Key topic 1: Treaty of Versailles (1919) Flashcards
The Big Three Making the ToV Terms of ToV Impact of ToV
Who were the Big Three?
Britain, France and U.S.A
Who were the leaders of the big three
Wilson (USA) Lloyd George (Britain) Clemenceau (France)
What did France want from the ToV and why?
Lotsof fighting had happened in France during World War One therefore, France wanted an idependent Rhineland and push back borders, they wanted to cripple Germany so that it could never attack again, and wanted Germany to pay for France’s damage, as well as, there having been many conflicts between Germany and France before including three invasions of France by Germany and a conflict over Morocco, Clemenceau was under extreme pressure to punish Germany through the Treaty of Versailles.
What did Britain want from the Treaty of Versailles?
Britain had lost 750,000 soldiers in World War 1. Britain wanted to punish Germany but not want Germany to become angry and hold resentment because of the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore, Lord George wanted to take German colonies, to grow British empire, but keep a Germany strong enough to trade with as well as strong enough to crush any communist uprisings however, unlike France, Britain did not want to be too harsh as any tension the treaty may cause could lead to another war.
What did the USA want from the Treaty of Versailles?
There was no fighting on American soil during World War One and America did not want to cause tension. The USA was led by an idealist called Wilson, who had 14 points that he planned to use to better the world, this included the belief in free trade and free seas, which were very anti imperialistic and therefore, did not appeal to the great empires of Britain and France. Wilson hoped that through the treaty he could use it his 14 points to create a future of prosperity and peace, not being at all harsh on Germany and learning from past mistakes to avoid future conflict. Wilson even suggested the idea of the League of Nations. He also believed in actively getting rid of colonies and the self-determination and independence of all countries.
What were the four main difficulties faced when making the Treaty of Versailles?
Armistice argument
Alliances
Instability in Europe
Conflict of the big threes’ interests
When was the Treaty of Versailles signed and how long did it take to make?
The Treaty of Versailles had started being made in January and was signed on the 28th of June 1919, in the same year as when it head first being drafted, it had only taken six months to make a treaty.
How many nations met at Versailles to draw up the treaty and who was not present?
Over 30 nations, had met, including the big three, to make the treaty, Germany, or their allies, were not allowed in the negotiations, leading to the treaty being called a diktat, a dictated peace.
How is the Armistice argument a problem when making the Treaty of Versailles?
The leader of France argued that the Alsce-Lorraine region should be given to France because it was surrendered by Germany under the Armistice however, many disagreed and said that the armistice was forced to be unconditional when ending World War One and therefore should not be included in the treaty. Germany had to agree to the unconditional Armistice that France proposed in order to surrender on the 11th of November 1918.
Describe how alliances was a problem faced when making the Treaty of Versailles
Allies had made a lot of promises to smaller nations for their support during the war. This led to the big three arguing when nations claimed their promised rewards for example, Italy was promised Austria Hungary colonies and Japan had been promised parts of China. It was difficult to make everyone happy especially, with a 30 plus nations at Versailles.
Describe how the conflict of the big threes’ interests caused difficulties when making the Treaty of Versailles.
The big three had radically different intentions for, and when making, the Treaty of Versailles. Directly opposing views, such as France’s and the USA’s, meant that it was a struggle to satisfy everyone and, Wilson’s 14 points went against the imperialistic views of the other big three, Britain and France.
Describe how instability in Europe caused difficulties were making the Treaty of Versailles.
For the first time in modern history, Europe was a war-torn and poverty was common. This meant that people were left desperate and destitute in the majority of European countries, each nation tried to use treaty and the peace conference to get better. This was especially bad, when political instability had been heightened by the deconstruction of the huge empires, such as the Austria Hungary empire, with lots of new, independent countries, with clashes over nationalities, political beliefs and ideologies, and new governments. In addition, the Tsar had been overthrown by communists in 1917, leading to the first ever, and largest, communist nation Europe had ever seen: the USSR. This caused the great political tension between the East and the West. All this instability meant many nations wanted many different things from the Treaty.
Why is the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was made in six months only, indicative of the rushed and ill thought out nature of the peace treaty?
Of the four major issues faced when making the treaty, one would have thought it to take a lot longer than six months to resolve fully, suggesting that rushed or bad judgement had been made when making the treaty and it’s 440 articles
What is the acronym used to remember the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
B lame
R eparations
A rmy
T erritory
Describe the ‘blame’ conditions of the ToV.
The League of Nations was formed but Germany was not allowed to join.
Article 231: The War Guilt Clause
Germany and their allies had to take full responsibility for starting the war.
