Warm Up

Inquiry:
The causes of WWII have
their origins in the peace
settlement that followed
WWI

The war to end all wars

What effect would this

level of devastation
have upon the people of
France and Belgium in
particular?

What effect would the

appalling loss of life
have upon those
countries involved in the
war ?

Who would be expected

to pay for most of the
damage caused during
the war?

Contributing Factors (Cause

& Effect)
Treaty of Versailles
The League of Nations

Treaty of Versailles Overview

TheTreaty of Versaillesof1919was the peace treaty
which put an official end toWorld War I. It required
Germanyto accept responsibility for the war and obliged
Germany to pay large amounts of compensation known
aswar reparations.

League of Nations
The League of Nations was an organisation established
post World War I with the aim of ensuring collective
peace and avoiding another war. Delegates from the
victorious nations negotiated and decided upon the
terms of the treaty.

Political Context
In order to cease World War One, Germany requested an armistice. The U.S.A.
demanded that Germany form a democratic government. Consequently,
Wilhelm II abdicated and Germany plunged into civil and political unrest. Key
groups were vehemently opposed to forming the democratic Weimar Republic:
Left Wing
Communists Spartacists (staged a coupe and attempted to take political
control)
Right Wing Conservatives
German army Reichswehr
Civil service and Judiciary

 Three Big Players

The three countries which had a
significant role in deciding upon the
terms of the Treaty of Versailles
were:
America
Great Britain
France

Wilson Woodrow
David Lloyd
George
Georges
Clemenceau

The problems facing the

victors
Need to rehabilitate Europe
War had brought new player onto the
European stage the USA
Main issues:
redrawing map of Europe
satisfying questions of nationalism
establishment of European balance of
power
founding world body to make the future
secure

Importance of
Personalities
Versailles Peace conference dominated by
personalities from Allied powers who each had their
own ideas of what the treaty should contain
Wilson (USA), Lloyd George (Great Britain) and
Clemenceau (France)
All 3 wanted to prevent another similar war but did not
agree with how to do it.
They wanted different things and did not get on well

Georges Clemenceau
Prime Minister of France
Wanted revenge, and to
punish Germany for what
they had done.
Wanted to make Germany
pay for the damage done
during the war.
Also wanted to weaken
Germany so France
would never be invaded
again

Clemenceau summed
up his attitude: 'There
are 20 million
Germans too many!'
America is far away,
protected by the ocean.
Not even Napoleon
himself could touch
England. You are both
sheltered; we are not.
Georges Clemenceau,
debating with Wilson and
Lloyd George on 27
March 1919. Wilson had
pressed Clemenceau for
moderation

Woodrow Wilson (President

of the USA)
sought a peace settlement based on goodwill,
justice and self determination.
main goal was to establish a League of Nations
published Fourteen points which he thought
would bring world peace
his idealism was opposed by France and England
and later by the U.S. who refused to join the L.O.N

David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Great Britain)

said he would make Germany pay because he
knew that was what British people wanted to hear
Wanted justice but not revenge
Said the peace must not be harsh that would
cause another war in a few years time
Tried to get a compromise between Wilson and
Clemenceau
Wanted to expand British Empire, maintain
British control of seas and increase British trade

When asked how he

thought he had
done at the
Versailles
Conference, Lloyd
George replied:

"Not badly,
considering I was
seated between
Jesus Christ and
Napoleon."

Different Perspectives
Countr
y

Aims

United
policy of isolation and leave Europe to its own
States of
devices
America Germany should be punished but in a way that
would lead to European reconciliation; not
revenge
Great
Germany should be punished
Britain
concerned about the spread of communism and
wanted Germany to be capable of resisting
communism
France
Germany should be severely punished so that
Germany is never capable of starting and
engaging in a war again.

What does this source tell you about the British

publics feelings towards Germany in 1918?
The Germansare 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.

