Move to Global War – Germany
German expectations in WWI:
− Kaiser expected Germany to be victorious. Ludendorff was convinced the army couldn’t keep fighting
− War on two fronts – Britain, France, Belgium and allies to the West, Russia and allies to the East
− The Schlieffen Plan (entering through Belgium) failed, resulting in a war of attrition on the Western
Front in the trenches
− 1917, Bolsheviks in Russian Revolution made victory seem possible. Treaty of Brest Litovsk – Germany
secured a large amount of land from Russia
− By Nov 1918 the allies had not yet invaded any German territory. Germany still controlled most of
Belgium and large areas of Eastern Europe
− Germany had lost many of their best troops and weapons, morale was low and there was the outbreak
of the Spanish Flu
− Ludendorff hoped for better terms by asking for a ceasefire based on President Wilson’s Fourteen Point
Programme, also better to ask for armistice before Germany was invaded and to preserve the army’s
reputation
− Rebellion started by Prince Max of Baden; Ludendorff handed power to him as he thought a civilian
government could negotiate better terms
− Wilson ordered the Kaiser to abdicate. 11 Nov he abdicated and a new German socialist government
agreed the armistice
− Germany also facing civil unrest with a civil war imminent
− New government was unpopular as propaganda had stated they were winning the war. Idea that they
never lost the war and blamed it on the new government
The Paris Peace Conference:
− Took place at the Palace of Versailles, lasted for 12 months
− Five treaties drawn up, the main one being the Treaty of Versailles which dealt with Germany. The
others dealt with Germany’s allies
− The ‘Big Three’ – France with Clemenceau, Britain with Lloyd George, and USA with President Wilson.
Had a bad relationship from the start which degraded further as the Conference progressed –
especially between Wilson and Clemenceau
− Clemenceau – Nov 1917 elected to lead France. A tough politician with a reputation for being
uncompromising. France had felt threatened by Germany since 1870, determined to not allow France
to be invaded again. German land and industry hadn’t been as badly damaged as that in France, saw
this as an opportunity to cripple the Germans. Over two thirds of the men who had served in the
French army had been killed or injured
− Wilson – an idealist and reformer. Didn’t want Germany’s punishment to be too harsh as he didn’t
want to provoke a desire for revenge. Main aim was to strengthen democracy so German people would
let their leader cause another war. Jan 1918 published his Fourteen Points to achieve world peace,
proposed the creation of an international body called the League of Nations
− Lloyd George – occupied the middle ground in discussions. Wanted Germany to be punished but not
too harshly as he wanted trade between Britain and Germany again as before the war, Germany was
Britain’s second largest trading partner. Wanted Germany to lose its navy and its colonies as they
threatened the British Empire
− Clemenceau thought Treaty of Versailles wasn’t harsh enough
− Wilson was very disappointed and said that if he were a German he wouldn’t have signed it. American
Congress refused to approve it
− Disagreements over the Rhineland and coalfields in the Saar, Wilson had to compromise
− Clemenceau and Lloyd George gave Wilson what he wanted in eastern Europe
, Treaty of Versailles:
Germany lost:
− Lost 10% of its land − Army reduced to 100,000 men
− All overseas colonies taken − No air force and only a tiny navy
− Lost 12.5% of its population − Had to accept the blame for starting the war
− Lost 16% of its coalfields − Had to pay reparations
− Lost almost half its iron and steel industry
− At first, Germany refused to sign the Treaty, but they were in no position to start another War
− Terms reluctantly accepted and the Treaty signed 28 June 1919 by Ebert
− Kapp Putsch – right wing attempted revolution against Ebert
− Germany fell behind on reparation payments in 1922, so in 1923 French and Belgian soldiers entered
the Ruhr region and took their payment in raw materials
− German government ordered workers to strike
− French reacted harshly, killing workers and expelling protesters from the region
− Germany had no goods to trade and no money to buy things with – hyperinflation
What could have been done differently? Why was this impossible at the time?
