Peace Treaties 1918-23
Treaty of Versailles – June 1919:
Aims of France, Britain and USA:
France:
• Lead by Prime Minister George Clemenceau – he had lived through two invasions of
France by Germany 1870 and 1914
• He wanted to significantly weaken Germany to the point that it could not attack
France for a very long time (if ever) thus securing his country’s security
• France had also lost far more in war – 1.7 million people French people died - than
both Britain and America and so there was a public desire for revenge – The
Germans had followed a policy of destroying everything in their paths when
retreating towards the end of the war – this sponsored more hate
• Their economy had also been destroyed by the war
• Clemenceau’s demands were:
o Permanent disarmament of Germany and its armed forces
o Very high level of reparations to be named as a definitive figure in the treaty
o Return of Alsace-Loraine to France
o A number of German colonies to be handed to France
o Rhineland becomes an independent state so France no longer shares a
border with Germany
o Saar Basin transferred to France
• The President of France Poincaré wanted Germany to be broken into a collection of
smaller states to crippled it to the point that it could not challenge France in the
way that it would do 20 years later
USA:
• Lead by President Woodrow Wilson
• The USA had suffered far less than France in the war
o Lost a comparatively small 100,000 men
o Only joined war in 1917
o America was never invaded
o The war had been profitable for US business and had left their economy
better off than before
• Wilson wanted to implement his 14 points:
1. No more secret treaties
2. Free navigation of the seas in both peace and wartime
3. Removal of economic trade barriers
4. Reduction of armaments in all countries
1
, 5. Impartial settlement of colonial disputes
6. German troops to leave Russia
7. Independence for Belgium and for Poland (with access to the sea) (2 separate
points)
8. Return of Alsace-Lorraine to France
9. Readjustment of Italian borders according to nationality
10. Self-determination for Turkish empire and Austria-Hungarian empire (2 separate
points)
11. Evacuation and restoration of invaded Balkan countries
12. Establishment of the League of Nations
• A lot of his aims were linked to self-determination and the reductions of armaments
Britain:
• Lead by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
• Britain had suffered similarly to the French
o They had lost 1 million in the war and had suffered direct attacks on the
mainland
o Their economy had been heavily impacted by the war
o They were concerned about the French border with Germany – France’s
Eastern border was Britain’s outer defence and access to the Eastern border
had been gained in WW1 by the Germans
o The public wanted vengeance against the Germans and wanted them to hand
over their colonies and pay reparations.
• However Lloyd George had decided that a balanced agreement was the best
o He realised that an economic revival of Britain relied on an economic revival
of Germany (they had been Britain’s largest export market before the war)
o If Germany lost the Rhineland where a lot of its industry was located it would
not be able to buy British goods on the same level as before
o A high reparations figure would take away money that could be used for
investment
o A weak Germany was a weak barrier against communism and the east ( to
some this was a bigger fear than a German military revival)
o He didn’t want the treaty to be regarded as too harsh by the Germans and
thus incite intense anger or attempts to overturn it
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
1. War Guilt Clause – Germany allies had to accept total responsibility for starting the war-
article 231
2. Reparations – Germany would pay reparations – amount decided by a Reparations
commission
3. Disarmament:
a. German army restricted to 100,000 with no conscription
b. No tanks, armoured vehicles,submarines or heavy artillery to be permitted
c. No military or naval air force permitted
d. Navy restricted to 6 battleships, 12 destroyers, 6 light cruisers, 12 torpedo boats
e. Rhineland a demilitarised zone with no German troops or fortification allowed
in the area. Allied occupation on the West Bank of Rhine for 15 years
4. Germany loses all colonies
2
,5. Alsace Lorraine returned to France – its total territorial losses in Europe was 13% or
27,000 square miles and one-tenth of its population
6. Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania receive territory previously part
of Germany. New countries of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia formed
7. Profits from Saar Basin go to France for 15 years + it is handed to LoN for 15 years , a
plebiscite would then be held to decide whether to return it to Germany
8. Danzig made a free city looked after by LoN that Poland could use for trade
9. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania become independent states
10. Anschluss forbidden
11. Germany had to accept the constitution of LoN but is originally excluded
Achievements and Failures by each country with Treaty of
Versailles:
France:
• Success:
o France received most of reparations
o Rhineland kept free of soldiers
o German army significantly weakened
o German economy and power significantly weakened
o Saar Basin profits went to France for 15 years (Saar land was returned to
Germany in 1935
• Failures:
o Only received 4 German colonies
o No guarantee from Britain and USA that they would protect them from
future German Aggression
o Still shared a border with Germans
o Had not removed German army
o Public unhappy that more has not been achieved – Clemenceau soon resigns
USA:
• Success:
o Persuaded other countries to join LoN
