The Treaty of Versailles

1. The Treaty of Versailles 28 June 1919

2. “This is not peace. It is an armistice for 20 years” French Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch

3. Legacy of World War One • War deaths • Russia 1750000 • Germany 1750000 • France 1500000 • Austria-Hungary 1250000 • Great Britain 900000 • Italy 600000 • Turkey 300000 • USA 114000

4. Why the need for a treaty? • To make Europe and especially France, safe from the • danger of another attack by Germany • Make Europe a safer and better place by making more • land ruled over by governments of the same nationality • as the people who lived there (self determination) • Get back some of the cost of the war from the country that • caused it to start, and punish the people who actually • started it • Stop any more wars from starting

5. The Big Three • French president Georges Clemenceau • Great Britain prime minister David Lloyd George • US president Woodrow Wilson

6. Perspective exercise Consider the following How did Germany affect you? Key terms you want in the Treaty of Versailles?

7. Keep this in mind Clemenceau wanted a tough treaty Wilson wanted a lenient treaty and self determination Lloyd George wanted to “make Germany pay” “If I am returned [to office] Germany is going to pay... and I personally have no doubt that we will get everything that you can squeeze out of a lemon and a bit more.” Sir Eric Geddes Orlando of Italy wanted believed Italy should be rewarded for joining the winning side

8. Key terms Diktat – A decision forced on a group without consultation Demilitarisation – Taking away the means of making war or providing defence Disarmament – Doing away with military weapons Self determination – The power of people to decide its own future

9. What did the main players want? • France - Keen for revenge and guaranteeing French people • that Germany could not invade again • Needed to keep the Rhine area as a barrier to Germany • Britain – Safeguard for Britain – weaken German army • Lloyd George trapped by election promise to ‘squeeze’ • Germans and reparations was the way of doing this • Italy - Wanted territory from being on the side of the victor • USA – Wilson a tough negotiator who likes to get his way • Dictated the terms of the conference • Self determination for a number of countries • Poland gets Danzig • Establish a League of Nations to keep world peace

10. What they got • War guilt – Pleases everyone • Disarmament – Pleases Britain and France who are worried about another war and are close by • Demilitarisation of Rhineland, bordering Belgium and France – Pleases France because they’re less vulnerable to attack • Reparations – Germany to pay Allies for all war damage. Pleases everyone because their economies arestruggling and it will weaken Germany further • Lose colonies to Allies – makes Danzig a free city, they lose Alsace Lorraine to France • Saar put under League of Nations trusteeship for 15 years. So they can’t make any money from it • Anschluss forbidden. No deals with Austria undermining peace and security • Sudetenland taken from Austria and Germany and given to the Czechs. Undermining any concept of Anchluss • Italy renounced claims for Dalmatia and instead pursued Fiume,(in Croatia) and got neither – Italians not too happy • League of Nations established – Pleases USA • Self determination for the likes of Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland and Latvia – Pleases USA

11. What is your country happy about?

12. Reactions The Victors v The Vanquished

13. France • Germany had lost and had to suffer • the consequences • The Treaty was no more severe than • the 1871 Treaty enforced on France by • Germany • Germany was still potentially strong • and had to be weakened by • disarmament and reparations to keep • the peace

14. Germany • It was a ‘diktat’ . They had no say in the Treaty • They were given all the blame • Only the losers were forced to disarm • Only the losers lost territory • They were bound to pay whatever the Allies • found convenient to charge • The territorial losses (13.5% of territory and 7 • million subjects) were far too harsh • Germans hated to accept the blame for the • war • Many believed Germany should never have • surrendered in the first place

15. “Today in the Hall of Mirrors a disgraceful treaty is being signed. Never forget it. There will be vengeance for the shame of 1919.” “The Allies are driving the knife into the living body of the German people.... The proposed Peace means the miserable enslavement of children.”

16. Was it too harsh?

17. The Treaty as a cause of World War II • A bitter, humiliated Germany • Reparations will financially cripple Germany • Angry citizens looking for scapegoats • Perfect opportunity for extremists to undermine the • government • Hitler will use this as ammunition for his later campaign • Revenge