History conflict and tension

• What happened at the end of the First World War

  1. The Paris Peace Conference

  2. Germany surrendered by signing the armistice
• Fighting of WWI ended

  11th November 1918
• Representatives of 32 countries met for the Paris Peace Conference at the Palace of Versailles


  January
• Germany was not invited to the Paris Peace Conference but had to sign the treaty, they complained it was unfair
• Other treaties followed for other defeated nations
• The Big Three at Versailles

  • Britain (David Lloyd George)
  • France (Georges Clemenceau)
  • USA (Woodrow Wilson)
• Mood in 1919


  • Allied countries like France and Britain believed Germany was responsible for the war and should be punished, should have to pay for damage
• In the 1918 General Election Campaign, Lloyd George promised to make Germany pay to the British public
• When Russia pulled out of the war in March 1918, Germany made them sign the harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which took huge amounts of land and made Russia pay huge reparations
• Allies felt they would have done the same to France and Britain if they had won, so they should be punished the same
• Georges Clemenceau


  French Prime Minister, nicknamed 'Tiger', wanted revenge, reparations, and to weaken Germany
• David Lloyd George


  British Prime Minister, wanted to punish Germany severely but was worried if the treaty was too harsh they would seek revenge, wanted to protect the British Empire
• Woodrow Wilson


  American President, wanted a lasting peace, punished but not too harshly to want revenge, proposed the 14 Points and the League of Nations
• There were disagreements between the Big Three at Versailles
• Disagreements between the Big Three

  • Clemenceau vs Wilson
  • Clemenceau vs Lloyd George
  • Lloyd George vs Wilson
• After months, an agreement was made at Versailles, but none of the Big Three were fully happy with the terms
• Main terms of the Treaty of Versailles

  • War Guilt
  • Reparations
  • Military Restrictions
  • League of Nations
  • Loss of Land in Europe
  • Loss of Overseas Colonies
• War Guilt


  Article 231 said 1) Germany was responsible for starting the war 2) Germany was to blame for damage and death of war
• Reparations


  Germany had to pay £6.6 billion to the Allies for the damage of the war
• Military Restrictions


  Germany's army was hugely reduced, conscription banned, no air force, no submarines, Rhineland demilitarised
• League of Nations


  Organisation to keep peace, but Germany not allowed to rejoin at first
• Germany lost huge areas of land in Europe and key areas of its overseas empire
• Satisfaction of the Big Three with the Treaty

  • Clemenceau (satisfied with harsh aspects, but wanted even harsher)
  • Lloyd George (harsh treatment meant he received a hero's welcome, but privately believed it was too harsh)
  • Wilson (creation of League of Nations and self-determination, but disappointed many of his 14 Points were not included)
• The German government and public were horrified and shocked by the severity of the Treaty
• Reasons for German anger at the Treaty

  • The Diktat (forced peace)
  • War Guilt
  • Reparations
  • Military Restrictions
  • Loss of Land and Industry
  • Lack of Self-Determination
  • Exclusion from the League of Nations
• Many believe the German anger at the Treaty led to the rise of Hitler and the outbreak of World War II
• Arguments for and against the fairness of the Treaty

  • Unfair (Diktat, War Guilt, Reparations, Self-Determination)
  • Fair at the time (Germany accepted harsh terms when signing armistice, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk showed Germany would have done the same, Germany caused own economic problems)
• The Treaty of Versailles was a difficult situation, with huge public pressure on the Allies to punish Germany and bring stability to Europe
• How the League of Nations worked

  1. Aims (Stop war, Disarmament, Encourage cooperation, Improve living conditions)

  2. Powers (Collective Security, International Law, Mediation, Moral Condemnation, Economic Sanctions)
• The League of Nations had problems from the beginning, with key countries like the USA, USSR and Germany not joining
• Organisation of the League of Nations

  • Assembly (parliament)
  • Special Commissions (Disarmament, Health, Slavery, Refugees, Labour)
  • Council (small group with veto power)
  • Permanent Court of International Justice
  • Secretariat (civil service)
• The League of Nations struggled to keep the peace in the 1920s, failing to resolve disputes over Vilna, Upper Silesia, the Aaland Islands, and Corfu
• Claimed by Poland. In 1920, a Polish army invaded Vilna and took control. League told Poland to remove its army, but was refused. France saw Poland as an important ally against Germany so didn't want to upset them. League did nothing
• Upper Silesia 1921: area contained a lot of Poles and Germans, an important industrial area to both countries. League organised a vote in March 1921 asking Silesians to vote which country. British and French troops supervised voting. Area was split between them both
• Aaland islands 1921: between Sweden and Finland, both countries wanted control. League investigated and said it should go to Finland, both countries agreed
• Corfu 1923: August 1923 Italian general Tellini and 3 assistants were killed on the Greek side of the border. Mussolini was mad, demanded compensation from Greece. Then Italy bombed and invaded the Greek island of Corfu
• Greece went to the League for help, they condemned Italy. But Mussolini pressured the League and got them to order Greece to apologise and pay them, showing the League rulings could be overturned
• Bulgaria 1925: Greek troops invaded Bulgaria after an incident where a Greek soldier got killed. League ordered Greece to withdraw and pay. Greece obeyed, however they argued they had been treated differently to when Italy invaded Corfu. Argued smaller countries were treated differently to big ones
• Locarno Treaties 1925: agreement with France, Belgium and Germany who promised not to invade each other, Germany also accepted territorial treaty terms. Germany joined the League soon after
• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928: 61 countries signed a pact independently from the League, promising not to use war to solve disputes. Seen as the League was made for this, showed lack of faith in the League