The mood in 1919 (contd.)
▪ The huge economic cost of war:
✓
Countries like France and Great Britain borrowed from the USA
✓ At the end of the war, these countries were in debt
Allied Powers
Cost on dollars in
1914-1918
Central
Powers
Cost on dollars in
1914-1918
USA
$22,625,253,000
Germany
$37,775,000,000
Great Britain
$ 35, 334,012,000
$ 20, 622,960,000
France
$ 24,265, 583,000
AustriaHungary
Russia
$ 22, 293, 950,000
Turkey
$ 1,430, 000,000
Italy
$ 12, 413, 998,000
Aims
Why these motives?
Motives: (harsh
peace)
➢ France’s security in
future from
Germany
➢ Revenge and harsh
punishment for
Germany
➢ Rebuilding France
through reparations
from Germany
➢ France shared common
boundary with Germany: no
natural frontier like a river or
mountain
➢ German invasion of 1870:
Franco- Prussian War
➢ German invasion of 1914
➢ Fear of ‘third invasion’
➢ Natural desire for revenge
among the French citizens
➢ France had made much
greater sacrifice in the War
than Great Britain or USA
➢ Rebuilding France through
reparations from Germany
➢ Disarmament of Germany’s
navy and air force
➢ High reparations to pay for
all war damages inflicted
upon France
➢ Return the provinces of
Alsace and Lorraine
➢ Saarland (an area around
River Saar) to be handed to
France
➢ Rhineland to be an
independent state: a ‘buffer’
zone between France and
Germany
➢ Danzig be handed over to
Poland
➢ Some German colonies to be
handed over to France
Motives (moderate
peace)
➢ Germany justly
punished
➢ Protection and wellbeing of British trade
➢ Protect, preserve and
further colonial
empire of Great
Britain
➢ Prevent another war
Why these Motives?
➢ British public opinion:
✓ Huge human and economic cost of the war
✓ Elections of 1918: ‘make Germany pay’ the full
cost of the war
➢ Germany's war making potential be reduced
➢ Interest in revival of British trade with
Germany as the latter was the most important
trading partner of Britain prior to 1914
➢ Desired German colonies for itself
➢ Weak Germany would be a inadequate barrier
to Communism
➢ Very harsh treaty would leave Germans with
grievances and they might make attempts to
overturn the Treaty
Lloyd George v/s Clemenceau
Llyod George
Clemenceau
➢ Disarmament of Germany’s navy and air
force (so that Germany is no longer a threat
to France)
➢ High reparations to pay for all war damages
inflicted upon France (France had suffered
more than Great Britain in the War)
➢ Return the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine
➢ Rhineland to be an independent state: a
‘buffer’ zone between France and Germany
➢ Saarland (an area around River Saar) to be
handed to France
➢ Danzig be handed over to Poland
➢ Some German colonies to be handed over
to France
▪
Disarm Germany (threat to France and eventually
Britain in Europe and colonial rival- esp destruction of
its navy)
▪
Not very high reparations (would cripple German
economy and in-turn impact British economy
adversely)
▪
Abandon the idea of an independent Rhineland state
(if Germany was deprived of the Rhineland, it would
not be wealthy enough to buy British goods on the
same scale as before the war)
▪
Abandon the idea of Saar being handed over to
France (rich in coalfields it would cripple Germany)
▪
Abandon the idea that Danzig be handed over to
Poland (would cripple German economy as Danzig
was a port)
▪
Some German colonies to be handed over to Britain
Motives
• World Peace
• Just and lasting peace
(wanted the First World War to be the end all wars that propaganda
had earlier declared it to be!)
Why these motives?
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He was an idealist
When joining the war, Wilson had declared that USA was joining as an Associated Power and not as
an ally
He was of the view that USA was different from Britain and France who were fighting for selfish
motives
USA was fighting for World Peace
World Peace could be achieved if nations worked together to eliminate the cause of war
Believed that secret treaties had led to misunderstandings and suspicion in Pre-World War I world
Recommended open diplomacy and no secret treaties
One of the causes of war: build-up of armaments- naval ships, aircraft, the weaponry
Recommended disarmament for all countries, maintaining just what was needed for their defense
Self determination (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks to rule themselves rather than be ruled by AustriaHungary
Treaty with Germany should not be harsh: in future Germany might seek revenge
Strengthen democracy in democracy in defeated countries and all over the world
International Cooperation
Proposed his famous Fourteen Points
Wilson’s Aims (Fourteen Points)
▪
No secret treaties
▪
Free access to sea in peace time and war time
▪
Free trade between countries
▪
All countries to work towards disarmament
▪
Colonies to have a say in their future
▪
German troops to leave Russia
▪
Independence for Belgium
▪
France to regain Alsace-Lorraine
▪
Frontier between Austria and Italy to be readjusted
▪
Self-determination for peoples of eastern Europe (they should rule themselves)
▪
Serbia to have access to sea
▪
Self-determination for people in the Turkish Empire
▪
Poland to become independent state with access to sea
▪
League of Nations to be set up
Response of Clemenceau and Lloyd George
➢ Many ideals proposed in 14 Points seemed impractical
▪
Self determination: very difficult to give this right to peoples of Eastern Europe as they were scattered across many
countries
✓
For example: 25% of the population of the population of the new state of Czechoslovakia were neither Czechs or
Slovaks
✓ Some people were bound to end up being ruled by people of
another group with different customs and a different
language
✓ Some historians say the Wilson talked a lot about Eastern and Central Europe without knowing much about these
areas
▪
Colonies to have a say in their future
✓
Britain and France did not want their colonies to be independent
✓ They, in addition, wanted to take-over German colonies
▪
All countries to work towards Disarmament: Both France and Britain wanted only the defeated countries and
especially Germany to disarm
▪
Britain and France were also of the view that Wilson could afford to have these high ideals because USA had not
suffered losses like these two countries