Treaty of Versailles and start of LON

Question 1

When was the treaty of Versailles signed?

Answer 1

The treaty was signed on 28th of June 1919.

Question 2

Where was the treaty signed?

Answer 2

In January 1919, delegates from 32 countries met at Versailles, near Paris. The meeting was known as the Versailles conference and the Germans were NOT invited.

Question 3

Who were the “big three”?

Answer 3

Woodrow Wilson
Georges Clemenceau
David Loyd George

Question 4

What countries did the big three represent?

Answer 4

Woodrow wilson- America
Georges Clemenceau-France
David Loyd George-Britan

Question 5

What were some terms of the Treaty?

Answer 5

War guilt: Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war.

Reparations: Germany had to pay millions of dollars to the allies for the damage caused by the war.

Armed forces: Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an airforce. They could have a Navy of only six battleships and an army of only 100,000 men.

Germany could not join the League of Nations until showed they were a peace loving country.

Germany was forbidden to join together with Austria and their colonies were given to Britain and France.

Question 6

What did Woodrow Wilson want out of the Treaty?

Answer 6

• Wanted to end the war by making a fair peace
• Opposed harsh treatment of Germany and wanted to ensure Germany was not destroyed or blamed for starting ww1.

He wanted a League of Nations where countries could talk about their problems, without going to war.

Question 7

What did David Lloyd George want out of the treaty?

Answer 7

• Wanted a punishment for Germany that was strong enough for those who wanted Germany to pay but not too harsh so that :
• Germany was still strong enough to trade with
• Europe was not dominated by France
• Germany was able to stop the spread of communism

Wanted to safeguard Britain’s naval supremacy.

Question 8

What did Georges Clemenceau want out of the treaty?

Answer 8

• Wanted revenge and to punish the Germans for bloodshed and destruction caused by ww1 in France.
• To make the germans pay lots of reparations
• Alsance-Lorraine returned to France
• an independant Rineland between the French and German border.
• Disbandment of the Germany army so that it wouldn’t be strong enough to invade France again.

Question 9

What was the Germans reaction to the non-representaion at peace talks?

Answer 9

-Angry that they were not allowed to be at peace talks and were forced to accept a treaty that they viewed as harsh without any chance to negotiate it or comment on it. They did not believe they lost the war and so they should not be treated at a defeated country.

Question 10

What was the Germans reaction to the war guilt, reparations and disarmament of army ect.?

Answer 10

They hated being forced to accept the blame for starting the war as they felt they didn’t start it. Other countries should share the blame. (war guilt)

Germany’s economy was severely weakened by the war, so shouldn’t be expected to pay for all the damages caused by the war. (reparations)

The army was a symbol of German pride. An army of 100,000 men was too small for a country of germanys size. None of the other countries were forced to disarm in the same way despite Wilsons 14 point.

Question 11

What was the Germans reaction to the League of Nations?

Answer 11

Insulted at not being allowed to join the League of Nations. How could future conflict be avoided if Germany could not be represented at the LON.

Question 12

Who attempted to overthrow Eberts government in 1920?

Answer 12

Right-wing opponents of his government.

Question 13

How was this rebellion defeated?

Answer 13

A strike by Berlin workers which severely affected essential services like power and transport.

Question 14

Describe two events that took place between 1922 and 1923 that reflected the political instability in Germany?

Answer 14

1) Numerous political assassinations

2) An attempted rebellion by Hitler in 1923. Rebellion was defeated, but many shared his hatred of the treaty.

Question 15

How did Hitler use the Treaty to gain support for himself and the Nazi party?

Answer 15

Many Germans people hated the Treaty. he used their resentment for the Treaty to gain support for himself and the Nazi party.

Question 16

Why did French and Belgian soldiers enter the Ruhr region in 1923?

Answer 16

The German government failed to pay their reparation instalment in 1922. The French ran out of patience with Germany and sent troops into the Ruhr region in 1923.

Question 17

What did these soldiers take from this region?

Answer 17

Raw materials nd goods

Question 18

What were the results of the Ruhr occupation for Germany?

Answer 18

The German government instructed workers in this region to go on strike and not produce anything for the French to take. The French reacted by killing over 100 workers.

