Peace Settlement Flashcards
The Big Four
Britain, France, Italy and the USA, or alternatively the Big Three, excluding Italy
The Big Three Leaders
US - Woodrow Wilson
Britain - David Lloyd George
France - George Clemenceau
Paris Peace Conference
Meeting of Big 4 in January, 1919
France, UK and Italy had been most damaged by war so carried the most weight
Germany had attached France twice, in 1871 and 1914, so it wanted to permanently weaken it
Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points
Germany expected to negotiate peace based on this programme
The key ideas of it were: self-determination, free-trade, reduction in armaments, League of Nations serving as international body to settle disputes, and ensured peace through collective security
Germany’s lack of involvement in the Paris Conference
German delegates expected to be able to negotiate, but came to find that they only had an observer status
By April 1919
Germany’s army had been demobilised, with the British navy blockading ports and French and Belgian troops poised at its border
Non-negotiable demands
Germany given a list of these demands in May 1919
This was called the Treaty of Versailles
This was called a Diktat by German opinion, branding those who signed it as ‘November Criminals’
Article 231
War Guilt Clause - made Germany accept full responsibility for starting the war, as well as all the loses that resulted
Reparations
Germany had to pay reparations as a result of Article 231 - amount was set at £6.6 billion in April 1921
Demilitarisation
Germany’s army reduced to 100,000
conscription banned
no tanks, military aircrafts, submarines or vessels over 10,000 tons
Rhineland demilitarised
Territory
Alsace-Lorraine - given back to France
Eupen and Malmedy - given to Belgium
Saarland - given to France for 15 years
Poznan and West Prussia - given to Poland
Danzig - became free city
Sudetenland - given to Czechoslovakia
Britain and France - given control of German’s overseas colonies
Unification with Austria (Anschluss) - forbidden
WW1 impact - damage
Dead - 1.3 million in France, 1 million in Britain, 2 million in Germany
Wounded - 4 million in France, 2 million in Britain, 6.3 million in Germany
Led to many widows and orphans
300,000 buildings and 21,000 km2 of farmland was destroyed in France
Great economic losses in Belgium, requiring a hefty loan from the allies to repair the damage
French attitudes
This was the second time Germany had invaded
France wanted compensation, and to make sure it didn’t happen again
Germany needed to be weakened
Didn’t think treaty of Versailles was strict enough
British attitudes
didn’t want to be too harsh since it was an important trading partner
public mood - very anti-german
Lloyd-George has to side with popular opinion since he was facing re-re-election at the time
Treaty of Versailles Impact
damaged German national pride
reduced size of army
war guilt clause and reparations were strongly disliked
7 million germans lived as minorities in other countries
new Weimar Republic was associated with signing it, and were blamed for defeat due to the stab in the back myth
