HISTORY REVISION NOTES – INTER- WAR YEARS
1919-1939
TREATY OF VERSAILLES - June 1919
WWI
Victors (Allies) Defeated
England Germany – T of Versailles 1919
USA Austria – T of St. Germain 1919
France Bulgaria – T of Bulgaria 1919
Italy Hungary – T of Trianon 1920
Russia Turkey – T of Sevres 1920
Independent Countries:
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia & Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia)
The Big Three
Woodroe Wilson's – America
Aims (Idealistic):
A just and lasting peace
Not too harsh on Germany – don’t want them to seek revenge
Self-determination in all countries
To create a League of Nations based on his Fourteen Points.
To ensure Germany was not destroyed.
Not to blame Germany for the war - he hated the Guilt Clause.
George Clemenceau – France
Aims (Very Harsh):
Revenge and to punish Germany – to cripple them
To return Alsace-Lorraine to France.
No League of Nations.
An independent Rhineland.
Huge reparations.
To disband the German army so that Germany would never be strong
enough to attack France again.
Lloyd George – Britain
Aims (Fair):
A 'just' peace that would be tough enough to please the electors who
wanted to 'make Germany pay', but would leave Germany strong enough
to trade.
Land for Britain's empire.
To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy – Germany to lose it’s navy &
colonies
Didn’t want Germany to seek revenge in future
1
, Wanted to trade again with German
Key terms of treaty:
Reparations to the Allies – fixed in 1921 at £6600 million
Germany lost all colonies – 11 in Africa and in the Far East given to Allies
as “mandates” (territories to look after)
Military forces cut
o Army limited to 100,000 – only used internally
o Navy limited – no submarines allowed
o No air force allowed – existing one was destroyed
o Rhineland was demilitarised
Lost land
o Alsace and Lorraine given to France
o European and Malmedy given to Belgium
o Posen and West Prussia given to Poland
o Plebiscites taken in Upper Silesia (became part of Poland) and
Northern Schleswig (become part of Denmark)
o German port of Danzig was made an international city
o In total Germany lost
13% European territory
50% iron and 15% coal reserves
Reactions to the treaty
T of V – too Harsh T of V – not harsh enough
Germany France:
Sense of betrayal at dikkat Wanted a harsher treaty:
(dictated peace o To take over some of
Felt “stabbed in the back” by German Navy
“the November Criminals” o Have control over the Saar
(German politician who signed o The Rhineland to become
the treaty) independent
Hated the war guilt clause Felt Germany had won the war
Reparations were impossible to They were at the Treaty of Brest
pay in 1918 when the Germans took
Loss of German land and huge amount of land off Russia
colonies
Maynard Keynes (objective Britain:
economist): General Public wanted a harsher
Ridiculous to blame it all on one treaty
country
Demands were so high they
would destabilize Germany
economically “degrading the
lives of millions…and depriving a
whole nation of happiness”
Woodroe Wilson
Very disappointed
2
1919-1939
TREATY OF VERSAILLES - June 1919
WWI
Victors (Allies) Defeated
England Germany – T of Versailles 1919
USA Austria – T of St. Germain 1919
France Bulgaria – T of Bulgaria 1919
Italy Hungary – T of Trianon 1920
Russia Turkey – T of Sevres 1920
Independent Countries:
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia & Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia)
The Big Three
Woodroe Wilson's – America
Aims (Idealistic):
A just and lasting peace
Not too harsh on Germany – don’t want them to seek revenge
Self-determination in all countries
To create a League of Nations based on his Fourteen Points.
To ensure Germany was not destroyed.
Not to blame Germany for the war - he hated the Guilt Clause.
George Clemenceau – France
Aims (Very Harsh):
Revenge and to punish Germany – to cripple them
To return Alsace-Lorraine to France.
No League of Nations.
An independent Rhineland.
Huge reparations.
To disband the German army so that Germany would never be strong
enough to attack France again.
Lloyd George – Britain
Aims (Fair):
A 'just' peace that would be tough enough to please the electors who
wanted to 'make Germany pay', but would leave Germany strong enough
to trade.
Land for Britain's empire.
To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy – Germany to lose it’s navy &
colonies
Didn’t want Germany to seek revenge in future
1
, Wanted to trade again with German
Key terms of treaty:
Reparations to the Allies – fixed in 1921 at £6600 million
Germany lost all colonies – 11 in Africa and in the Far East given to Allies
as “mandates” (territories to look after)
Military forces cut
o Army limited to 100,000 – only used internally
o Navy limited – no submarines allowed
o No air force allowed – existing one was destroyed
o Rhineland was demilitarised
Lost land
o Alsace and Lorraine given to France
o European and Malmedy given to Belgium
o Posen and West Prussia given to Poland
o Plebiscites taken in Upper Silesia (became part of Poland) and
Northern Schleswig (become part of Denmark)
o German port of Danzig was made an international city
o In total Germany lost
13% European territory
50% iron and 15% coal reserves
Reactions to the treaty
T of V – too Harsh T of V – not harsh enough
Germany France:
Sense of betrayal at dikkat Wanted a harsher treaty:
(dictated peace o To take over some of
Felt “stabbed in the back” by German Navy
“the November Criminals” o Have control over the Saar
(German politician who signed o The Rhineland to become
the treaty) independent
Hated the war guilt clause Felt Germany had won the war
Reparations were impossible to They were at the Treaty of Brest
pay in 1918 when the Germans took
Loss of German land and huge amount of land off Russia
colonies
Maynard Keynes (objective Britain:
economist): General Public wanted a harsher
Ridiculous to blame it all on one treaty
country
Demands were so high they
would destabilize Germany
economically “degrading the
lives of millions…and depriving a
whole nation of happiness”
Woodroe Wilson
Very disappointed
2
