The Paris Peace
Conference & Treaty of
Versailles June 1919
Erick Huma
Woodrow Wilson USA
The Big Four at
David Lloyd-George Great Britain
Versailles 1919
Georges Clemenceau France
Vittorio Orlando Italy
What did France want from the
treaty?
Security
Revenge
Reparations
Clemenceau : “The
Tiger”
Clemenceau wanted to make sure
that Germany could not invade
France in the future. He was
determined that Germany should be
made to pay for the damage that had
been caused in northern France by
the invading German armies.
What did Britain Want?
In public Lloyd-George said he
wanted to punish the Germans. The
British public was very anti-German
at the end of the war.
In private he realised that Britain
needed Germany to recover
because she was an important
trading partner.
David Lloyd-George
He was also worried about the
“disease from the east”,
communism. The Russian
government had been overthrown
by a communist revolution in 1917.
Lloyd-George believed that the
spread of communism had to be
stopped. A strong Germany would
be a barrier against it.
What did America Want?
Woodrow Wilson wanted the treaty to be
based on his Fourteen Points
He believed Germany should be punished
but not severely. He wanted a just
settlement that would not leave Germany
feeling resentful
Wilson wanted to set up an international
organisation called The League of
Nations which would settle disputes
Woodrow Wilson
The American public did not support him.
They were fed up with involvement in
European affairs. The USA became more
isolationist.
In early 1919, President Wilson
traveled to Versailles, France for
a peace conference.
• He met with European leaders
and presented a plan for peace
based on his Fourteen Points.
• Wilson’s vision of a postwar
world was grounded in the idea
of “peace without victory.”
1. No secret treaties
2. Free access to the sea in peacetime and wartime
3. Free trade between countries
4. Disarmament
5. Colonies to have a say in their future
6. German troops to leave Russia
7. Independence for Belgium
8. France to regain Alsace-Lorraine
9. Frontier between Austria and Italy to be adjusted
10. Self-determination for the people of eastern Europe
11. Serbia to have access to the sea
12. Self-determination for the people in the Turkish Empire
13. Poland to become an independent state with access to the sea
14. League of Nations to be set up
What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
To do with Germany’s armed forces :
The German army was to be reduced to 100,000 men. It was
not allowed to have tanks.
Germany was not allowed an airforce
The area known as the Rhineland was to be de-militarised
The Allies were to occupy the west bank of the Rhine for
fifteen years
The German navy was to have no submarines or large
battle-ships
100,000
De-militarised
The Military
Clauses
Territorial Losses
Germany lost ALL of her overseas
colonies
Alsace-Lorraine was given to
France
Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium
North-Schleswig was given to
Denmark
Posen was given to Poland so that she
would have access to the Baltic Sea.
This area became known as the Polish
Corridor. It meant that East Prussia
was cut off from the rest of Germany.
The Rhineland was to be
de-militarized
The Saar coalfields were given to
France for fifteen years
The port of Danzig was made a Free City
under the control of the League of Nations
The War Guilt Clause
"The Allied and Associated Governments
affirm, and Germany accepts, the
responsibility of Germany and her Allies for
causing all the loss and damage to which the
Allied and Associate Governments and their
nationals have been subjected as a
consequence of a war imposed upon them by
the aggression of Germany and her Allies."
Article 231
GERMANY ACCEPTED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR
STARTING THE WAR
REPARATIONS
Germany agreed to pay for the damage
caused by her armies during the war. The
sum she had to pay was later fixed at
£6,600 million
Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria
TERMS OF THE T.O.V
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Use acronym B.R.A.T to remember terms…
B lame: Germany was to assume full blame for starting World War One. Article
231- War guilt clause
R eparations: The Treaty imposed all reparations for war damages, along with the
wages of Allied soldiers and their families, upon Germany. The total costs came
to 6600 Million or 6.6 Billion pounds.
A rmy: The Treaty also limited the size of the German Army and Navy. The
German military was only permitted to have 100,000 soldiers total, and its Navy
was only allowed six battleships. No airforce. The German navy decided to
destroy all of the battleships that they were not permitted to have, rather than
surrender them to the British.
