Was the Treaty of Versailles
Fair?
Today’s Objective – To
consider the German
reactions to the Treaty of
Versailles and consider if
the treaty was fair or unfair
Today’s Outcome – By the
end of today’s lesson, I will
have made my own
judgement on the treaty
and be prepared to answer
an assessment
Starter: Self Review on Haig
Assessments
• In your books, you will find your Haig Assessments marked
and a sheet that allows you to comment on what you think
you did well in your assessment and what you think you
need to set as a target for your next assessment.
• Fill in the Assessment Title: Haig – Butcher of the Somme?
• Fill in what you think you did well (use my comments to
help).
• Using my comments and the Haig Assessment Sheet
(which you coloured in with the level you were aiming for)
set yourself a target for your next assessment.
• Finally, did you show any of the 4 R learning skills, for
example, if you did your own research, you can tick and add
a comment to the resourcefulness box.
Question Time: Berlin
It’s December 1919 and tonight we welcome to the
programme Frederick Ebert, leader of the new Weimar
Germany. You will have a chance to pose your questions
to him.
My Name is Friedrich Ebert and I am the
new leader of the Republic of Germany. I
promise to give the people of Germany
freedom of speech, freedom of worship
and better working conditions. I am facing
difficult times. I face opposition from both
the left and right. The Kaiser’s former
advisors have remained in their positions
in the army, judiciary, civil service and
industry. This is restricting what my
government can do. I also face opposition
from many communists, who believe that
Germany needs a communist revolution.
I also have the impossible task of signing
the Treaty of Versailles, which I am not
looking forward to.
Any Questions?
German
reactions
to the
Treaty
A German cartoon published in 1919. The German mother is
saying to her starving child: ‘When we have paid one hundred
billion marks then I can give you something to eat.’
Fair
Unfair
The Treaty of Versailles only
provided the same type of
punishment as the Treaty of Brest
Litovsk, therefore, the German’s
deserved harsh treatment.
The war guilt clause
psychologically damaged the
people of Germany and placed the
blame on them, not just the
politicians who helped start the
war.
You have been provided with an A4 sheet, addressing the
question, ‘Was the Treaty of Versailles fair?’ You need to read
through the sheet and draw up a simple table recording evidence
that suggests the treaty was both fair and unfair. You can also use
your own knowledge to add further points to your table.
Year 9 (GCSE Style) Assessment
• Explain what Clemenceau wanted to
achieve in the Treaty of Versailles
(Paris Peace Conference). (4)
• What is the message of this cartoon?
Use details of the cartoon and your
own knowledge to explain your answer.
(6)
• How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?
(10)
Question 1
• Explain what Clemenceau wanted to
achieve in the Treaty of Versailles
(Paris Peace Conference). (4)
Question 2
A British
cartoon from
1921. The Big
Four are shown
in the cartoon,
leaving the
Paris Peace
Conference
What is the message of this
cartoon? Use details of the
cartoon and your own
knowledge to explain your
answer. (6)
Question 3:
How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?
Lets ask an expert…
To begin with, to
answer this
question, you
need a very short
introduction,
which shows that
you will answer
the question in a
balanced way.
PROF TOMALIN
The Treaty of Versailles
can be viewed as being
unfair due to the harsh
reparation demands, the
war guilt clause and
stripping Germany of her
military and empire, which
made her feel weak and
vulnerable. However, it
can also be argued that
the treaty was fair, as
Germany had treated
Russia in a similar way in
the Treaty of Brest Litovsk
and there is evidence to
suggest that Germany’s
economy recovered
quickly in the 1920’s.
Introduction
• Have a go at writing a short introduction of
your own. You only have 5 minutes to
complete this task.
• Now swap your introduction with the
person sitting next to you and mark their
work. Does it:
1.Present a balanced answer
2.Provide brief examples to support the
points made
3.Directly answer the question
You now need an opening
paragraph which
addresses one side of the
argument.
I think the Treaty was unfair
and stored up trouble for
the future because...
You now need to
write an opposing
paragraph
addressing the other
side of the argument.
On the other hand, I
think the Treaty was
quite fair and the
peacemakers did
the best they could
because……………
To be a
professional
historian, you
need to add depth
to your work. You
will need to add
evidence to
support your
points. This
evidence will
come from your
knowledge and
the sources.
Example – PEA: Using a source
as evidence
The Treaty of Versailles can be seen as
unfair as it was unreasonable to place the
entire blame onto one country. John
Maynard Keynes argued this in 1920, stating,
“In my own opinion, it is not possible to lay
the entire responsibility for the war on any
single nation….it leaves Europe more
unsettled
than
it
found
it.”
Thus
Clemenceau’s demands of war guilt can be
viewed as too harsh, as it was a variety of
countries rivalry and competition that
resulted in the outbreak of the First World
War.
Example – PEA: Using
knowledge as evidence
The Treaty of Versailles was unfair as the
reparation demands harmed the citizens of
Germany as opposed to the rulers who had
taken Germany into the First World War. This
meant that the German people suffered badly
and consequently became very bitter. It was
these feelings of resentment that groups like
the Nazis harnessed in later years and
resulted in feelings of revenge. The Treaty
left Germany feeling very unsettled. This
therefore demonstrates that the Treaty was
unfair because it punished the people not the
politicians and left Europe unsettled.
In conclusion I
believe that...
Your conclusion needs to be well
explained. You cannot just say, In
conclusion I believe that the Treaty was
fair.
You must support your final judgement
with well explained evidence.