Question 19

How did the Ruhr occupation affect the German economy?

Answer 19

The strike meant that Germany had no goods to trade and consequently no money to buy things with. This led to hyperinflation.

Question 20

What did Germans believe started the Ruhr crisis?

Answer 20

The reparations were to high leaving Germany nearly bankrupt. This meant they were unable to pay the reparations and so the French chose to occupy the Ruhr region.

Question 21

Did the rest of the world agree with what the Germans believed about what started the Ruhr crisis? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer 21

No. They felt Germany was able to pay reparations, but just didn’t want to pay.

Question 22

How did the German government react to the country not having enough money due to the Ruhr occupation?

Answer 22

Printed extra money

Question 23

What is hyperinflation?

Answer 23

A condition where the price of everything in a national economy goes out of control and increases very quickly. Results in money becoming worthless.

Question 24

Who benefitted from hyperinflation and why? Who was badly affected swell and why?

Answer 24

benefitted: Government and big industrialists because able to pay off their huge debts

badly affected: Pensioners and middle-class. Savings became worthless and so assets ect.

Question 25

How did the league start?

Answer 25

Everyone wanted to avoid a repeat of ww1 and so agreed with the idea of a League of Nations.

Question 26

What was the purpose of the league?

Answer 26

Resolving international disputes without resorting to war.

Question 27

What did Woodrow Wilson want the league to be like?

Answer 27

World parliament where representatives from all nations met regularly to discuss maters that affected them all.

Question 28

What did the British leaders want the treaty to be like?

Answer 28

A simple organisation that would only meet in the event of an emergency.

Question 29

What did France want the league to be like?

Answer 29

A strong league with its own army.

Question 30

What were the ways in which members of the league would ensure that another war did not break out/disarm?

Answer 30

1) disarm
2) If there was disputes between nations they would take it to the league to be resolved and would promise to accept the decision made by the league.
3) Nations would protect one another if invaded.
4) If any member broke the covenant and went to war, other members promised to stop trading with it and send troops to fight if necessary.

Question 31

What concerns did people have about Wilson and the league?

Answer 31

People were upset about his arrogance. They felt he acted as if he only knew solutions to Europes problems and he was being idealistic. In reality would countries accept to settled disputes among themselves and accept decisions made by the league?

Question 32

Who did Wilson need approval from before USA could join the league?

Answer 32

The American Congress (parliament)

Question 33

Why were some Americans opposed to the USA joining the league?

Answer 33

The league was supposed to enforce the treaty of Versailles but some Americans with German history particularly hated the treaty.

If the league imposed sanctions it might be American trade and business that would suffer.

Some feared joining the League meant sending US troops to settle world conflicts when no one wanted a repeat of WW1.

Some feared the league would be dominated by France and Britain and that America would be called on to defend their empires.

Question 34

What is isolationism and how did it affect the USAs decision not to join the league?

Answer 34

Isolationism is where a country doesn’t get involved in international alliances but follows its own policies and self-interest.
In 1920 us elections, politicians in opposition to Wilson campaigned for the USA to be isolationist. This meant joining the league was not an option.

Question 35

Why was USAs decision to not join the league such a big blow to the organisation?

Answer 35

1) They were not part of the decision making process concerning international problems.
2) They couldn’t help with enforcing the recommendations of the league. Like sending troops to another country if need be.
3) If the league decided to impose sanctions on a country because it was acting aggressively, America could still trade with that country because they were not part of the league. This meant they could undermine the leagues authority.

Question 36

What does the incomplete bridge in the cartoon represent?

Answer 36

The bridge represents the league of nations. It is incomplete because the keystone is missing. The cartoonist is saying without the USA the League of Nations is weak and unstable.

Question 37

What does the sign to the left of the bridge represent?

Answer 37

The sign shows the league was designed by the ‘president’ and not by American people. Wilson did not have the support of the American public. The bridge in the sign is complete and is a solid working structure. It was Wilsons intention for the league to be a powerful, successful organisation when in reality the league lacked stability and didn’t function properly because the USA wasn’t a member.

Question 38

What does ‘Uncle Sam’ represent?

