Sec 3N History Chapter 1 Was the Treaty of Versaille a fair treaty

1. Background to WW1

2. Formation of Alliances
Alliance – An agreement between countries to work
together and protect each other
Triple Entente – Britain, France, Russia
Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

3. Finally

4. AfterBefore

5. … So how did it all start?
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary (AH)
Assassin was from Serbia
AH declare war on Serbia
Russia (Serbia’s ally) declare war on AH
Germany, Ottoman Empire, Italy declare war on Russia
Britain, France declare war on Germany
And it goes on and on and on and on until almost the whole of
Europe is at war with one another
Eventually, USA and Japan joined as well, and Italy switch
sides

6. Impact of WW1 in
Europe
To what extent was the Treaty of Versailles a fair
treaty??

7. WW1
Many people died
1914 – 1918 (4 years +)

8. Ended in Feb after Germany signed a peace
agreement
Germany expected to be part of peace deal
Germany was not even invited!
WW1
1914 – 1918 (4 years +)
Paris Peace Conference
Hall of mirrors,
Versailles

9. Treaty of Versailles (TOV)
The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Paris
Peace Conference
Imagine yourself to have
‘won’ the war… What would
YOU do to the loser?

10. Major Powers What they wanted
USA Don’t want anything! They can settle their
own problems.
France - Germany to PAY!
- Wanted land Geramny took from them back
- Germany to accept TOTAL blame
Britain - Wanted naval superiority in the world
- Wanted to prevent communism, Germany
should be able to recover
Italy - Wanted rewards for switching sides
Japan - Wanted Asian colonies
- Wanted recognition

11. Terms of TOV
War Guilt Clause (Germany accept FULL blame)
Territorial Reductions (Land taken away)
Demilitarisation (reduction of military strength)
Reparations (compensation)
Self-Determination
Formation of League of Nations******

12. War Guilt Clause
Germany to accept TOTAL, COMPLETE blame
for all loss and damage to the victors
No one else is at fault except Germany
Why do you
think this is
important to
the victors?

13. Territorial Reductions

14. Territorial Reductions
Give its industrial heartland to France (Alsace-
Lorraine)
Polish Corridor
Not allowed to unite with Austria

15. Demilitarisation
Reduction of military strength
Army of 100,000
Navy of 15,000
No airforce
No tanks
No submarines

16. Reparations
Pay compensation
269 billion gold Reichsmarks
Equivalent to 96.4m kg of pure gold

17. Self Determination
People given a right to choose their leaders
Right to govern themselves

18. League of Nations (LON)
Created to maintain WORLD PEACE… … …

19. So, was the
Treaty of
Versailles a fair
treaty? Why?

20. Activity

21. This was all that was left of an European
village in 1919 after fierce fighting during WW1

22. A hotel in Northern France
after being heavily shelled

23. A bomb crater in France –
Mar 1919

25. St Martin’s Cathedral

26. France - Aftermath of the
German invasion in 1914

27. Objective
Understand the desire of each country going into
negotiations
Understand important negotiation points
To show how difficult it was to negotiate the TOV
How the TOV affects Germany

28. … difficulty in reaching
a consensus
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the
brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but
from their regard to their own self-interest. We
address ourselves not to their humanity but to their
self-love, and never talk to them of our own
necessities, but of their advantages”
– Adam Smith extracted from the Wealth of Nations

29. Paris Peace Conference
The Big Three
Britain (Lloyd George)
France (Georges Clemenceau)
USA (Woodrow Wilson)

30. Paris Peace Conference
NOT PRESENT:
Russia - not TRUSTED - became a
Communist country after 1917 -
withdrew from war half-way
Germany - defeated power - so not
represented - not CONSULTED - no
CHOICE but to ACCEPT TREATY
TREATY =
CONTRACT or
AGREEMENT
CONSULTED =
ASKED

31. Activity
Sit in groups of 3
Each person will take the role of each of the Big
Three
Read your respective section (5 min)
Discuss amongst yourselves and choose an
option amongst yourselves.

32. THEREFORE, the Versailles
Treaty was a DIFFICULT
treaty to NEGOTIATE
because:
-the BIG 3 did not AGREE
with each other
- and had different AIMS and
PRIORITIES and often
CLASHED over many issues
The Versailles treaty was THUS
a result of COMPROMISE!
NEGOTIATE =
DISCUSS
PRIORITIES =
MOST
IMPORTANT
AIMS
CLASHED =
Disagree
COMPROMISE
= GIVING in to
each other and
bargaining

33. Post-war feelings
Country Feelings
Germany - Did not feel that they have lost the
war
- Angry at and blamed their
government for signing the TOV
- Felt HUMILIATED

34. Impact of the TOV
German humiliation
Loss of prestige
Loss of Ego
German Territorial reduction
German Economic weakness

35. Weimar Government
(Germany)
The Kaiser (King) has abdicated and left
the country
New rulers called the Weimar
Government
Had no choice but to accept TOV or
continue fighting
Germans were humiliated by TOV
Blamed the Weimar Government for
signing the TOV

36. Germany
Lost all colonies
Lost resource rich Rhineland
Unable to merge with other ‘German’
territories
Lost 15% of its male population
because of war
No workers to rebuild its economy

37. Terms of the TOV
War
Guilt
Clause
Demilitarisation
Reparations
(Compensation)
Self-
Determination
League of
Nations
Territorial
reductions