History summer exam yr10

• Peace treaty


  A set of agreements that deal with the complicated issues after a war, with the aim of bringing lasting peace
• The big question at the Paris Peace Conference was how to treat Germany
• Germany was dealt with by the Treaty of Versailles
• The Big Three


  The leaders of the victorious countries who led the discussions about the Treaty of Versailles
• Germany was not invited to the peace talks at all
• President Wilson's Fourteen Points


  A set of principles Wilson had drawn up and published in 1918 to guide the future peacemaking, including self-determination, disarmament, and a League of Nations
• Wilson


  • Wanted a fair settlement based on his Fourteen Points
  • Saw hope for the future and ignored some of the harsh realities of the time
  • Wanted to be fair towards Germany to help keep peace in Europe
• Clemenceau


  • 77 years old in 1919
  • Twice seen France invaded by Germany
  • Determined that this should never happen again
  • Wanted a harsh treaty to weaken and punish Germany
• Lloyd George


  • Knew British public opinion wanted Germany to pay
  • Wanted Germany punished but not to an extent that would cause revenge
  • Wanted things that would help Britain, like Germany losing its colonies and navy
  • Wanted Germany to be able to recover internally as an important trading partner
• German representatives were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919
• Germany had expected a fair treaty based on Wilson's Fourteen Points, but the terms were very harsh
• Germany had to sign the treaty - or face renewed attacks by the Allies
• Germany lost 10% of its land, 12.5% of its population, 16% of its coal fields and almost half of its iron and steel industry
• Germany's overseas colonies became mandates ruled by victorious countries
• Severe limits were put on Germany's armed forces
• Germany was blamed for the war and told to pay reparations
• The Big Three who agreed the treaty were not totally happy with it
• Disliked by


  • Clemenceau
  • Lloyd George
  • Woodrow Wilson
• Almost all Germans hated the Treaty of Versailles and it contributed to great instability in Germany
• Strengths of the Treaty of Versailles (seen at the time by victorious countries)

  • Brought peace to Europe after four years of terrible fighting
  • Set up the League of Nations as an international peacekeeping organisation
  • The terms were not as harsh as they might have been
• Weaknesses of the Treaty of Versailles (seen initially by defeated countries and later by all)

  • Germans felt bitter about unfair treatment, which extremist parties exploited
  • Reparations payments crippled the German economy
  • Punished Germany enough to want revenge but not enough to stop it recovering and acting against the Allies in the future
  • Woodrow Wilson placed too much faith in the League of Nations
• Historians say the negotiators did their best in a limited time while facing an almost impossible task
• League of Nations


  An international organisation created as part of the post-war peace treaties to enforce the terms of the treaties and provide collective security
• League of Nations


  • Assembly - every member country sent a representative
  • Council - a smaller group that made decisions and met several times a year
  • Secretariat - kept records, prepared reports, translated documents, and fulfilled administrative functions
  • Permanent Court of International Justice - based at The Hague, intended to settle disputes between countries
• The USA never joined the League of Nations
• Powers of the League of Nations

  • The Council could decide who was in the wrong in a dispute and tell them to stop (moral condemnation)
  • The Council could tell member countries not to trade with the 'guilty' country (economic sanctions)
  • The League did not have an army but the Council could instruct members to provide troops to fight together against the aggressor
• The League successfully sorted out various international disputes in the 1920s
• Commissions of the League of Nations

  • Refugees commission
  • Health commission
  • Mandates commission
• There were signs that the League was potentially weak, as countries sometimes ignored it
• The Locarno Treaties and Kellogg-Briand Pact helped the League's work by showing countries were prepared to work peacefully
• The Great Depression in the 1930s caused problems for the League, as international tensions rose and it was powerless to prevent invasions by Japan and Italy
• The League was helped in its peacemaking role by other international agreements
• Locarno Treaties (1925)


  Promised not to invade each other, Germany promised to keep troops out of the Rhineland
• After the Locarno Treaties, Germany was allowed to join the League in 1926
• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)


  61 countries promised not to go to war to solve disputes
• These agreements were not the work of the League but they helped its work because they showed that countries were prepared to work peacefully with former enemies
• The situation changed quickly with the onset of the Great Depression
• The Wall Street Crash followed by the Great Depression


  Caused problems for the League in the early 1930s
• British economy suffered badly

  Meaning less enthusiasm for spending money on the League
• In the 1930s, international tensions rose because of the Great Depression. The League was powerless to prevent invasions by Japan and Italy