Was the treaty of versailles fair?

• Clemenceau's aims


  • Punish Germany, and ensure it was too weak to attack France again
  • Return Alsace-Lorraine region to France
  • An independent Rhineland
  • Huge reparations
  • Disband the German Army so they wouldn't be strong enough to attack France
• Lloyd George's aims


  • To please elections who wanted to 'make Germany pay'
  • To leave Germany strong enough to trade with
  • To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy
• Woodrow Wilson's aims


  • To end the war by creating a League of Nations (14 points)
  • To ensure Germany not destroyed
  • Not to blame Germany for the war - he hated the Guilt clause
• The victors did not get everything they wanted because they all had different goals for the treatment of Germany
• France wanted a harsh peace, Britain wanted a relatively moderate peace, and America wanted a liberal peace
• Impact of the Treaty on Germany up to the end of 1923


  • Hyperinflation which led to an economic crisis
  • Punished militarily, territorially, and financially
• The Treaty could be justified at the time by many allied countries as a way to end WW1, however some thought it was too harsh for Germany
• Clemenceau's role in the peace-making process


  • Leader of France
  • Aimed to secure French security
  • Demanded harsh reparations from Germany
• Lloyd George's role in the peace-making process


  • Leader of the UK
  • Aimed to balance the interests of the Allies
  • Secure territorial gains for the British Empire
• Woodrow Wilson's role in the peace-making process


  • US President
  • The 14 Points for peace influencing the Treaty of Versailles
• Terms of the Treaty


  • Germany had to accept full blame for the war (war guilt clause)
  • Germany had to pay in full for the damage caused by the war (£6.6 billion, 132 billion gold marks)
  • Alsace-Lorraine was returned to the French
  • Germany was only allowed to have 100,000 soldiers, no tanks, and no air force. Their navy could only have 6 battleships, and no subs
  • The Rhineland was demilitarized
  • Anschluss was banned
  • Woodrow Wilson's idea for a League of Nations was agreed
• Economic impact of the Treaty in Germany to the end of 1923


  • Weimar Government obliged to pay reparations
  • Weimar Government unable to pay next three years' installments due to economic hardship
  • French and Belgian armies sent into the Ruhr region to extract unpaid reparations
  • Weimar Government instructed Ruhr workers to go on strike, worsening the economic crisis
  • Hyperinflation caused by sudden flood of paper money and general strike
• Results of hyperinflation


  • Germans with savings lost the most as their money lost value
  • Food shortages as businesses did not have enough money to purchase produce from farmers
  • Rise in crime as Germans became desperate
• Social impact of the Treaty in Germany to the end of 1923


  • Many German civilians were starving and there were severe food shortages
  • Germany was running out of raw materials
  • Revolts had broken out across Germany
• Political impact of the Treaty in Germany to the end of 1923


  Fuelled right-wing hatred for democratic parties and democracy itself
• Contemporary opinions about the Treaty


  • Germany hated everything about the treaty, calling it a 'diktat'
  • Lloyd George thought the treaty was too harsh
  • Many French people wanted an independent, not a demilitarized, Rhineland
  • Wilson thought the treaty was far too harsh, and many Americans did not want to get involved in Europe
• What does T.R.A.W.L. stand for?


  • T = territory
  • R = reparations
  • A = army
  • W = war guilt clause
  • L = League of Nations