4. In November 1918 Germany surrenders to the Allied countries. The most
powerful ones, being France, USA and Britain, wanted to create a treaty
that clearly explained what Germany would now have to do.
BUT WHAT SHOULD THEY
DO?
5. S-C-L
With your partner, discuss…
Punish?
Rebuild?
Take Over? or
Revenge?
What would you have done and
why?
6. Allied countries could not agree on what the
treaty should include, but...
They could agree on WHERE it should take place:
A French palace in a city called Versailles (near
Paris)
W After World War I, leaders from countries involved in
H the war met here to write a treaty (peace talks)
Y Treaty outlined the terms of the winners and what
they expected of the losing country
7.
8. Many Historians believe that
disagreements happened
because the war affected the
countries in many different ways.
WHAT COUNTRIES WERE INVOLVED...
9. The British Prime Minister thought
that if the Treaty was too harsh,
then Germany might one day start
another war.
Some British
people blamed
Germany for the
war and wanted
revenge
750,000 men
died
Spent nearly $8
billion of which $1
billion was borrowed
from the USA
I don’t want to cripple Germany in the
Treaty. I think that this could start
another war in the future, but people
in Britain want Germany to pay.
10. They joined in 1917 and lost
113,000 men.
USA wanted a ‘softer’ treaty
because they thought Germany
was important for the future...
USA’s homeland was
never attacked
Woodrow Wilson: I don’t agree with France.
It’s probably because we didn’t suffer nearly as
much as the French. However, I want to focus
upon setting up the League of Nations.
The U.S. did not join the League of Nations for fear of
being drawn into more wars. This also means the U.S.
did not sign the Treaty of Versailles.
11. Most of the fighting
took place in Northern
France.
Many roads and
factories had been
destroyed
Clemencau
Germany stole 90%
of France’s coal
and iron in 1914
1,250,000
men died
I want to make sure that Germany pays for the
problems it has caused us. We suffered the
most in World War I, and we demand revenge
and reparations
12. S-C-L
With your partner, discuss…
Which country do you agree with
most and why?
13. FRANCE
USA
BRITAIN
“SIGN THE TREATY OR
WE WILL INVADE
YOU……IT’S YOUR
CHOICE!”
28 June 1919
The treaty was dictated to Germany-they did not have a say in it.
14. WHAT DID THE TREATY ACCOMPLISH?
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
PAY COMPENSATION
This was known as
reparations.
Germany had to
pay $33 billion
dollars.
This organization of
nations would
cooperate to keep
peace.
Treaty of
Versailles
GERMANY’S EMPIRE
All of Germany’s colonies
were taken away and given
away to the Allied
countries.
MASSIVE ARMY CUTS
GERMAN LAND GIVEN AWAY
The Army was cut to just
100,000 men, the Navy could
only have 6 battleships, and
they were not allowed to build
any new planes, tanks, or
submarines.
Germany lost land to France,
Poland, Belgium, and
Denmark. An area of
Germany was even
separated from the
mainland.
15. Land taken away from Germany under the treaty of Versailles
Not only did Germany lose about 10% of its land, it also consequently lost 10% of
its population. German people were now living in foreign countries.
16. S-C-L
With your partner, discuss…
What do you think will happen as
a result of the Treaty of Versailles?
17. Excerpt from a German newspaper on the day the
treaty was signed...
“Today in the Hall of Mirrors of
Versailles the disgraceful Treaty is
being signed.
Do not forget it. The German
people will press forward to
reconquer the place among
nations to which we deserve.
Then will come revenge for the
shame of 1919.”
18. Germany was a proud country due to its military
strength and strong traditions of dominance within
that area of Europe. However, the treaty of Versailles
created different feelings:
19. The war had left
Germany almost
bankrupt. As its
people starved and
the country lay in
chaos, the Allies gave
them a bill (Treaty of
Versailles) that they
simply could not
afford to pay...
RESULT: German
money become
worthless German money was only
good for starting fires…
20. HOW DID THE U.S. HELP
GERMANY?
The Dawes Plan
Reduced the amount Germany
owed
Set payments Germany could
handle
Loaned Germany $200 million
21. Worldwide Depression
Germany wasn’t the only country who suffered
In the 1930s, countries around the world fell into a
worldwide economic depression
WHY?...
22. USA's Economic Depression
1929—USA experienced a
stock market crash
Value of stocks began to drop so
stockholders began to sell their
stocks as fast as they could
Businesses could no longer
sell their goods because
people had less money to
spend, so many had to close &
workers lost their jobs
People couldn’t repay their
loans to the bank, so they lost
everything (homes, farms,
etc.)
23. Worldwide Economic Depression
Businesses around the world traded with the
US:
When the US stopped buying goods, it hurt
businesses in other countries
When US banks closed, banks in other countries
were hurt too
Stockholders in other countries could no longer sell
their stocks to American companies
As businesses and factories around the world
closed one by one, buying and selling almost
stopped…
