A.J.P.Taylor
- Minimum terms of the Allies was “always the restoration of Belgium and North-
Eastern France…less avowedly the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France”
- Summer 1917, German Secretary of State (Kühlmann) tried to instigate peace
negotiations - he demanded the “retention of French iron-field by Germany and
restriction of Belgium’s sovereignty in Germany’s favour” - all he offered in
exchange was a tiny corner of Alsace-Lorraine
- During this time “negotiations” between “warring powers…drove them apart”
- Kühlmann said “No,no,never” regarding the return of Alsace-Lorraine and as a
result returning AL to France became UK war aim
- UK lent £1,825 million to her allies and borrowed £1,340 million
- Occupation of the Rhineland by the Allies for 15yrs, after which a plebiscite would
determine its future (T of V)
- On the Eastern frontier George stood alone against Clemenceau and Wilson -
Danzig became a Free City instead of being annexed by Poland and plebiscite to
be held in Silesia
- “The territorial clauses of the Treaty of Versailles were ‘fair’ from an ethnic point of
view”
- George recognised the reparations were punitive
- When the Treaty of Versailles was released 200 Unionist MP’s sent a telegram to
George expostulating against is weakness towards Germany
- Liberals and Labour members satisfied that 14 points had been broadly applied to
Treaty of Versailles
- J.M.Keynes argued that “Europe could prosper only when Germany was restored
to her old economic strength”
- George (in UK) blamed for creating national states of Poland, Czechoslovakia
and Yugoslavia
- British tanks and other munitions (around £100 million) were sent to aid the
Whites for fear of communism
- Washington Naval Conference 1921 - “Japanese accepted inferiority” - US + UK
= 5 battle ships and Japan = 3 battleships
- Genoa conference 1922 - discuss German reparations to be settled/ USSR to be
brought back into comity of nations and her markets reopened to international
trade/ US to write off war debts
- US refused to attend
- France insisted on reparation payments
- Led to the Treaty of Rapallo between Germany and the USSR
- Balfour note formally posed UK’s cancellation of inter-Allied debts (only take
enough to pay back US debt - actually a loss on paper of £500 million) - even
then the “US were unmoved”
- Poincare = French premier when the Ruhr occupation occurred
- MacDonald = “Let them (Germany and France) put their demands in such a way
that Great Britain could say she supported both sides”
- Dawes Plan “First really negotiated agreement since the war”
- Minimum terms of the Allies was “always the restoration of Belgium and North-
Eastern France…less avowedly the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France”
- Summer 1917, German Secretary of State (Kühlmann) tried to instigate peace
negotiations - he demanded the “retention of French iron-field by Germany and
restriction of Belgium’s sovereignty in Germany’s favour” - all he offered in
exchange was a tiny corner of Alsace-Lorraine
- During this time “negotiations” between “warring powers…drove them apart”
- Kühlmann said “No,no,never” regarding the return of Alsace-Lorraine and as a
result returning AL to France became UK war aim
- UK lent £1,825 million to her allies and borrowed £1,340 million
- Occupation of the Rhineland by the Allies for 15yrs, after which a plebiscite would
determine its future (T of V)
- On the Eastern frontier George stood alone against Clemenceau and Wilson -
Danzig became a Free City instead of being annexed by Poland and plebiscite to
be held in Silesia
- “The territorial clauses of the Treaty of Versailles were ‘fair’ from an ethnic point of
view”
- George recognised the reparations were punitive
- When the Treaty of Versailles was released 200 Unionist MP’s sent a telegram to
George expostulating against is weakness towards Germany
- Liberals and Labour members satisfied that 14 points had been broadly applied to
Treaty of Versailles
- J.M.Keynes argued that “Europe could prosper only when Germany was restored
to her old economic strength”
- George (in UK) blamed for creating national states of Poland, Czechoslovakia
and Yugoslavia
- British tanks and other munitions (around £100 million) were sent to aid the
Whites for fear of communism
- Washington Naval Conference 1921 - “Japanese accepted inferiority” - US + UK
= 5 battle ships and Japan = 3 battleships
- Genoa conference 1922 - discuss German reparations to be settled/ USSR to be
brought back into comity of nations and her markets reopened to international
trade/ US to write off war debts
- US refused to attend
- France insisted on reparation payments
- Led to the Treaty of Rapallo between Germany and the USSR
- Balfour note formally posed UK’s cancellation of inter-Allied debts (only take
enough to pay back US debt - actually a loss on paper of £500 million) - even
then the “US were unmoved”
- Poincare = French premier when the Ruhr occupation occurred
- MacDonald = “Let them (Germany and France) put their demands in such a way
that Great Britain could say she supported both sides”
- Dawes Plan “First really negotiated agreement since the war”
