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Arranged & Organised by Paulina

Chapter 1 – Were the Peace Treaties of 1919-23 Fair?
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria
The Allies: Britain, France, USA

The motives & aims of the Big Three at Versailles:

The Big Three:
Georges Clemenceau (French Prime
Minister)
Lloyd George (British Prime Minister)
Woodrow Wilson (American President)

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g a large river separating the
two countries)
 The invasion in France (August 1914) was the 2nd time in 50 years that Germany had
invaded France (1st invasion: 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, where France
had lost Alsace-Lorraine)
There was a national desire for revenge
 France made a much bigger sacrifice than either USA or Britain during the war:
 Much of the fighting was done on French soil
 The German army deliberately caused damage as they retreated across NorthEastern France during the final stages of the war (by flooding mines, destroying
bridges, railways, towns & villages)

Satisfied with:
o Return of Alsace-Lorraine
o Germany’s loss of former colonies
o Germany paying for war reparations
o The Rhineland remained free of German troops & fortifications
o Germany’s economic power & military capacity was reduced significantly
Not satisfied with:
o Rhineland not being independent
o Germany is still one country and on its doorstep
o Delay on reparations
o Germany hasn’t been ‘knocked out’ completely

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David Lloyd George (Britain)
Information on
leader:

Main aims:
(Before the Paris
Peace Conference
began, it looked as if
Britain shared the
same desire as the
French for a harsh
peace settlement to be
imposed on
Germany)
Reasons for these
aims:

To what extent were
his aims achieved at
Versailles:

o Lawyer (pre-political career)
o Entered national politics as a Liberal in 1890
o Chancellor of the exchequer and Minister for Munitions (1906-16)
o Prime Minister of UK (1916-22)
o Dynamic, persuasive, unconventional (individualistic)
o Acclaimed as the man who won the war
Aims in Nov/Dec 1918:
o Harsh peace to be imposed on Germany
o Wanted Germany to pay for full cost of the war
Aims in Jan 1919 (Paris Peace Conference):
o Wanted a peace which would punish Germany moderately
o A moderately high reparation figure to be imposed on Germany
o The Rhineland to be not independent

Reasons for aims in Nov/Dec 1918:
o Britain’s experience in the war
Unlike USA, Britain suffered direct attacks on her mainland
 1919: German naval ships bombarded several Yorkshire coastal towns
 1915-18: Zepplin raids – where London, Edinburgh & other towns were attacked
Britain sustained heavy casualties during the war
Britain’s economy had been heavily disrupted (especially on the export sectors)
o Britain was concerned about the security of France’s Eastern Border
France’s eastern border was effectively Britain’s outer defence
 If the border was crossed by hostile troops, it would be a matter of time before Britain was
directly threatened
o British public demanded vengeance against Germany immediately after the war
Lloyd George wasn’t personally concerned about taking revenge
But he knew he had to reflect on these public views if he wanted to be re-elected again in the
Nov 1918 general election
Reasons for aims in Jan 1919:
o Lloyd George wanted Britain to continue trade with Germany:
Before 1914, Germany was Britain’s most important customer
o Thought that if the Rhineland (where most of Germany’s industries were in) was to be independent,
then Germany wouldn’t be rich enough to buy goods from Britain on the same scale a before the war
o A high reparation figure would hinder Germany’s economic recovery
Take away money that could otherwise be used to buy British goods
o A weak Germany would provide inadequate barrier against the spread of communism from the East
Communism was regarded as a much bigger threat to Europe than the revival of Germany’s
military power
o Thought that an excessively harsh treaty might lead to attempts of the Germans to overturn the
treaty
Satisfied with:
o Achievement of a moderate peace which would allow the European economy to revive
o Success in persuading Clemenceau to adopt a more moderate approach towards Germany
Lloyd George persuaded Clemenceau to:
 Abandon the idea of an independent Rhineland
 Abandon the idea of naming a very high reparation figure
 Abandon the idea that the Saar Basin on the border of France & Germany to be transferred
to France
 Abandon the idea that Danzig is to be handed to Poland
o German’s scuttling their fleet at Scapa Flow
Meant that any German naval threat will be removed for the foreseeable future
o Germany’s economy/ ability to contribute to the future prosperity of Europe
Good for British business & reassuring for those who feared the westward spread of communism
Not satisfied with:
o The placing of the German-speaking people under French/ Polish rule

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Main terms of the Treaty of Versailles (important to know for paper 1, 4 marks question)
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Reparations
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Territory
-

Germany was to lose all her colonies in Africa & Far East
Alsace-Lorraine to be returned to France
Memel transferred to Lithuania
Anschluss (union) between Germany & Austria-Hungary was forbidden
The Saar Basin to be administered by the League of Nations for 15 years (after that a plebiscite would decide whether it
would belong to Germany, France or remain under the League’s control)

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g The crisis in 1923:
Germany started
paying reparations
regularly in 1921,
but in 1923,
claimed it can't
afford to pay

1923: French &
Belgian troops
invaded the Ruhr
to get resources
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Self-determination: allowing a country to decide its future
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Mandated territories: former German & Turkish colonies given to the allies to be governed on behalf of the
League of Nations
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Saint-Germain Treaty (Sept 1919)
Defeated nation: Austria
Territory lost & military
restrictions:

o
o

What was harsh about this
treaty:

o
o

Austria was reduced to a small country of 6
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Treaty of Neuilly (Nov 1919)
Defeated nation: Bulgaria
Territory lost & military
restrictions:
What was harsh about this
treaty:

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25 billion francs reparations
Bulgarian army restricted to 20 000 men, 4 torpedo boats, no air force
Bulgaria’s loss of land & blow to its national pride made them face an uncertain future

Treaty of Trianon (June 1920)
Defeated nation: Hungary
Territory lost & military
restrictions:
What was harsh about this
treaty:

o
o
o
o

2/3 Hungarian territory given to Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia & Poland
The Hungarian army limited to 35 000
Hungary was dismayed by these terms as more than 70% of its population had been lost
Hungary was deprived of its sea ports

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Later, a new treaty
(Treaty of Lausanne) was issued

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