GCSE Revision

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GCSE Revision

• Lesson 1 of 4
• 20/04/06

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Treaty of Versailles
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Content

• Background to the treaty - the mood in 1919
• Attitudes of the victors
• Aims of the Big Three
• Terms of the treaty
• Relative success of the Big Three
• German reaction
• Verdicts on Versailles
• Recap

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Background to the Treaty

• A picture of Ypres in France (1918), showing the
  damage done during the war.

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Left Peronne during the Battle of the Somme
Right ruins of St Quentin
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Left French and German dead in Champagne
Right Dead French soldiers in the Argonne
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• More than 65 million men fought in the First
  World War over eight million of them were
  killed.   In addition, nearly nine million
  civilians died - from starvation, disease,
  artillery fire and air raids.   Twelve million
  tons of shipping were sunk.    In France and
  Belgium, where most of the war was fought,
  300,000 houses, 6,000 factories, 1,000 miles
  (1,600 kilometres) of railway, 2,000 breweries
  and 112 coal mines were destroyed.   The human
  cost of the war - in terms of damaged minds and
  bodies, and ruined lives was beyond
  calculation.
• John D Clare, First World War (1994

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• World War One had left Europe devastated. Those
  countries that had fought in it, had suffered
  casualties never experienced before
• Britain   750,000 soldiers killed 1,500,000
  woundedFrance 1,400,000 soldiers killed
  2,500,000 woundedBelgium 50,000 soldiers
  killedItaly 600,000 soldiers killedRussia
  1,700,000 soldiers killedAmerica 116,000
  soldiers killed
• Those who had fought against the Allies suffered
  heavy casualties as well
• Germany 2,000,000 soldiers killedAustria-Hunga
  ry 1,200,000 soldiers killedTurkey 325,000
  soldiers killedBulgaria 100,000 soldiers
  killed
• The total deaths of all nations who fought in
  the war is thought to have been 8.5 million with
  21 million being wounded. 

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• Expectations of both sides in WW1
• Costs would be largely recouped from the losers
• Inflict military and territorial losses on their
  enemies
• Confiscate a sizable chunk of their enemies
  economic and industrial resources
• Reflected in harsh terms of Brest-Litovsk

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Attitudes of the victors
This cartoon by a British artist appeared in
Punch on 19 February 1919.   The caption read
German Criminal to Allied Police Here, I say,
stop! You're hurting me! (Aside If I only whine
enough I may be able to wriggle out of this yet.)
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• Germany is going to pay.   We will get
  everything you can squeeze out of a lemon, and a
  bit more.   The Germans should hand over
  everything they own.
• (From a speech in 1918 by Sir Eric Geddes, a
  British politician standing for election as an
  MP.)

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Aims of the Big Three
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Georges Clemenceau

• America is far away, protected by the ocean. 
  Not even Napoleon himself could touch England. 
  You are both sheltered we are not.
• (Georges Clemenceau, debating with Wilson and
  Lloyd George on 27 March 1919. Wilson had
  pressed Clemenceau for moderation)
• revenge on Germany (as a defeated enemy).
• punish Germany (for the death and destruction
  caused by the German invasion of France)
• make Germany pay reparations (for the damage done
  to France)
• weaken Germany militarily (so France would never
  be in danger again)

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Woodrow Wilson

• We have assembled here for two purposes - to
  make the peace settlements, and also to secure
  the future peace of the world.
• (Woodrow Wilson, speaking at the Versailles
  Conference, January 1919)
• Based on Wilson's 14 Points
• end war and make the world safe for democracy
• A fair peace, including
• self-determination
• disarmament (to take away the tools for war)
• the League of Nations (to provide a way to
  prevent war)

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David Lloyd George

• We want a peace which will be just, but not
  vindictive...    Above all, we want to protect
  the future against a repetition of the horrors of
  this war.
• (Lloyd George speaking to Parliament in 1919,
  before he went off to the Conference)
• a compromise between Clemeceau and Wilson
• justice - but not too harsh, and certainly not
  revenge.
• 'make Germany pay (Dec 1918 election) - but not
  so much that trade would be damaged
• expand the British Empire
• maintain Britain's control of the seas
• increase British trade

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Terms of the Treaty
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Military terms

• The army was limited to 100,000 men
• Conscription was banned soldiers had to be
  volunteers
• Germany was not allowed armoured vehicles,
  submarines or aircraft
• The navy could build only six battleships
• The Rhineland (border between Germany and France)
  became a demilitarised zone

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Geographical terms
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• Germany lost 13 of its territory 13 of its
  economic productivity 10 of its population
• Germanys overseas empire was taken away
• Former colonies were made MANDATES
• Germany forbidden to join with Austria
• Alsace-Lorraine given to France
• West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia given to
  Poland

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Other terms

• War guilt clause 231
• Reparations 1921 6600 million
• League of Nations set up

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• Germany was given two choices 
• 1) sign the Treaty or 2) be invaded by the
  Allies. 

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But

• Still in a strong economic, industrial and
  territorial position
• Population of 66 million
• Wounded but not seriously hurt in a potentially
  dominant position in Europe
• Not crushed or broken up but its military power
  was contained

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Georges Clemenceau got

• Huge reparations
• Tiny German army
• The demilitarised zone in the Rhineland
• Alsace-Lorraine and German colonies.
• BUT
• He wanted the Treaty to be harsher
• He wanted Germany to be split up into smaller
  countries.

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David Lloyd George got

• German colonies
• The small German navy
• BUT
• He thought that the Treaty was far too harsh and
  would ruin Germany
• He said it would cause another war in 25 years
  time

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Woodrow Wilson got

• A League of Nations
• Self-determination for the peoples of Eastern
  Europe (eg Lithuania, Poland etc)
• BUT
• Some of his 14 Points did not get into the
  Treaty (eg freedom of the seas/end of Empires)
• The US Senate refused to join the League or sign
  the Treaty

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German reaction

• The disgraceful Treaty is being signed today.  
•    
• Dont forget it!  
• We will never stop until we win back what we
  deserve.
• From Deutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, 28
  June 1919.

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• Not solely to blame for WW1
• Saw itself as encircled by France, Russia and
  Britain in 1914 provoked into war
• Had not been honourably defeated on the
  battlefield
• Stab in the back myth had been sabotaged by
  pacifists and traitors

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Unrepresented Not allowed to join League of
Nations Forced to accept terms - diktat Angry
with armed forces reductions Injustice - War
guilt, loss of land etc Reparations - set to high

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Verdicts on Versailles

• "Not badly, considering I was seated between
  Jesus Christ and Napoleon." 
• (David Lloyd Georges response when asked how he
  thought he had done at the Versailles
  Conference) 
• the wishes of the various populations
  prevailed
• (Winston Churchill)
• Neither just nor wise
• (Harold Nicolson, British delegate at Versailles)

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• Hitler's anti-Versailles poster design -- a
  chained Germania beneath the slogan "Only
  National Socialism will free Germany from the lie
  of sole guilt!"

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Recap what can you remember?

• Background to the treaty - the mood in 1919
• Attitudes of the victors
• Aims of the Big Three
• Terms of the treaty
• Relative success of the Big Three
• German reaction
• Verdicts on Versailles