Peace Treaty of Versailles
Versailles Treaty terms
‘Danzig was made a free city under the League of Nations.’
‘The ‘Polish Corridor’ split East Prussia from Germany.’
‘The Saar was put under League of Nations control for 15 years.’
‘The Rhineland was to be occupied by the Allies for 15 years.’
‘Germany gave up West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia which were annexed to Poland.’
‘Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.’
‘Malmedy was given to Belgium.’
‘Memel was taken under League of Nations control.’
‘Northern Schleswig was given to Denmark.’
Hultschin was given to Czechoslovakia.’
‘Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became independent states. Germany had taken these from
Russia in 1918.’
‘German African colonies were taken away. Togoland and Cameroon to Britain and France.
German East Africa to Britain. German South West Africa to South Africa. New Guinea to
Australia. Samoa to N.Zealand. The Marshall, Mariana and Caroline Islands went to Japan.
The army was limited to 100,000 men.’
‘There was to be no conscription. All soldiers had to be volunteers.’
‘Germany was not allowed tanks, submarines or military aircraft.’
‘The navy could only have six battleships and 15 000 sailors.’
’The Rhineland was demilitarised.’
Why was Germany dissatisfied with the peace treaty?
‘They were not based on the Fourteen Points.’
‘They were not represented at the talks.They thought the terms of the Treaty were harsh and
unreasonable and they were not allowed to negotiate them. They called the Treaty a ‘diktat’.’
‘Germany was forced to accept the War Guilt clause .’
‘They had to pay reparations for the damage caused of £6600 million.’
‘They had lost important industrial areas, such as the Saar.’
‘The wealth of the colonies was lost and giving them under mandate allowed
other countries to expand.’
‘The army was their pride and joy and it was drastically reduced. ‘The armed forces were limited.
They could not have battleships, submarines
and an air force leaving them vulnerable to attack.’
‘They were not invited to join the League of Nations.’
‘Germany thought that the application of self-determination was applied unfairly with millions
of Germans living in other countries.’
The war guilt clause forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war. Germany
thought that the ‘war guilt’ clause was particularly unfair as they thought the blame
should be shared. They were not the only ones to blame. They had no choice but to
accept. Because they were forced to accept blame they had to pay for all the damage.’
Aims of Big Three
‘Wilson did not want Germany treated harshly because he thought that if Germany was
punished severely then, in the future, Germany would want revenge.’
‘He wanted to strengthen democracy in the defeated nations so that its people would not let
its leaders cause another war.’
‘Wilson hoped that nations would co-operate to achieve world peace and in his 14th Point he
proposed the setting up of an international body called the League of Nations.’
‘Wilson believed in ‘self-determination’ and he wanted the different peoples of Eastern
Europe to rule themselves rather than be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.’
At Versailles he was forced to compromise as others were less idealistic.’
‘He was weakened by lack of support back home.’
‘Clemenceau wanted France to be secure from future German attacks. This meant
weakening Germany and reducing its military strength.He wanted to ensure Germany could not
attack France again by taking land and weakening industry, reducing her armed forces.’
‘Clemenceau needed to placate a vociferous French public and therefore wanted severe
terms like huge reparations to repair French damage.
’He wanted Germany to pay for the cost of the damage.’
France had borrowed huge sums of money to fight the war and was faced with enormous
debt. Clemenceau wanted Germany to pay this debt.’
‘He wanted revenge on Germany for all the suffering.’
‘He wanted revenge for the defeat in the war of 1870–71 and the loss of Alsace-Lorraine.’
‘He wanted to split Germany into a number of small states. If not Germany should lose
the Rhineland, Saarland, Upper Silesia, Danzig and East Prussia.’
Britain had not been invaded and damaged and therefore Lloyd George wanted more moderate
demands so that Germany would not seek revenge in the future and Britain could resume being
an active trading partner with Germany.’ Lloyd George, however, was less happy to
allow Germany to keep its navy and colonies, which could be more of a threat to Britain.’
‘Lloyd George wanted to protect British interests but was aware that treating Germany too
harshly would store up trouble for the future.’
‘To ensure that France did not become too powerful.He reverted to the old idea of Britain taking
a middle position within the European balance of power.As France was now the dominant
military power,this meant a conciliatory attitude towards Germany. '
Lloyd George did not want Germany treated too harshly because it may lead to
future problems domestically (communism) and internationally.
He had however promised the British people that he would ‘squeeze the German
lemon until the pips squeaked.’
Opinions about Treaty-good
‘Many think a reasonable job was done as the problems faced were very complex with
strong demands for the Treaty to be even harsher against Germany as Germany had forced
a much harder peace on Russia under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the Peace was less harsh
than France had suffered at the Congress of Vienna between 1814-1815.’
‘The Treaty was not as bad as Germany argued. By 1925 German steel production was
twice that of Britain.’
