treaty of Versailles

Question 1

The Treaty of Versailles was a fair settlement.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [10]

Answer 1

1. Fair -> Germany needed to be weakened so it could not fight another war
   – Army = reduced to 100,000 men, no aircraft, no conscription
   – Land = Rhineland demilitarisation protected France from German troops
   – Land = Alsace Lorraine returned to France, also fair because people felt French
2. Fair -> Not as harsh as it could have been
   – Brest-Litovsk = much harsher (3 billion roubles, 27% arable land compared to 10% of Germany’s land taken in TOV)
   – Army = generals and other important officials allowed to stay in their roles
   – Clemenceau wanted to ask for even more than £6.6 billion
3. Not fair -> Terms made Germany wished to seek revenge
   – Kapp Putsch (13th March 1920) -> Freikorps vowed to get revenge for the TOV in the future
   – War Guilt Clause (Article 231) -> unfair to expect Germany to take full responsibility
   – Unfair that they were not allowed to join LON until “peaceful” enough
   – Diktat -> not allowed to negotiate the terms and were forced to sign on 28th June 1919
4. Not fair -> Terms so harsh they made Germany economically vulnerable
   – Germany quickly became unable to pay the reparations, failing to deliver 10,000 telegraph poles to France, prompting the Occupation of the Ruhr (Jan 1923)
   – Caused hyperinflation (1923)
   – Reparations had to be revised twice -> Dawes Plan (1924) and Young Plan (1929)

Question 2

(c) ‘The Treaty of Versailles was unfair and unwise.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [10]

Answer 2

1. Fair
   – Could have been much harsher -> Clemenceau wanted more reparation, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was much harsher
   – Land = Alsace Lorraine returned to France, also fair because people felt French
   – German economy was not damaged that much -> 1925, German steel works was more productive than Britain’s and by 1930s they were back to previous economic situation
2. Wise
   – Germany needed to be weakened so couldn’t fight another war
   – Army decreased and Rhineland demilitarised
3. Unfair
   – Many felt that the TOV did not reflect Wilson’s Fourteen Points -> unfair that “Diktat” then happened, not allowed to negotiate and forced to sign
   – Reparations so harsh that they had to be revised twice (Dawes and Young Plans)
   – People found themselves living in other countries (Alsace Lorraine and Polish Corridor)
4. Unwise
   – Caused huge unrest within Germany and thirst for revenge
   – Kapp Putsch -> vowed to get revenge
   – Occupation of the Ruhr (Jan 1923) -> decreased trade within Europe, especially for Britain whose main trading partner was Germany
   – Hyperinflation (1923) -> crippled Germany’s economy

Question 3

(c) How far did the ‘Big Three’ achieve their aims at the Paris Peace Conference? Explain your answer. [10]

Answer 3

1. Achieved their aims -> TOV was quite harsh = France (and Britain)
   – Huge territorial losses
   – Britain pleased by Germany’s loss of all their colonies
   – France pleased Rhineland = demilitarised
   – Britain and France pleased by the limits on the army and navy (esp. Britain)
2. Achieved their aims -> TOV wasn’t too harsh = America (and Britain)
   – America was pleased France got Alsace Lorraine back (justice as was rightfully French)
   – America was pleased that the League of Nations would be set up
3. Didn’t achieve their aims -> TOV wasn’t harsh enough = France (and Britain)
   – France wanted to split Germany into states
   – France wanted more reparations to pay for rebuilding of devastated areas (eg. Zone Rouge)
4. Didn’t achieve their aims -> TOV was too harsh = America (and Britain)
   – America thought that the reparations were too harsh -> they later give $2 billion loan under Dawes Plan (1924)
   – America wanted everyone to disarm not just Germany
   – America wanted self-determination for the colonies, not for them to be passed from one empire’s control to another

Question 4

(b) Why did Clemenceau and Lloyd George disagree over how to treat Germany? [6]

Answer 4

1. Different experiences during the war
   – France -> fighting on soil, two thirds of army wounded or dead, Zone Rouge (1,200 square kilometres) => needed high reparations to rebuild damaged cities
   – Britain -> no fighting on their soil but huge casualties too -> almost every family had a member who had died during the war => needed less reparations to help pay widowed families
2. Different aims for the future
   – France -> wanted protection for the future, Clemenceau was determined not to see another invasion of France during his life, wanted Germany split into states, harsher on continental Germany than colonies
   – Britain -> wanted to continue trading with Germany so not too harsh a treaty, wanted to expand empire so harsher on the colonies

Question 5

(b) Why did the ‘Big Three’ disagree over how to treat Germany? [6]

Answer 5

1. Different experiences during the war
   – France -> fighting on soil, two thirds of army wounded or dead, Zone Rouge (1,200 square kilometres) => needed high reparations to rebuild damaged cities
   – Britain -> no fighting on their soil but huge casualties too -> almost every family had a member who had died during the war => needed less reparations to help pay widowed families
   – America -> only joined war on 6th April 1917, came to war with peace in mind, no fighting on their soil and far fewer casualties
2. Different aims for the future
   – France -> wanted protection for the future, Clemenceau was determined not to see another invasion of France during his life, wanted Germany split into states, harsher on continental Germany than colonies
   – Britain -> wanted to continue trading with Germany so not too harsh a treaty, wanted to expand empire so harsher on the colonies
   – America -> League of Nations, ever lasting peace, self-determination

Question 6

(b) Why were German people horrified when they discovered the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? [6]

Answer 6

1. The terms were unfair
   – War Guilt Clause (Article 231)
   – Not allowed to join the LON
   – 12.5% of their population was lost and Germans living in Alsace Lorraine and the Polish Corridor were forced to live in France and Poland
2. The terms made Germany feel vulnerable
   – Military terms meant that Germany was vulnerable to attack
   – Reparations meant that they would not be able to recover from the war
   – Lost large important industrial areas (Saar Coalfields etc.)

Question 7

(b) Why did the Treaty of Versailles cause problems for Germany from 1919 to 1923? [6]

Answer 7

1. Treaty caused instability which allowed for uprisings
   – Spartacist Uprising (5th Jan 1919) -> tried to recreate Russian Nov Revolution
   – Kapp Putsch (13th March 1920) -> against Weimar Gov for signing TOV
   – Munich Putsch (Nov 1923) -> Hitler took the chance to seize power
2. Economic terms of the treaty made the German economy suffer
   – Unable to deliver 10,000 telegraph poles to France-> Occupation of the Ruhr (Jan 1923)
   – Hyperinflation (1923) -> 1 US dollar = 4 billion German Marks
   – Had to bring in new currency (Oct 1923) -> Rentenmark