Answer 38

Uncle Sam’s body posture is relaxed and he is smoking a cigar. He is also leaning against the keystone of the bridge. It. suggests that the USA is not concerned about being part of the league or that it might fail. He is sitting some distance away implying USA wanted to isolate itself away from international affairs.

Question 39

What were the main aims of the League of Nations?

Answer 39

• To discourage aggression from any nation
• To encourage countries to co-operate
• To encourage nations to disarm
• To improve the living and working conditions of people in all parts of the world.

Question 40

What are two reasons why these countries were not in a good position to take on this role? (Britain and France)

Answer 40

Both had been weakened by ww1 neither was the major power they had once been. Neither country had the recourses to make the league work in the absence of the USA.

Question 41

Why did the league pose a problem for the leaders of Britain and France?

Answer 41

They were the countries who had to make the league work, but they doubted at the start how effective the league would be.

Question 42

What other priorities did Britain and France have that limited their commitment to the league?

Answer 42

Britain: rebuilding British trade and looking after the British empire.

France: Defending itself against Germany.

Question 43

What other two powerful countries joined the league but left before it ended?

Answer 43

Italy and Japan

Question 44

When did Germany and Russia join the league and how long were they members?

Answer 44

Germany: joined in 1926 left 1934

Russia: joined in 1934 left in 1939

Question 45

What ways did the league work for a better world?

Answer 45

Felt with issues such as refugees, slavery and health. Aimed to improve the conditions of working people around the world.
Solved diputes between nations and made most of the decisions in the league.

Question 46

How did the economic depression affect the failure of LON?

Answer 46

Economic depression led to the rise of the dictators. It made league members less willing to impose sanctions for fear of harming their own trade.

Question 47

How did the Manchurian crisis weaken the league?

Answer 47

The economic depression hit Japan badly because china and the USA put up trade barriers against Japanese goods. In order to save japans problem army leaders proposed Japan wouldn’t face these problems if it had an empire to provide resources and markets for Japanese goods.

Question 48

What happened in the 1931 Japanese invasion of manchuria?

Answer 48

The Japanese army controlled the south railways and their armed forces invaded and set up a government in manchuko which they controlled. The military were now in charge. It took a year before the manchurian crisis was presented to the league and the judgment was very clear. Manchuria should be returned to the Chinese ad Japan acted unlawfully.

Question 49

What was the japaneses reason for invading Manchuria?

Answer 49

The Japanese argues that China was in such a state of anarchy that they had to invade in self defence to keep peace in the area.

Question 50

How did Japan react to the league’s decision?

Answer 50

Japan still argued that it was self defence but later on Japan left the league because they were not allowed to invade Manchuria. The following week they invaded Jehol.

Question 51

What did the league do about Japan?

Answer 51

The league was powerless without the USA japans main trading partner. Britain also wanted to keep a good relationship with Japan and Britain and France did not want to risk their navies or armies in a war with Japan.

Question 52

What we’re some excuses Japan offered the league?

Answer 52

• Japan was so far away
• Japan was a special case
• Japan did have a point when it said that china was itself in the grip of anarchy

Question 53

What was the disarmament conference?

Answer 53

Germans were angry about the fact they had been forced to disarm after the First World War while other nations had not done the same. Germany proposed for all counties to disarm down to its level. When the conference failed to agree the principle of equality the Germans walked out. No one seemed serious about disarming.

Question 54

Why did Mussolini want to invade Abyssinia?

Answer 54

• Mussolini wanted revenge for humiliating defeat against Abyssinia once before
• there were fertile lands and mineral wealth of Abyssinia
• wanted glory and conquest

Question 55

The league deliberated for eight months about what to do about Mussolinis planned invasion of Abyssinia. What plan did they put forward to Mussolini was it successful?

Answer 55

On September 4th after eight months of deliberation a committee reported to the league that neither side could be held responsible for the wal-wal incident. The league put forward a plan that would give Mussolini some of Abyssinia. Mussolini rejected it.

Question 56

The league chose to impose sanctions on Italy for acting aggressively towards Abyssinia. Describe the sanctions they imposed?