The reparations were affordable if only German government had really prepared to reduce
German citizens living standards.
‘The terms of the Treaty were strict, but they were not entirely unexpected. In the Armistice
(1918), the Germans agreed to reductions in their armed forces, losses of territory and the
principal of reparations. They should not have been surprised when these were
included in the peace treaty.’
‘Many at the time though it was about right. A more generous treaty would not have been
acceptable to the people of Britain and France who wanted compensation for loss of lives
and damage.’
‘The treaties made some progress in giving self determination as recommended in the
Fourteen Points. This led to Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia being formed.’
Opinions about Treaty-bad
‘The treaties left defeated countries very bitter and determined to get revenge. This is
particularly true of Germany where Hitler gained support to overthrow the Treaty.The peace
helped revival of German nationalism ’
‘The treaties failed in Central Europe as they created too many states of minority nationals,
such as Yugoslavia.’
‘Turkey was treated unfairly to satisfy France, Britain and Greece and the Treaty of Sèvres only
lasted three years.’
‘They failed to deal with the problems as war broke out again in 1939 and the Treaty was alongterm cause which Hitler chose to destroy.’
‘It was unfair as it did not encompass the Fourteen Points.’
‘The German view was it was not fair. They thought it was harsh and, as they had not
been in the talks, considered them a “diktat”.’
‘The harshness of the reparations made it extremely difficult for Germany to recover
economically and made future war likely.’
‘The Treaty punished the ordinary German people rather than those responsible. Would it
have been better to keep Germany relatively happy with the rise of Communism in Russia?’
‘It was wrong to put the sole blame on Germany as other countries had followed aggressive
imperialism including Britain and France.’
Why did the Treaty of Versailles cause problems for Germany from 1919 to 1923?
Most Germans had little idea of the size of the German defeat and believed that because
Germany had requested an armistice ,a lenient settlement would follow.As a result,the Treaty of
Versilles came as an an enormous shock to them.Germany thought the terms were harsh and
unreasonable and they were not allowed to negotiate. This upset the German people.’
‘Many Germans did not realise they had lost the war and blamed the Weimar Republic for
accepting the harsh terms of the Treaty. There were extremist attempts to overthrow the
Weimar Republic such as the Spartacist League and the extreme nationalist Freikorps.’
‘Germany delayed reparation payments and French and Belgian forces occupied the Ruhr in
1923. The government action of printing more money caused the German mark to lose its
Value (hyperinflation).’
‘The Ruhr crisis caused Germany to become bankrupt. A new government under
Stresemann accepted that reparations would have to be paid.’
‘The harshness of the reparations made it extremely difficult for Germany to recover
economically.’
‘The loss of the Saar and Upper Silesia did not help Germany’s economic recovery.’
‘The drastic reduction of the armed forces caused security problems and severe
unemployment.’
How far did the ‘Big Three’ achieve their aims at the Paris Peace Conference?
‘Clemenceau had fought in the Franco-Prussian War and wanted revenge for France.
He achieved a tough treaty on Germany, which could be considered revenge.’
‘Clemenceau also wanted security for France and this was achieved with the drastic
reduction in the German armed forces.’
‘Clemenceau was successful in regaining Alsace-Lorraine, which had been taken by the
Germans at the end of the Franco-Prussian War.’
Wilson hoped nations would co-operate to achieve world peace and in his 14th Point he
proposed the setting up of an international body called the League of Nations. The
establishment of the League was achieved.’
‘Wilson believed in ‘self-determination’ and he wanted the different peoples of Eastern
Europe to rule themselves rather than be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Some new
states were established, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.’
‘Wilson wanted to strengthen democracy in the defeated nations so that its people would not
let its leaders cause another war. This was partially achieved with the setting up of the
Weimar Republic in Germany.’ ‘Woodrow Wilson was able to use some of his Fourteen Points,
the most notable being the establishment of the League of Nations.’
‘Lloyd George had promised the British electorate to be tough on Germany, although he did
not want to be too tough as Germany was a good trading partner. There is some evidence
that he managed to moderate Clemenceau’s tough demands.’
‘Lloyd George wanted to weaken the German navy and this was achieved when the
Germans sunk their fleet and in the military terms of the treaty.’
‘Lloyd George wanted German colonies to destroy its empire and this was achieved.’
‘Lloyd George wanted to make sure that France did not become too powerful. He managed
to resist many of Clemenceau’s demands for the break up of Germany and the movement of
the French-German border.’
‘Clemenceau wanted Germany split into many small states so that it could never threaten
France again. This was resisted by Lloyd George and Wilson.’
‘Clem wanted the Rhineland to be an independent state and the Saar to be French. Again,
this was resisted by Lloyd George and Wilson.’
‘He did not get the Rhine as the frontier.’
