Ch. 27 The Joyless Victors: Britain and France
Post-WWI Britain
Economic Confusion
– The economy was depressed throughout the 1920s.
– By the end of 1921, two million were unemployed and unemployment was 12%
– After 1922 government welfare was the normal means of income for thousands
of British families
– The Unemployment Insurance Acts for workers
– Construction of 200,000 subsidized housing units for the poor
Question A. While not many countries would welcome war, countries’ economies often benefit from
wartime production. What is the effect of the end of the war on a country’s economy? What social
effects did the war have?
The Empire Crumbles
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Britain’s navy was decimated by the Germans in WWI and its foreign trade had declined
disastrously
International competition eroded Britain’s economic system even further
Britain loses India and Egypt which gain their independence in 1920s
Most of Ireland gains its independence in 1921
Australia and Canada gain independence
Question B. Why was the crumbling of the British Empire inevitable after the Great War ended?
What factors led to the collapse?
The First Labour Government
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In 1923, the Labour Party will gain leadership of the gov’t under Ramsey MacDonald
The Labour Party was concerned about the rights of workers and wanted the gradual
nationalization of major industries
The Labour Party will lose power in 1924 to the Conservatives and Stanley Baldwin
Question C: Why would the Labour Party have been popular during the 1920s?
The General Strike of 1926
– In order to make their industry internationally competitive, British management
attempted to cut wages.
– In 1926 coal miners went on strike, followed by sympathetic workers in other
industries.
– Baldwin refused to back down to demands of the workers and broke the strike
Summary: Britain
– Labor unrest continued throughout the 1920s
– The Labour-Conservative gov’t passed a number of pieces of social legislation to
invoke the support of the working masses
• Gov’t-funded pension Acts were passed for widows, orphans, and the old
age
– Britain will struggle through the 1920s, but will sink even deeper into depression
during the 1930s
Question D: Why did the British gov’t respond to the demands of the workers through gov’t funded
pension programs? What were they trying to prevent?
Post-WWI France (1919-1929)
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France suffered enormous casualties in the war
– Severe loss of its young population
– 25% of its manufacturing industries and agriculture was destroyed
France had to borrow money to fund the war and relied on German reparations to
maintain the French economy
When Germany was unable to pay reparations, France’s economy plummeted
Political State of France
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France became extremely conservative after WWIfear of revolution
In January 1923 France occupied the German Ruhr, as punishment for Germany’s
defaulting on reparations.
Germany continued to slowly pay reparations to France
France experienced a slight surge in prosperity until the depression of the 1930s
Question E: What were the major problems facing France due to the Great War?
French Foreign Policy
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The main concern of France was establishing a foreign policy to ensure a weak Germany
Constructed the Maginot Line along its eastern border which was a series of concrete
fortifications aimed at Germany
Made treaties with Belgium, Poland, and other Eastern European countries to contain
Germany
Summary: France
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A lot like Britain, France’s economy suffered greatly due to the ravage of WWI.
Ultimately, France became very conservative during the 1920s and used the fear of
future conflict with Germany to build alliances with other nations and the Maginot Line
to protect France.
Question F: Assess France’s ability to foresee conflict with Germany. Were they correct in trying to
create alliances against Germany?
The French Search for Security
Use the PPT to answer the first two questions.
What two disastrous encounters with Germany proved that France could not match the military
machine of the German Empire?
What post-WWI factors forced France into demanding reparations from Germany?
Introduction: The League of Nations created after WWI aimed to provide collective security,
but three major powers remained outside its fold: the U.S., Germany, and Russia. France could
not count on Britain which had returned to a policy of neutrality. As a result, France insisted on
reparations to cripple her neighbor to the east and grasped for any form of defense agreement
with any and all available partners to ensure her survival as a nation.
Part A Directions: Use the Internet to research the following major French foreign policy
initiatives. For each initiative, identify the countries involved, what it did, and its impact on
France’s foreign policy.
A. Washington Naval Conference (1921-22)
B. Allied Reparations Commission (1921)
C. Occupation of the Ruhr (1923)
D. Locarno Agreement (1925)
E. Treaties with Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, and Yugoslavia (1921-27)
F. Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
G. London Naval Conference (1930)
Part B Directions: First, write a thesis sentence assessing the validity of the following
statement: “French foreign policy from 1918 to 1930 was characterized by a frantic search for
security through efforts to cripple Germany and enlist allies in collective security agreements.”
Finally, write an appropriate conclusion that demonstrates your understanding of the long-range
consequences of French foreign policy in this period.