Answer 56

The league banned arm sales to Italy, loans to Italy and imports from Italy. They also banned the export to Italy of rubber, tin and metals.

Question 57

Why did the league delay banning oil exports to Italy? How did this aid Mussolinis war efforts in Abyssinia?

Answer 57

They delayed banning exports because they were concerned that

The Americans would not support the sanctions

The economic interest of the members of the league would be further damaged.

Question 58

Why was the Abyssinian crisis a disaster for the League of Nations?

Answer 58

The league was slow to act

Britain and France were more interested In keeping good relations with Abyssinia that taking action against Italy for acting aggressively against another member of the league.

The sanctions that were imposed didn’t work

Question 59

Why did the Abyssinian crisis have serious consequences for world peace

Answer 59

Hitler invaded the Rhineland in March 1936 which was forbidden under the Treaty of Versailles. Britain and France were unlikely to do anything about his invasion of the Rhineland because of their lack of action in Abyssinia. The League had proven ineffective in dealing with international disputes so he wouldn’t have been concerned about intervention by the League.
Mussolini joined forces with Hitler after the Abyssinian Crisis which proved disastrous for Britain and France. Mussolini and Hitler formalised their alliance by signing an agreement called the Rome-Berlin Axis.

Question 60

Who were the Hoare and laval pact?

Answer 60

Hoare – British foreign Minister

Laval – French foreign Minister

Question 61

What plan did Hoare and Laval come up with to resolve the Abyssinian Crisis? (This became known as the Hoare-Laval Pact)

Answer 61

Give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia

Question 62

Details for this plan were leaked to the French press. Explain why this plan was disastrous for the league. You should make reference to the impact it had on Abyssinia, Britain, France and sanctions discussions about oil sales to Italy.

Answer 62

Abyssinia: Haile Selassie (Abyssinian emperor) demanded for the League to debate the issue. Whilst the League dealt with the fall-out from the Hoare-Laval Pact, Italy continued to invade Abyssinia.
Britain and France: the Hoare-Laval Pact was seen as an act of treachery against the League and both foreign ministers were sacked.
Sanctions discussions: the discussion about banning oil sales was further delayed. When the League concluded in February 1936 that banning oil sales would stop Mussolini’s campaign in Abyssinia it was too late. He had already invaded large parts of Abyssinia.

Question 63

How did America respond to the fall-out associated with the Hoare-Laval Pact? How did their actions undermine the League?

Answer 63

They were not impressed by the actions of the British and French. They blocked a move to support the League’s sanctions and actually increased their exports to Italy. Thus the League’s ban on oil sales to Italy had no impact on Italy as they could still get oil from the Americans. This made the League look weak and ineffective.

Question 64

What we’re the reasons for the failure of the league (failure)

Answer 64

French and British self-interest – they looked after their own interests rather than the League’s

Absent powers – key countries, particularly the USA were not in the League.

Ineffective sanctions – sanctions either weren’t used or didn’t work.

Lack of armed forces – the LON had no army of its own

Unfair treaty – the League’s job was to enforce treaties that some members thought were unfair.

Reaching decisions too slowly – the League took ages to act

Economic depression led to the rise of the dictators – this made League members less willing to impose sanctions for fear of harming their own trade.
They also lacked military resources to go to war with these dictators because of the impact of the economic depression.

Question 65

How did French and British self interest affect the Manchuria and Abyssinia crisis?

Answer 65

In Manchuria, they refused to use military force against Japan.

In Abyssinia, they singed the secret Hoare-Laval Pact that discredited the League.

Question 66

How did ineffective sanction affect the Manchurian and Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 66

In Manchuria, this was a problem because without the USA they could not impose effective sanctions as the USA was Japan’s main trading partner.

In Abyssinia, the USA continued to export oil to Italy, ignoring the sanctions of the League.

Question 67

How did the lack of armed forces affect the Manchurian and Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 67

In Manchuria, the League could not send troops there as it was impossible to reach.

In Abyssinia, British and French forces could have acted on behalf of the League, but the British and French governments refused.

Question 68

How did an unfair treaty affect the Manchurian and Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 68

The Treaty of Versailles was seen as unfair by many, including Britain, and Hitler was able to get away with ignoring it – the League seemed powerless to stop him.

