The Treaty of Versailles
The “Peace” Treaty that led to Hitler
“This is not a peace treaty. It is a 20 year truce”Marshall Foch (Supreme Allied Commander)
“If I was a German I would not sign it” –
President Woodrow Wilson
• What were the terms of the Treaty.
• Explain Hitler’s reaction to the Treaty
• Compare and Contrast the view points
of the Allied Powers in constructing
the treaty.
• Discuss the effects of the Treaty on
Germany
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After reading this source, how do you think the
Germans felt at the end of World War One?
“Through the doors at the end…come four officers of
France, Great Britain, America and Italy. And then, isolated
and pitiable, come the two Germans, Dr. Muller and Dr. Bell.
The silence is terrifying…They keep their eyes fixed away
from those two thousand staring eyes, fixed on the ceiling.
They are deathly pale…There is general tension. They sign.
There is general relaxation…We kept our seats while the
Germans were conducted like prisoners from the dock.”
(Harold Nicolson, Peacemaking, 1919.)
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Treaty Of Versailles
Leaders
Wanted
Did not want
David Lloyd
George
Woodrow
Wilson
George
Clemenceau
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Great Britain, America and France were the three
most powerful Allies and they wanted to exert
their influence upon the Treaty of Versailles.
Yet they wanted different things.
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David Lloyd George (UK)
•Germany to be justly punished,
but not too harshly
•Germany to lose its navy and
colonies as these were a threat
to Britain's own navy and empire
•Germany and Britain to become
trading partners
BUT Overall, Lloyd George did not want to punish Germany too harshly as he did
not want Germany seeking revenge in the future
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Clemenceau (France)
Clemenceau liked the harsh things that
were in the Treaty, especially reparations,
because they would weaken Germany while
helping France to recover. He had one very
simple belief - Germany should be brought
to its knees so that she could never start a
war again.
He liked the idea of a small German army,
and the demilitarised zone in the Rhineland,
because he thought that this would protect
France from attack in the future. Also, he
What did
Clemenceau like was pleased that France received Alsaceand dislike about Lorraine as this had been taken from
France by Germany in 1871. In truth
the Treaty?
though, he wanted the Treaty to be
harsher.
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Wilson (USA)
• a better and more peaceful world
• a League of Nations that would help
and support each other and help to
promote world peace
• the right to self-determination. The
right to decide which country you wish
to be governed by
The U.S.A. had joined war late (1917) and
hadn't suffered as much as the other Allies in
terms of human and material costs.
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Wilson (USA)
Wilson got self-determination for the
peoples of Eastern Europe, and a League
of Nations, but he was disappointed
with the Treaty because few of his
ideas were acted upon.
What did Wilson
like and dislike
about the treaty?
Worst of all, when Wilson went back to
America, the Senate refused to join the
League of Nations, and refused to sign
the Treaty of Versailles! In America,
there was a growing desire for the
government to adopt a policy of isolation
and leave Europe to its own devices.
Wilson believed that Germany should be
punished, but in a way that would lead to
European reconciliation (peace) as
opposed to revenge (war).
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What would members of the public in Allied countries think of the Germans in
1918?
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What does this source tell you about the British
public’s feelings towards Germany in 1918?
“The Germans, if this government is elected, are going to pay every
penny; they are going to be squeezed, as a lemon is squeezed, until
the pips squeak.”
(Sir Eric Geddes, December 1918)
Sir Eric Geddes was Minister of Munitions in Britain, Controller of the
Navy and First Lord of the Admiralty at different points during
The First World War.
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Does this information help you to understand why so many people wanted revenge
after the war?
Around 8 million people had been killed
The cost of the war was roughly 36 Billion Dollars
The destruction of land, homes, farms and factories was huge
Millions more people died after the war due to famine and disease
“In France and Belgium, where most of the war was fought,
300,000 houses, 6,000 factories, 1,000 miles of railway,
2,000 breweries and 112 coal mines were destroyed…In
some ways, mankind has never recovered from the horrors
of the First World War.”
John D. Clare, First World War (1994)
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“The British General Election in December 1918 was flooded
by the belief that the Kaiser should be hanged, that
Germany should pay up….Few realised the harmful effects
of uniformed and aggressive public opinion which had been
aroused by years of war propaganda, and whipped up by the
popular press…”
Martin Kitchen, Europe Between The Wars, 1988.
Discuss how difficult must it have been for the Allies to get the
right balance between punishment and creating a lasting peace?
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• World War One ended when
Germany and the allies signed
the Treaty of Versailles. The
victorious nations, especially
France, wanted to ensure that
Germany would never be able to
fight another world war. Their
aim was to devastate Germany
militarily and economically. The
Germans were excluded from
the creation of the treaty and
were even barred from
discussing it with the allies.
The Main Allied Powers: Can you
name them by their flags?
What is this cartoon conveying?
Germany Loses Territory
 Germany lost 1/8
of her land.
 This also
accounts for six
million of her
people.
 Which territorial
loss is the most
devastating to
Germany? Why?
 What is that land
called?
 An Allied Army
was to occupy
the Rhineland
for a period
of 15 years.
 No German
troops were to
be allowed into
the occupation
zone.
 How would you
feel if foreign
troops occupied
your country?
Did you know?
The French used African troops to
occupy the Rhineland. This led to a
generation of ½ African, ½ German
children. The Nazis referred to them as
“The Rhineland Bastards'”
The Military
• The army was limited to
100,000 men. Tanks and
planes were not allowed.
How big was the German
Army in 1914? What effect
can this term have on a
nations economy?
• Germany had to accept total responsibility
for starting the World War One. This was
called the “War Guilt Clause”.
• As a consequence Germany had to pay reparations to the
allies totaling 132 Billion Gold Marks. That’s over 450 Billion
US dollars in today’s money!
• Made final payment in October of 2010!
What
differences do
you see in the
2 maps?
To what extent is
self-determination
reflected in your
differences?
Term of the treaty
How can Germans view
this as unfair?
How can a man like
Hitler use this to his
advantage?
Germany loses 1/8 of her land and 6
million of her people.
Germany’s army was reduced to
100,000 men with no modern weapons
like tanks or planes.
Allied troops to occupy the Rhineland
for 15 years
Germany had to accept full
responsibility for starting the war.
Germany had to pay 132 billion in
reparations.
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The German government publicly denounced the treaty, and for
the first time all Germans of every social class and political
party were united in against it. But refusal to sign the treaty
would mean continuing the war, something Germany couldn’t do.
Many Germans also thought the financial penalties that the
treaty imposed upon their country and her people to be immoral
and unjust.
The signing of this treaty was a blow to the new Republic from
which it never fully recovered. For a majority of people their
faith in democracy was destroyed.
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Exit Card
• Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement: “The Treaty of Versailles created
Adolf Hitler.”? Why?
Quick Test
• 1. What was the peace treaty called?
• 2. What was the treaty designed to do?
• 3. Why was the loss of the “Polish Corridor” so
devastating to Germany?
• 4. What was the Rhineland?
• 5. How many soldiers were the German army allowed to
retain under the treaty?
• 6. How much were the Germans supposed to
pay the Allies in reparations?
• 7. What did the “War Guilt Clause” mean?
• 8. What would happen if the Germans refused
to sign the treaty?
• 9. If you were a German would you be
opposed or for this treaty?