After World War 1, the Allied powers met at Versailles Palace to create a treaty outlining the terms for defeated Germany. There was disagreement among the Allies, with France wanting harsh terms for revenge, Britain wary of being too punitive, and the US advocating for leniency. The resulting Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of land, military capabilities, and required massive reparations payments. This punitive treaty exacerbated Germany's economic struggles and laid the groundwork for resentment that Hitler would later exploit.

1. Unit 2 Notes

2. 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?

3. 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)
After World War I, leaders from countries involved in
the war met here to write a treaty (peace talks)
Treaty outlined the terms of the winners and what
they expected of the losing country
W
H
Y

5. Many Historians believe that
disagreements happened because the
war affected the countries in many
different ways.
WHAT COUNTRIES WERE INVOLVED...

6. 750,000 men died
Spent nearly $8 billion of
which $1 billion was
borrowed from the USA
Some British people
blamed Germany for the
war and wanted
revenge
The British Prime Minister thought
that if the Treaty was too harsh, then
Germany might one day start another
war.
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.

7. They joined in 1917 and lost
113,000 men.
USA’s homeland was never
attacked
USA wanted a ‘softer’ treaty because they
thought Germany was important for the
future...
Woodrow Wilson: I don’t agree with
France. Its probably because we didn’t
suffer nearly as much as the French.
However, I want to focus upon setting
up the League of Nations.
US did not join the League of Nations for fear of being
drawn into more wars. This also means the US did not
sign the Treaty of Versailles.

8. Most of the fighting took place in
Northern France.
1,250,000 men died
Germany stole 90% of
France’s coal and iron in
1914
Many roads and factories had
been destroyed
I want to make sure that Germany
pays for the problems it has caused us.
We suffered the most in WW1 and we
demand revenge and reparations
Clemencau

9. FRANCE
USA
BRITAIN
“SIGN THE TREATY
OR WE WILL INVADE
YOU……ITS YOUR
CHOICE!”
The treaty was dictated to Germany--
they did not have a say in it.

10. LEAGUE OF NATIONS
MASSIVE ARMY CUTS
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.
GERMAN LAND GIVEN AWAY
Germany lost land to France, Poland,
Belgium, and Denmark. An area of
Germany was even separated from
the mainland.
GERMANY’S EMPIRE
All of Germany’s colonies were
taken away and given away to the
Allied countries.
PAY COMPENSATION
This was know as reparations.
Germany had to pay $33 billion
dollars.
Treaty of
Versailles
WHAT DID THE TREATY ACCOMPLISH?
This organization of
nations would cooperate
to keep peace.

11. 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.
Land taken away from Germany under the treaty of Versailles

12. “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.”
Excerpt from a German newspaper on the day the
treaty was signed...

13. 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:

14. 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…

15. The Dawes Plan
Reduced the amount Germany owed
Set payments Germany could handle
Loaned Germany $200 million

16. Germany wasn’t the only country who suffered
In the 1930s, countries around the world fell into a
worldwide economic depression
WHY?...

17. 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.)

18. 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…