemenceau - France
Suffered most - French army bled dry (casualties, injuries, mental issues)
French wanted revenge
Speaker: 'Quote'
Believed that Germany should be '...brought to her knees...' So that they could not start war again
Prior to war, France had been humiliated by Germany
Woodrow Wilson - USA
Germans to be punished but not harshly
Created 'Fourteen points' - peace across Europe (no more secret treaties, countries to reduce weapons and armed forces, no nationality to have more power to govern another, all countries to belong in association)
USA suffered less than other 2 countries because they joined late
Saar Plebiscite – 1935
Conscription and Rearmament – 1935
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland – 1936
Anschluss with Austria – 1938
Munich Agreement – 1938
Czechoslovakia – 1938
Nazi-Soviet Pact – 1939
Invasion of Poland – 1 September 1939
+3 September 1939 – Britain declared war on Germany
Many conservatives feared communism, therefore fascism offered less challenge
Speaker: 'Quote'
Britain had not recovered yet, had no resources, therefore needed to delay war
Britain couldn't defend extensive empire
France was unwilling to fight, and Britain said they could not go to war without France
Many saw Hitler's Germany as a barrier between communist Russia and West
Chamberlain was not a dictator, people did not want to go to another war, were sick of war
British government wanted to spend more money on the issues within Britain: housing, re-establishing country and did not want to spend on re-armament
League of Nations countries wanted to avoid war at all costs (morality)
Chamberlain misjudged Hitler - believed Hitler was reliable
German propaganda
Germany claimed 'her people' in Sudetenland and Poland were being mistreated, movements in area supported oppressed people
Key points about Versailles Treaty
Treaty was forced on Germany (Diktat)
Terms of treaty were harsh: Germany lost 1/6 of its land, 10% of its industry, 6 million people, Armed Forces Restricted, Money reparations, Blame Article 231 (war guilt clause)
Extremist groups
1. Spartacist uprising 1919
2. Kapp Putsch 1920
Germany signed armistice and Treaty because they were starving and had no choice but to stop the war
Rumours spread that German army had been betrayed by Weimar politicians
Leaders supported as they didn't have to take blame for war
Nazis went on to say The November Criminals were Jewish
To demonise Jewish community
Every German had political freedom, which extremist groups used to attack Weimar Republic
Proportional representation allowed smaller parties to win seats in government, leading to coalition governments
Article 48 was overused, making people believe that democracy was not right for Germany
1923 Crisis
RUHUR occupation, Hyperinflation, Munich Putsch
During the golden years of Weimar, things were good and peaceful
After the death of the president, new president taxed more to pay back loans, however, in depression, spending is better
League of Nations established with 48 members
1920
Locarno treaty signed by Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium (no war over disputes, Germany accepted western borders + border changes via negotiation)