FACTORS THAT SHAPED EUROPEAN POWERS ON THE DECISIONS ON MAKING THE 1919-1923
TREATIES
-Huge loss of human life
-War costed Europeans huge amount of money
What were the objectives of this treaties?
-Punish losers
-Prevent another similar war breaking out
-Compensate winners.
WHAT THE MOTIVES AND OF THE BIG THREE AT
VERSAILLES
Motives of Georges Clemenceau
1.Disarmament of Germany. Army, navy, Air force
2. High reparations to pay France for the damage
3. Return of Alsace and Lorraine provinces.
4. Saarland(an area around river Saar) to be given to France
5. Rhineland to become independent state. To create buffer zone between Germany
and France
6.Some German colonies to be handed to France.
MOTIVES OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE
1.Re-establish balance of power in Europe. So that no European power could
dominate the continent.
2. Return to trading patterns with Europe and empire. Trade had British wealthy
country before ww1
3.Preserve British naval supremacy. To guard the British Empire and its shipping
lanes.
MOTIVES OF WOODROW WILSON
1.
No signing secret treaties
2.
No restrictions on ships sailing the seas during peace or wartime.
3.
Dismantling of trade barriers between nations(quotas & tariffs) or Liberalize trade.
4.
Disarmament-insufficient military for aggression.
5.
Germans troops leave Russia.
6.
Restoration Belgium’s independence.
7.
Alsace and Lorraine provinces must be returned to France.
8.
Frontiers around Italy must be adjusted to match the people’s nationality.
9.
Self determination be given to different ethnic groups in Austria Hungary.
10.
Restoration of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. Serbia to have free access to the sea.
11.
Turkish ottoman empires should form one country.
12.
Giving self determination to ethnic groups in Austro-Hungarian empire.
13.
Restoration of Romania ,Serbia, and Montenegro. Serbia to have access to the sea.
14.
Formation of the league of Nations. League to guarantee states independence and secure borders
-Self determination was key to the long term stability of all small nations . The public
announcement of this principle and its self determination, unification of Turkish part s
of the Ottoman Empire and creation of independent Poland inspired ethnic
representation in Paris.
-The formation of the league of the nations was the most important ideal that Wilson
wanted to create out of the destruction of the WW1. Representation from all countries
in the world –big and small- and they would meet together so that world peace could
be achieved through negotiation not battle.
-It was reported that when Clemenceau read Wilson’s points for the first time he
exclaimed: ‘Mr. Wilson bores me with his 14 points ; Why, God Almighty has only Ten
commandments !’ compared with his ideals.
-Clemenceau was only interested in outcomes that would benefit France
-Lloyd George was asked , after he returned to London, how well he had done at the peace
conference . ‘Not badly, ‘ he replied considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and
Napoleon.’
-The big 3 did not always ,as you can tell.
WHAT DID THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES SAY ABOUT GERMANY?
-If there was to be a treaty, Wilson , Lloyd George and Clemenceau would have to
compromise on their demands. Eventually, after six months of negotiation and
bargaining , the treaty was ready. Unrepresented at the negotiations, Germany
was represented with a diktat, a dictated peace treaty.
What were the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
We shall discuss them in terms of clauses for easy understanding. They include;
1. War guilt clause
2. Reparations clause
3. Germany territories and colonies clause
4. The league of nations clause
5. Germany armed forces clause
1. WAR GUILT CLAUSE
-Germany and other central powers were to accept the full responsibility for causing
war 1914.
2. REPARATIONS CLAUSE
-Germany would have to pay money and goods to France and Britain and other allied
powers. They were to pay ₤6600 million
WHY DID THE VICTORS NOT GET EVERYTHING
THEY WANTED?
Power & Motives
Final resolution
France
Return of Alsace & Lorraine
Alsace and Lorraine returned
Rhine to become independent
Demilitarization of Rhineland
Demanded Saar coalfields
Given to France for 15 Years
Demand on Germany colony
No Germany colony given to France
Demanded Germany to disarm
Germany was excluded from the
arms race.
Demanded a more share on
reparation given Germany
Largest percentage of reparation
were given France
Anglo-American treaty(USA/UK)
committed them to support France
incase Germany invades it.
USA AND MOTIVES
RESOLUTIONS REACHED
Demanded forming the league
nations
League of Nations was formed
Demanded dismarment for all
countries
All central powers disarmed
Demilitarization of Rhineland
Demanded for self determination on
some ethnic groups
Separation of Austria and Hungary
Britain & Motives
Final Resolutions
Demanded balance of power in
Europe
Not fully granted
Demanded promotion of USA naval
Supremacy
British naval supremacy was boosted
when Germany scuttled their fleet
Establish trade links with Europe
Not fully granted
THE IMPACT OF THE PEACE TREATY ON GERMANY UP TO 1923
-In general terms , German disliked four features of the Treaty of Versailles.
