1.1 The Versailles Peace Settlement

• Treaty of Versailles


  An unhappy compromise between the USA, Britain and France
• The Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference


  • David Lloyd George (Britain)
  • Georges Clemenceau (France)
  • Woodrow Wilson (USA)
• The Big Three's agendas

  • Clemenceau wanted to punish Germany severely
  • Woodrow Wilson wanted a lenient peace to reduce likelihood of another war
  • Lloyd George was stuck in the middle, wanting revenge like France but needing Germany's economy to recover
• The Treaty of Versailles

  1. Stripped Germany of all its colonies

  2. 10% of German land

  3. 12.5% of the German population

  4. Limited its armed forces to 100,000 men and 6 small naval vessels

  5. Germany had to accept blame for the war

  6. Germany banned from uniting with Austria

  7. League of Nations established but Germany barred from joining
• The Treaty of Versailles was wildly unpopular in Germany and many people saw it as a mistake
• Many Germans believed Germany had signed an armistice, but had not lost the war, so the Treaty was seen as a betrayal
• The reparations terms and Article 231 (War Guilt clause) were hugely unpopular in Germany
• The resentment of the Treaty was used by many German politicians, particularly Hitler, to discredit the new German government
• League of Nations


  An international police force established to maintain peace
• Components of the League of Nations

  • The Council (main decision-making body)
  • The Assembly (parliament meeting annually)
  • Financial Committee
  • Refugee and Health Committee
  • Court of International Justice
  • International Labour Organisation
• Purpose of the League of Nations

  • To provide a forum for nations to bring grievances to be arbitrated rather than resorting to war
  • To promote trade and improve quality of life to limit the spread of Communism
• The League of Nations was fundamentally weakened by the absence of the USA
• President Wilson


  Wanted the League of Nations to be the organisation which would prevent war and encourage peace and prosperity throughout the world
• The rest of the United States did not feel the same way, and so chose not to join the League
• This left the League in the hands of Britain and France
• Both Britain and France were recovering financially from the effects of the war
• Britain and France worked as best they could to lead the League, but they did not have the money or will to make a major impact