o Disarmament requirements in treaties
o Rhineland not made a separate state –easier for Germany to do business with US
+ reduces potential backlash
o Germany not given a very high figure of reparations ( the figure was not
established until 1921 but it had been decided that it would not be too high)
o Recreation of Poland and new states of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia created
• Failure:
o Free navigation of sea abandoned
o Britain, France and Japan had all given themselves colonies
o Self-determination had not been allowed for the losing nations
o Wilson failed to persuade the US congress to join the LoN and so America was
notably absent from the League
3
, Britain
• Success:
o Britain had wanted a more moderate treaty so inevitably got the best out of it
o Persuaded French off a too harsh approach
o Extended British colonies adding 1.8million square foot to the empire and
13million new subjects – the empire’s peak was 1919
o German naval threat removed for foreseeable future
o Preserved German economy to an extent so helped British economy and
stemmed spread of Communism
o Validated by British public and parliament
• Failures:
o Placement of Germans under Polish and French rule
Impact of the Treaty on Germany:
• Germany objected to the treaty:
o A rumour spread that they had not actually lost but had been betrayed by the
November Criminals
o They were upset that they had to pay reparations whilst being deprived of their main
way of doing it (coal and iron ore for the Saar Basin)
o Germany had been excluded from the negotiations and so they saw it as a dictated
peace
o They objected to the War Guilt clause and felt that it was unfair to place all the
blame on them
o They also objected to the disarmament clause claiming that 100,000 men was
insufficient for border defence and it would be difficult to deal with uprisings
• Germany had imposed a similarly harsh treaty on Russia in March 1918 with terms
including reparation and loss of territory and resources – in some ways they got a taste
of their own medicine.
• Political Impact:
o The Weimar Government had signed it and it was seen as a symbol of Germany’s
dishonour and humiliation – this undermined the authority of the new government
o Right-wing activists rose up against it e.g. 1923 Munich putsch
▪ They also carried out numerous assassinations
o Left-wing extremist groups prompted uprisings e.g. Ruhr in 1920
o Members of the Army joined an unofficial anti-communist vigilante group called the
Friekorps
▪ The government tried to disband them in 1923 but the Friekorps staged a
coup in Berlin and the army refused to intervene
▪ A general workers strike brought public services to a standstill and saved the
Weimar Republic
o Due to all this the Weimar was struggling from the beginning of its existence and
lacked necessary support
4
Treaty of Versailles – June 1919:
Aims of France, Britain and USA:
France:
• Lead by Prime Minister George Clemenceau – he had lived through two invasions of
France by Germany 1870 and 1914
• He wanted to significantly weaken Germany to the point that it could not attack
France for a very long time (if ever) thus securing his country’s security
• France had also lost far more in war – 1.7 million people French people died - than
both Britain and America and so there was a public desire for revenge – The
Germans had followed a policy of destroying everything in their paths when
retreating towards the end of the war – this sponsored more hate
• Their economy had also been destroyed by the war
• Clemenceau’s demands were:
o Permanent disarmament of Germany and its armed forces
o Very high level of reparations to be named as a definitive figure in the treaty
o Return of Alsace-Loraine to France
o A number of German colonies to be handed to France
o Rhineland becomes an independent state so France no longer shares a
border with Germany
o Saar Basin transferred to France
• The President of France Poincaré wanted Germany to be broken into a collection of
smaller states to crippled it to the point that it could not challenge France in the
way that it would do 20 years later
USA:
• Lead by President Woodrow Wilson
• The USA had suffered far less than France in the war
o Lost a comparatively small 100,000 men
o Only joined war in 1917
o America was never invaded
o The war had been profitable for US business and had left their economy
better off than before
• Wilson wanted to implement his 14 points:
1. No more secret treaties
2. Free navigation of the seas in both peace and wartime
3. Removal of economic trade barriers
4. Reduction of armaments in all countries
1
, 5. Impartial settlement of colonial disputes
6. German troops to leave Russia
7. Independence for Belgium and for Poland (with access to the sea) (2 separate
points)
8. Return of Alsace-Lorraine to France
9. Readjustment of Italian borders according to nationality
10. Self-determination for Turkish empire and Austria-Hungarian empire (2 separate
points)
11. Evacuation and restoration of invaded Balkan countries
12. Establishment of the League of Nations
• A lot of his aims were linked to self-determination and the reductions of armaments
Britain:
• Lead by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
• Britain had suffered similarly to the French
o They had lost 1 million in the war and had suffered direct attacks on the
mainland
o Their economy had been heavily impacted by the war
o They were concerned about the French border with Germany – France’s
Eastern border was Britain’s outer defence and access to the Eastern border
had been gained in WW1 by the Germans
o The public wanted vengeance against the Germans and wanted them to hand
over their colonies and pay reparations.