1.
The peace treaty was a diktat
-There were no negotiations.
-Germany politicians had no choice but to sign it otherwise the blockade was to continue.
2. Germans felt bitter at being held responsible for causing the war.
-They did not see the role of other countries in causing the war like Russia.
-Article 231 was a moral criticism to the whole nation.
3. The allies demanded reparations from Germany.
-Germany regions were like Saar coal fields were taken from, how could they reparations?
-Germany had been adversely affected by the war too.
4. Disbanding /Reduction of the Germany Army
-An army of 100,000 soldiers meant that Germany would not be able to against itself against neighboring
countries like Poland and France.
-This army size too small for a country like Germany.
IMPACTS OF THE TREATY
Political impacts
1.Coup d'états
-Freikorps- band of ex-servicemen that hated the Weimar republic for signing the treaty.
-March 1920 under command Wolfgang Kapp they staged a coup detat in Berlin.
-They aimed to overthrow Weimar republic and install a right wing government to overturn the treaty.
-Other attempts to overthrow the government include
*1919- right wing take over in the Bavarian republic in May.
*The Munich or Beer Hall Putsch Nov 1923
*Hundred of murders of politicians and political activists i.e. Mathias Erzebeger, finance minister was murdered in
1921.
2.Russia and Germany built a new friendship.
-Because both were isolated or excluded from the meeting.
-1922 they signed the treaty of Rapallo
--The countries needed to restore their diplomatic relationship.
-What was “powerful myth” in Germany (1918)?-it is the politicians that contributed to
the country's humiliation and downfall in ww1 and not the army ,as a result of
abdication of Wilhelm Kaiser.(Check a fact file on the legend of Dolchstoss)
-To many the government was made up cowards who stabbed the Germany army in
the back by signing the armistice and instead of resisting to sign the treaty of
Versailles.
-Germans regarded the men who signed the treaty as equal to the ‘’November
Criminals’’ who signed the armistice.
What is the meaning of the term “November Criminals”?
FACT FILE ABOUT THE DOLCHSTOSS
-The legend of Dolchstoss was that the German army had not been defeated at all, it
had been ‘stabbed in the back’. Large numbers of Germans, including many
returning soldiers , came to believe this fiction.
-It was to prove enormously important in German politics , not least because it made
it look as through the armed forces were honorable and trustworthy, while the
politicians were liars and unpatriotic.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
1.Inflation/Hyperinflation
-Prices of commodities rose (inflation) but turned into hyperinflation cause prices loss up quickly.
-The government expenditure was high than it is income taxes.
-Budget deficit grew up that was resolved by printing a lot of money.
2. The crisis year when money died.,1923.
-France and Belgium invaded Ruhr Jan 1923 to take what they were owed under the reparations
agreement.
-They seized resources instead of payments that were now overdue.
-The Weimar government called for a non-violent opposition across the region and Germans
united behind this campaign.
-French soldiers killed 13 Germany workers in what is known as the bloody Easter on the Ruhr.
-Over 140 Germans were killed in clashes with French troops.
3.Unemployment
WHAT WERE THE TERMS OF THE OTHER TREATIES?
1.Treaty of Saint- Germain with Austria,(10th, Sep 1919)
-Forbade Germany to unite with Austria (Anschluss)
-Abolition of conscription
-Austria army was limited 30,000
-Reparations were not set. Austria had already become bankrupt.
-The allied powers assumed that minorities wished to leave Austro- Hungarian.
Treaty of Trianon with Hungary, 4th June 1920
-Army was reduced to 30,000
-Navy no longer existed
-Reparations were to be paid , but Hungarian were close to bankruptcy.
3. Treaty of Sevres with Turkey, 10th August 1920
-The terms of the treaty were harsh
-Huge Swathes of Ottoman territory were awarded to Britain, France, Greece, and
Italy.
-Ottoman army reduced to 50, 700 men.
-Allies to control the ottoman finances , budget and Ottoman Bank.
Mustapha Kemal, the leader of the Turkish nationalist movement rejected the treaty,
they fought to reclaim their territory hence a new treaty negotiated.
-
4. Treaty of Lausanne with Turkey, 24th July 1923.
-The boundaries of Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey were settled.
-Turkey gave up its claims to Cyprus, Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Iraq.
-No reparation demands were made.
-No military restrictions were placed on Turkey’s army.
COULD THE TREATIES BE JUSTIFIED AT THE TIME?
-Once details of the Versailles settlement became public, politicians, leaders, soldiers
and ordinary held different views.
-Most debate focused on the fairness or harshness of the different treaties, although
the Versailles Treaty attracted most attention.
-The Versailles Settlement could be justified by the winners who wrote it, ’not the
losers’.