T erritory: The Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of hundreds of square miles
of eastern and western territory, as well as many of the country's colonies. The
territory and colonies were divided up among the other European nations.
North Schleswig was given to Denmark, Eupen and Malmedy were handed over
to Belgium, Posen was taken by Poland, and of course, Alsace-Lorraine was
returned to France.
How did Germans React to the Treaty?
Germans thought the Treaty was a “diktat” : a dictated peace.
They had not been invited to the peace conference at Versailles
and when the Treaty was presented to them they were
threatened with war if they did not sign it.
The Treaty was NOT based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points as the
Germans had been promised it would.
Most Germans believed that the War Guilt Clause was
unjustified. The French and British had done just as much to
start the war
The loss of territory and population angered most Germans who
believed that the losses were too severe.
Many Germans believed the German economy would be crippled
by having to pay reparations.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28th June 1919. It
officially ended the 1st World War. Many historians believe
that it was a major cause of the 2nd World War.
Most Germans were horrified by the harshness of the
Treaty. There was anger amongst all groups in Germany,
no matter what their political beliefs. Some German
newspapers called for revenge for the humiliation of
Versailles.
However anger was also directed against the government
in Germany. Already there was a myth growing in the
country that the German army had been “stabbed in the
back” by politicians…the so called “November Criminals”.
Now these same politicians had signed the “Diktat”, the
dictated peace. The new democracy in Germany was now
closely linked with the humiliation of Versailles.
IMPACTS OF THE TOV ON
GERMANY
The Treaty had economical, political and
social impacts on the German society
■ Overall the Germans felt that the Treaty
was unfair and unjust
■ Identify the Social, Economic and Political
Impacts from the events of 1920-1923
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Political impacts
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Led to revolts and revolutions led by Right-wing opponents
of president Ebert.
1920 they attempted a Kapp Pustch which was however
defeated by Berlin workers
This paralysed essential services eg power and transport
adding to the chaos and bitterness of the Germans towards
the treaty
Assassinations and attempted assassinations followed 1922
Walther Rathenau was murdered by extremists
Nov 1923 Hitler led a rebellion in Munich
The TOV was indeed a lead to the rise of Adolf Hitler
Economic impact- Invasion of
the Ruhr
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1921 – Germany paid the 1st reparation instalment of 50
million pounds
1922- nothing was paid. French and Belgium soldiers
invaded the Ruhr region and took what was owed to
them in form of raw material and goods- illegal action
Germ government ordered a passive resistance of
workers and the French reacted by killing 100 workers
and expelling 100,000 other protesters from the region
Germans remained without essential goods to trade and
no money to buy stuff, leading to hyperinflation.
They blamed all this to the high reparation
Hyperinflation
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Government solved the problem by printing more money making the
currency virtually worthless
Prices of goods would rise between joining the queue and reaching
the front
Wages begun to be paid daily instead of weekly
Big business and the government gained, they paid off their local
debts
Pensioners, those with bank savings lost it all.
The Nazi
THE OTHER PEACE TREATIES
All German allies were to disarm, lose land
and pay reparations.
■ The four other treaties were negotiated by
officers and diplomats working with the
foreign office of the Big three – Allied
powers
■ Austria- Hungary collapsed in 1918 and
these treaties made Eastern Europe a
“patchwork” of new states- Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia and Poland
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TREATY OF ST. GERMAIN- 1919
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Treaty dealt with Austria.
Separated Austria with Hungary and confirmed that Austria
was no longer a leading power.
Austrian territory were divided. Bohemia & Moravia to
Czechoslovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia & Serbia to
Yugoslavia.
Austria lost Galicia to Poland and some land to Italy
Army restricted to 30,000 men
Anschluss with Germany was Forbade
NB- Italy was unhappy- argued that she deserved more land
NB- Millions in Europe got self determination & self rule
NB – Austria suffered economic problems with lost much
land to Czechoslovakia
TREATY OF NEUILLY, 1919
Treaty dealt with Bulgaria.
■ It was a less harsh in comparison to others.