• However Lloyd George had decided that a balanced agreement was the best
o He realised that an economic revival of Britain relied on an economic revival
of Germany (they had been Britain’s largest export market before the war)
o If Germany lost the Rhineland where a lot of its industry was located it would
not be able to buy British goods on the same level as before
o A high reparations figure would take away money that could be used for
investment
o A weak Germany was a weak barrier against communism and the east ( to
some this was a bigger fear than a German military revival)
o He didn’t want the treaty to be regarded as too harsh by the Germans and
thus incite intense anger or attempts to overturn it
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
1. War Guilt Clause – Germany allies had to accept total responsibility for starting the war-
article 231
2. Reparations – Germany would pay reparations – amount decided by a Reparations
commission
3. Disarmament:
a. German army restricted to 100,000 with no conscription
b. No tanks, armoured vehicles,submarines or heavy artillery to be permitted
c. No military or naval air force permitted
d. Navy restricted to 6 battleships, 12 destroyers, 6 light cruisers, 12 torpedo boats
e. Rhineland a demilitarised zone with no German troops or fortification allowed
in the area. Allied occupation on the West Bank of Rhine for 15 years
4. Germany loses all colonies
2
,5. Alsace Lorraine returned to France – its total territorial losses in Europe was 13% or
27,000 square miles and one-tenth of its population
6. Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania receive territory previously part
of Germany. New countries of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia formed
7. Profits from Saar Basin go to France for 15 years + it is handed to LoN for 15 years , a
plebiscite would then be held to decide whether to return it to Germany
8. Danzig made a free city looked after by LoN that Poland could use for trade
9. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania become independent states
10. Anschluss forbidden
11. Germany had to accept the constitution of LoN but is originally excluded
Achievements and Failures by each country with Treaty of
Versailles:
France:
• Success:
o France received most of reparations
o Rhineland kept free of soldiers
o German army significantly weakened
o German economy and power significantly weakened
o Saar Basin profits went to France for 15 years (Saar land was returned to
Germany in 1935
• Failures:
o Only received 4 German colonies
o No guarantee from Britain and USA that they would protect them from
future German Aggression
o Still shared a border with Germans
o Had not removed German army
o Public unhappy that more has not been achieved – Clemenceau soon resigns
USA:
• Success:
o Persuaded other countries to join LoN
o Disarmament requirements in treaties
o Rhineland not made a separate state –easier for Germany to do business with US
+ reduces potential backlash
o Germany not given a very high figure of reparations ( the figure was not
established until 1921 but it had been decided that it would not be too high)
o Recreation of Poland and new states of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia created
• Failure:
o Free navigation of sea abandoned
o Britain, France and Japan had all given themselves colonies
o Self-determination had not been allowed for the losing nations
o Wilson failed to persuade the US congress to join the LoN and so America was
notably absent from the League
3
, Britain
• Success:
o Britain had wanted a more moderate treaty so inevitably got the best out of it
o Persuaded French off a too harsh approach
o Extended British colonies adding 1.8million square foot to the empire and
13million new subjects – the empire’s peak was 1919
o German naval threat removed for foreseeable future
o Preserved German economy to an extent so helped British economy and
stemmed spread of Communism
o Validated by British public and parliament
• Failures:
o Placement of Germans under Polish and French rule
Impact of the Treaty on Germany:
• Germany objected to the treaty:
o A rumour spread that they had not actually lost but had been betrayed by the
November Criminals
o They were upset that they had to pay reparations whilst being deprived of their main
way of doing it (coal and iron ore for the Saar Basin)
o Germany had been excluded from the negotiations and so they saw it as a dictated
peace
o They objected to the War Guilt clause and felt that it was unfair to place all the
blame on them
o They also objected to the disarmament clause claiming that 100,000 men was
insufficient for border defence and it would be difficult to deal with uprisings
• Germany had imposed a similarly harsh treaty on Russia in March 1918 with terms
including reparation and loss of territory and resources – in some ways they got a taste
of their own medicine.
• Political Impact:
o The Weimar Government had signed it and it was seen as a symbol of Germany’s
dishonour and humiliation – this undermined the authority of the new government
o Right-wing activists rose up against it e.g. 1923 Munich putsch
▪ They also carried out numerous assassinations
o Left-wing extremist groups prompted uprisings e.g. Ruhr in 1920
o Members of the Army joined an unofficial anti-communist vigilante group called the
Friekorps
▪ The government tried to disband them in 1923 but the Friekorps staged a
coup in Berlin and the army refused to intervene
▪ A general workers strike brought public services to a standstill and saved the
Weimar Republic
o Due to all this the Weimar was struggling from the beginning of its existence and
lacked necessary support
4