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 nine thousand million pounds
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 destroyedIn some ways, mankind has never
recovered from the horrors of the First World War.
John D. Clare, First World War (1994)

The Terms: SQ3R

Read the key excerpts from the Treaty of
Versailles 1919
Question What were the territorial (land) terms of the
treaty?
:
What were the military terms of the treaty?
What economic reparations did Germany have
to repay?
Read the text and identify answers through
Read:
labelling them with the categories: Territory,
Military, Economic and Political.
Review: Work with your neighbour and check your
answers
Check answers as a class

Survey:

Explicit Instruction Example

Article

Summary

The Covenant of the League of Nations established the members of the

League
(Germany was not one of them).
(The League of Nations was an organisation set up after World War I with the
aim of ensuring collective peace and avoiding another war.)
The Rhineland was demilitarised.
(The Rhineland was German territory on the border between France and
Germany.
(Germany was not permitted any fortifications or defence forces in this
area.)

42

45

51

The Saar was given to France as a mandate (to oversee and support) for 15
years.
(The Saar was German territory rich in coal which came under the control of
France.)
Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France.
(Alsace and Lorraine were French provinces. German / French hostility over
Alsace and Lorraine dated back to 1871 when France lost the FrancoPrussian war.)

Land
Alsace Lorraine
was returned to
France
The coal mining region
of Saar was given to
France as a mandate
Lands in eastern
Germany were given
to Poland
All colonies were
given to Britain and
France as mandates

Military
German Army limited
to 100, 000 men

The Rhineland
was demilitarised

German army limited to

six battleships and no
submarines
Germany was not
permitted to have
an air force

Economic
Germany had to
pay war
reparations.
Ie. Compensation
for losses and
damage caused by
the war
Approx: 132 billion
gold marks

Saar (coal
mining
region) &
Alsace
Lorraine

Polish
Corridors
(land
given to
Poland)

In total Germany lost over one million square miles of land

(28,000 of which had previously formed part of European

Germany was forbidden to have soldiers or military

equipment in the Rhineland

German army limited to 100, 000 men only

Prior to the treaty Germany had the biggest land
army in Europe

German air force Luftwaffe not permitted

Wartime guns and

weapons had to be
melted down into scrap
metal

Germany was not allowed any

tanks

Reflection Questions
Are there any benefits for Germany stated within
the treaty?
What do you think are some potential issues that
could arise as a result of the treaty conditions?
Do you think the Treaty of Versailles is a fair treaty
which considers the needs of the German citizens?

Dictated
Peace
Germany had the following
choice:
1) sign the treaty or
2) potentially be invaded by the
Allies

War Guilt Clause

Germany forced to accept responsibility

for the war and the loss and damage

suffered by the Allies
Germans had signed November 1918

armistice expecting lenient treatment

Argued that war was against the Kaiser

and not the new republican governmentdid not convince Allied powers

The Allied
governments
affirm, and
Germany accepts,
the responsibility of
Germany and her
allies for causing all
the loss and
damage to which
the Allied
governments and
their peoples have
been subjected as a
result of the war.
The Treaty of
Versailles, Clause
231 (the 'War Guilt'
clause)

Outcome of the Treaty

The German citizens resented the treaty, especially Article 231
which blamed them for starting the war.
Many Germans also thought the financial penalties that the
treaty imposed upon their country and her people to be immoral
and unjust.
The German Government that had agreed to the treaty became
known as the "November Criminals and Germans felt they had
been stabbed in the back.
Many German citizens felt that they were now being punished
for the mistakes of the Kaiser and German government of
August 1914 who had started the war as well as the government

Depression and Inflation

To make matters worse,
massive inflation hit
Germany during the Great
Depression in the late
1920s.

The Treaty Of Versailles

The terms of the treaty were severe.
The treaty debilitated Germany
through crippling the economy and
social morale of an already war
devastated Germany. Hitler would
use this bitterness and anger to
evoke outrage from the German
public and subsequently, justify
foreign policy and the rise of

Diktat- November Criminals

An illustration from a 1919
Austrian postcard depicting
acaricaturedJewstabbing
theGerman Soldier in the
back with a dagger. The
defeat of Germany and their
dictated peace was
blamed upon the unpatriotic
people within German
society. For example,
thecommunists and
especially the Jewish people.