‘He did not get immediate reparations.’
‘Clemenceau realised that the Treaty was not severe enough for the French public, who
expected a treaty like the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Clemenceau realised his career and
government were in danger. In a few months he and his government were out of office.’
‘Wilson failed to get all his 14 Points as a basis for the Treaty as Lloyd George resisted the
freedom of the seas point.’
‘Wilson did not want heavy economic penalties on Germany as this might lead to revenge in
the future. He failed to persuade Clemenceau, who wanted revenge for the Franco-Prussian
War and the fact that most of the fighting in the First World War had taken place in France.’
‘Lloyd George did not want too severe economic penalties because of Britain’s trading with
Germany, but this was hampered because of the demands for reparations.’
Why did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany?
‘It was expected that if a country lost a war it would be punished by the victors. The
French had been heavily punished in 1871 by the newly formed Germany and, therefore,
Germany could expect similar treatment.’
‘Clause 231 had stated that Germany was solely responsible for starting the war and,
therefore, should be punished. The ‘war guilt’ clause was highly controversial.’
‘Germany took the first major action of the war by following the Schlieffen Plan and invading
Belgium and then invading France.’
‘Germany had caused massive damage to the infrastructure of Belgium and France. Even in
retreat, the Germans deliberately destroyed mines, railways, factories and bridges.’
‘By the end of 1917, Russia was defeated. In March 1918, Russia’s new Bolshevik
government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Germans inflicted severe punishment on
Russia by taking Finland, the Baltic States, its Polish provinces and the Ukraine. It is not
surprising the Allies wanted to heavily punish Germany similar to Germany’s treatment of
Russia.’
With reference to the terms of the peace settlement of 1919-20 what were (i) mandates
(ii) plebiscites?
‘A mandate was territory taken from the defeated powers and controlled by the League
of Nations.’
‘Most mandates were effectively controlled by Britain and France, but some went to
Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan.’
‘Examples of mandated territory: German East Africa went to Britain, German South West
Africa went to South Africa, Syria went to France, Iraq went to Britain.’
‘A plebiscite was when a popular vote was taken to determine to which country the
population wished to be attached.’
‘Examples of plebiscites: North Schleswig voted to join Denmark and there was a plebiscite to
be held over Saarland after 15 years of supervision by the League.’
Why did Wilson want a ‘league of nations’?
‘Wilson was horrified by the devastation of the First World War. He wanted to avoid this
in the future and he felt a league of nations would be successful in achieving this.’
‘Wilson was a peace-loving man and an idealist who wanted to find solutions to problems. ‘He
wanted to build a better and more peaceful world.’
‘He wanted nations to work together.’
‘He wanted to make the world safe for democracy.’
How far had Germany accepted the Treaty of Versailles by 1923?
‘The Weimar Government had accepted the Treaty. It had to sign it! Germans knew it
had to pay reparations, surrender territory and reduce its armed forces because it was in the
terms of the Armistice. These were the usual consequences of losing a war.’
‘Many industrialists knew that the Treaty was not so harsh as it was made out to be because
industrial production rapidly recovered. By 1923, steel production had passed Britain’s.’
‘Many Germans did not accept they had lost the war and, therefore, did not accept the
Treaty. They hoped it would be revoked. Hitler became attractive to many in the ‘20s and
‘30s because he promised to abolish the Treaty.’
‘Many did not accept it because it seemed to punish the ordinary person rather than the
leaders who had caused the outbreak of war.’
‘German Army leaders would not accept the Treaty. They blamed the government for
‘stabbing the Army in the back’ and referred to the politicians who signed the Treaty as
‘November Criminals’. They refused to accept that they were defeated. When Kapp led a
rebellion, the Army refused to take action because Kapp recommended the abolition of the
Treaty.’
Why did the Big Three have a difficult problems in peace-making ?
The most important they had different aims. But also the old European balance of power was in
ruins.Four great Empires,Germany,Austria-Hungary,Turkey and Russia lay shattered ,and a
bewildering range of diverse nationalities in central and eastern Europe demanded national selfdetermination.The Russian Revolution caused deep anxieties amongst the peacemakers
concerning the possibility of a communist revolution spreading throughout Europe.
Deep economic problems,most notably a collapse of world trade,unstable
currencies,unemployment,agricultural depression, and mounting debts ,also aroused
concern.Britain,France and Italy owed enormous sums in war debts alone and inflation was
rising everywhere.Industrial production in Europe in 1919 was 30 % vbelow the pre-war level.
Psyhological wounds also required healing.A total of 13 million people were killed ,severely
wounded or permanently disabled.This led to two types of reactions:popular demands by many
in the victorious powers to make Germany pay ; and in Germany movements of former soldiers
calling for the vengeance.This atmosphere made a fair settlement much less likely.