■ Lost land to Greece, Romania and
Yugoslavia, and access to Mediterranean sea
■ Limited army to 20,000 men
■ Paid 100Million reparation
■ NB- Bulgaria played a small part in WW1.
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TREATY OF TRIANON, 1920
Treaty dealt with Hungary
■ Concentrated with transfer of territory.
■ Transylvania – from Hungary to Romania; Rutheniafrom Hungary to Czechoslovakia; Croatia- from
Hungary to Yugoslavia; other areas went to
Romania
■ 3 million Hungarians went to other states
■ Industries suffered a loss of population and raw
materials
■ Reparation payment was set up
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TREATY OF SERVES, 1920
Treaty dealt with Turkey.
■ Most land went to Greece- Eastern Thrace and
Smyrna
■ Turkish empire broken up- most went to France and
Britain as mandates
■ Turkish strait placed under the LON
■ French, British and Italian troops occupied Turkey
■ NB. Treaty failed and was revised to Treaty of ST.
Lausanne (1923) which returned Smyrna to Turkey.
Motives of Britain and France were challenged. Arabs
got nothing, Palestine remained controversial.
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TREATY OF RIGA, 1921
Peace of Riga
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Between Poland, Ukraine and Russia
World War I removed former imperial borders across Europe.
In 1918, after the Russian RevolutionIn 1918, after the Russian Revolution had
renounced tsarist claims to Poland in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the war had
ended with Germany's surrender, Poland re-established its independence after a
century of being divided by three empires.
The Russian Civil War presented an opportunity for Poland to regain parts of the
tsarist territories of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga was signed on 18 March
1921, among Poland18 March 1921, among Poland, Soviet Russia (and on behalf
of Soviet Belarus and Soviet Ukraine Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended
the Polish–Soviet War.
The Soviet-Polish borders established by the treaty remained in force until World
War II. They were later redrawn during the Yalta Conferencewere later redrawn
during the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Conference.
TERMS
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The Treaty consisted of 26 articles.
Poland was to receive monetary compensation (30 million rubleswas to receive monetary
compensation (30 million rubles in gold) for its economic input into the Russian Empirewas
to receive monetary compensation (30 million rubles in gold) for its economic input into
the Russian Empire during the Partitions of Poland.
Under Article 14 Poland was also to receive railway materials (locomotives, rolling stock,
etc.) with a value of 29 million gold roubles.
Russia was to surrender works of art and other Polish national treasures acquired from
Polish territories after 1772 (such as the Jagiellonian tapestries Russia was to surrender
works of art and other Polish national treasures acquired from Polish territories after 1772
(such as the Jagiellonian tapestries and the Załuski Library). Both sides renounced claims to
war compensation.
Article 3 . Russia and the Ukraine abandon all rights and claims to the territories situated to
the west of the frontier laid down by Article 2 of the present Treaty. Poland, on the other
hand, abandons in favour of the Ukraine and of White Ruthenia all rights and claims to the
territory situated to the east of this frontier.
Article 4 . Each of the Contracting Parties mutually undertakes to respect in every way the
political sovereignty of the other Party, to abstain from interference in its internal affairs, and
particularly to refrain from all agitation, propaganda or interference of any kind, and not to
encourage any such movement.
Article 6 created citizenship options for persons on either side of the new border. Article 7
CLASS PRESENTATION
9 + 3 bonus points=12
How well are the aims understood
■ Reflection on key intentions of the Big three
■ Content application (What, how,why, so)
through outcomes
■ Awareness of historical developments
■ Comparison
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Group presentations.
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"Did the peace treaties satisfy the victors at the Paris peace
conference, 1919 ?". Make a 3 slide PPT.
Each presentation will score 12 marks.
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Group 1- France ( Flo, Malick, Manu, Jonathan and Kamau)
Group 2- USA ( Kika, Mysha, Keith and Liam)
Group 3- Britain ( Emmanuel, Baraka, Gitau and Joseph)
For Team bonus points : Impacts on Germany ( Was
Germany satisfied)
Group Bonus - Kika (Political), Flo (Economic), Manu (Social )