Question 69

How did reaching decisions too slowly affect the Manchurian and Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 69

In Manchuria, it took the League a long time to reach Japan and make a ruling.

In Abyssinia, the League argued over whether to impose stricter sanctions, but it was too late.

Question 70

How did the economic depression affect the Manchurian and Abyssinian crisis?

Answer 70

In Manchuria, Britain choose to maintain a good relationship with Japan as they didn’t have the military resources to defend their Asian colonies.

In Abyssinia, Britain and France wanted to avoid going to war with Italy as they needed Mussolini as an ally against Hitler and they didn’t have the military resources at the time to fight in a war.3

Question 71

What were Hitlers secretive plans for Germany?

Answer 71

Abolishing the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler hated the Treaty and felt the terms were very unfair. It was a constant reminder of Germany’s defeat in World War 1. When Hitler came to power some of the terms of the Treaty had changed ie. Germany was no longer paying reparations, but other terms still remained in place. These included the restrictions on Germany’s armed forces and the loss of Germany territory in Europe. Hitler promised to reverse these terms when he became leader of Germany.

Expanding German territory
Hitler wanted to reclaim territory taken away from Germany in the Treaty, such as Sudetenland that was made part of the new state of Czechoslovakia. He wanted Germany to unite with Austria and build up an empire in Eastern Europe.

Defeating communism
Hitler was anti-communist. He believed that the Bolsheviks helped defeat Germany in WW1 and that they wanted to take over Germany. Hitler believed that taking parts of Russia to build a German empire would help to defeat communism.

Question 72

What factors allowed Hitler to get away with rearming Germany?

Answer 72

The impact of the Depression
The Depression had left many Germans unemployed. Hitler provided employment for thousands of workers by drafting them into the army. Many Germans supported rearmament, so he faced little opposition within Germany in building up the country’s army.

The Treaty of Versailles
Hitler was breaking the terms of the Treaty by rearming Germany, but he was able to get away with it as many other nations were using rearmament as a way to fight unemployment. The LON also lacked the power to enforce the terms of the Treaty relating to restrictions on Germany’s army.

The League of Nations
Disarmament by member nations of the LON was a key goal of the League. However, the collapse of the LON disarmament conference in 1934 showed that many nations were not prepared to disarm.

The actions of Britain and France.
Britain felt that the limits put on the German army by the Treaty were too severe and hence did not stop Germany rearming. They thought that a strong Germany army would help them to fight against communism. Britain also signed a naval agreement with Germany which allowed Germany to increase their navy to 35% of the size of the British navy. The French were unhappy with the naval agreement but there was little they could do about it.

Question 73

What was the Nazi Foreign policy

Answer 73

Germansareraciallysuperiorto everyone, especially:
❑ Jews
❑ Poles
❑ “Slavs” (mostly Russians)

GermanpeopleneedLebensraum– “living room”

Question 74

What were the four steps to expanding Germanys borders?

Answer 74

Rhineland
Austria
Sudetenland
Poland

Question 75

Reoccupation of the Rhineland

Answer 75

1) A key
industrial
region of western Germany running along its border with France. Formed a natural barrier between the two countries.

2) Demilitarized since 1919 – no German troops were allowed within a 50km stretch of the Rhineland.
3) France seized the Rhineland after WWI to reclaim reparations.
4) Hitler defies the Treaty of Versailles by sending German troops into the Rhineland on 1 March 1936. He takes a huge risk as the French army could easily have outnumbered the German forces.

Question 76

The importance of the Rhineland occupation

Answer 76

1) It demonstrated that Western democracies, like Britain and France, were not prepared to stand up to Germany and defend the Treaty of Versailles.
2) It showed key divisions between France and Britain that Hitler could exploit.
3) Hitler took advantage of the fact that Britain and France were reluctant to get involved in any more conflicts after the Abyssinian crisis.

Question 77

Why did the British and French not act?

Answer 77

1) France was in the middle of a difficult election campaign which made it difficult for them to act. They also needed British support before taking any action.
2) Many Britons approved of what Hitler had done; this was German territory, and they thought the German army had a right to be there.