Establishing More generous terms towards Germany – France wanted to build a barrier of land between
a lasting eg. not taking the Saar where 16% of its themselves and Germany for protection. Britain
peace coalfields and almost half its iron and steel and France both wanted reparations to cover
industry was their own borrowing to fund the war
Punish and Stricter terms eg. not allowing them a navy Couldn’t completely cripple the German economy
cripple as well as no air force. Taking more land as it would be unlikely the German leader would
Germany especially fertile land or with resources in it sign the Treaty and it would make Germany more
likely to restart the war or begin another later
Reward the Split the empire between the victors, Would damage their reputation, couldn’t
winners charge more in reparations, humiliate the completely ruin Germany as it may spark revolt
German people and military
Impact of WWI on Hitler:
− Agreed with the nationalist and conservatist groups that the Treaty of Versailles was a diktat and had
been signed by the ‘November Criminals’
− Viewed it as a humiliation of Germany – reduction in empire, loss of half of industry, restrictions on
defence
− His views on the Treaty encouraged him into politics
− He worked for the army authorities as an intelligence agent and was sent to investigate the German
Worker’s Party which was founded in 1919 by Drexler. It was an extreme nationalist party which he
joined and eventually became a leading member
− Wrote Mein Kampf whilst in prison – mainly about foreign policy but his desire to overturn the Treaty
of Versailles was stressed
− Wanted to reunite all the German people in one great country – extreme nationalism and expansion of
their borders, increase military power and industrial output again
Germany between 1919 and 1929:
− German Revolution between Nov 1918 and July 1919
− The German government had lost control of the country even before the end of WWI
German expectations in WWI:
− Kaiser expected Germany to be victorious. Ludendorff was convinced the army couldn’t keep fighting
− War on two fronts – Britain, France, Belgium and allies to the West, Russia and allies to the East
− The Schlieffen Plan (entering through Belgium) failed, resulting in a war of attrition on the Western
Front in the trenches
− 1917, Bolsheviks in Russian Revolution made victory seem possible. Treaty of Brest Litovsk – Germany
secured a large amount of land from Russia
− By Nov 1918 the allies had not yet invaded any German territory. Germany still controlled most of
Belgium and large areas of Eastern Europe
− Germany had lost many of their best troops and weapons, morale was low and there was the outbreak
of the Spanish Flu
− Ludendorff hoped for better terms by asking for a ceasefire based on President Wilson’s Fourteen Point
Programme, also better to ask for armistice before Germany was invaded and to preserve the army’s
reputation
− Rebellion started by Prince Max of Baden; Ludendorff handed power to him as he thought a civilian
government could negotiate better terms
− Wilson ordered the Kaiser to abdicate. 11 Nov he abdicated and a new German socialist government
agreed the armistice
− Germany also facing civil unrest with a civil war imminent
− New government was unpopular as propaganda had stated they were winning the war. Idea that they
never lost the war and blamed it on the new government
The Paris Peace Conference:
− Took place at the Palace of Versailles, lasted for 12 months
− Five treaties drawn up, the main one being the Treaty of Versailles which dealt with Germany. The
others dealt with Germany’s allies
− The ‘Big Three’ – France with Clemenceau, Britain with Lloyd George, and USA with President Wilson.
Had a bad relationship from the start which degraded further as the Conference progressed –
especially between Wilson and Clemenceau
− Clemenceau – Nov 1917 elected to lead France. A tough politician with a reputation for being
uncompromising. France had felt threatened by Germany since 1870, determined to not allow France
to be invaded again. German land and industry hadn’t been as badly damaged as that in France, saw
this as an opportunity to cripple the Germans. Over two thirds of the men who had served in the
French army had been killed or injured
− Wilson – an idealist and reformer. Didn’t want Germany’s punishment to be too harsh as he didn’t
want to provoke a desire for revenge. Main aim was to strengthen democracy so German people would
let their leader cause another war. Jan 1918 published his Fourteen Points to achieve world peace,
proposed the creation of an international body called the League of Nations
− Lloyd George – occupied the middle ground in discussions. Wanted Germany to be punished but not
too harshly as he wanted trade between Britain and Germany again as before the war, Germany was
Britain’s second largest trading partner. Wanted Germany to lose its navy and its colonies as they
threatened the British Empire
− Clemenceau thought Treaty of Versailles wasn’t harsh enough
− Wilson was very disappointed and said that if he were a German he wouldn’t have signed it. American
Congress refused to approve it
− Disagreements over the Rhineland and coalfields in the Saar, Wilson had to compromise
− Clemenceau and Lloyd George gave Wilson what he wanted in eastern Europe
, Treaty of Versailles:
Germany lost:
− Lost 10% of its land − Army reduced to 100,000 men
− All overseas colonies taken − No air force and only a tiny navy
− Lost 12.5% of its population − Had to accept the blame for starting the war
− Lost 16% of its coalfields − Had to pay reparations
− Lost almost half its iron and steel industry
− At first, Germany refused to sign the Treaty, but they were in no position to start another War
− Terms reluctantly accepted and the Treaty signed 28 June 1919 by Ebert
− Kapp Putsch – right wing attempted revolution against Ebert
− Germany fell behind on reparation payments in 1922, so in 1923 French and Belgian soldiers entered
the Ruhr region and took their payment in raw materials
− German government ordered workers to strike
− French reacted harshly, killing workers and expelling protesters from the region
− Germany had no goods to trade and no money to buy things with – hyperinflation
What could have been done differently? Why was this impossible at the time?
Establishing More generous terms towards Germany – France wanted to build a barrier of land between
a lasting eg. not taking the Saar where 16% of its themselves and Germany for protection. Britain
peace coalfields and almost half its iron and steel and France both wanted reparations to cover
industry was their own borrowing to fund the war
Punish and Stricter terms eg. not allowing them a navy Couldn’t completely cripple the German economy
cripple as well as no air force. Taking more land as it would be unlikely the German leader would
Germany especially fertile land or with resources in it sign the Treaty and it would make Germany more
likely to restart the war or begin another later
Reward the Split the empire between the victors, Would damage their reputation, couldn’t
winners charge more in reparations, humiliate the completely ruin Germany as it may spark revolt
German people and military
Impact of WWI on Hitler:
− Agreed with the nationalist and conservatist groups that the Treaty of Versailles was a diktat and had
been signed by the ‘November Criminals’
− Viewed it as a humiliation of Germany – reduction in empire, loss of half of industry, restrictions on
defence
− His views on the Treaty encouraged him into politics
− He worked for the army authorities as an intelligence agent and was sent to investigate the German
Worker’s Party which was founded in 1919 by Drexler. It was an extreme nationalist party which he
joined and eventually became a leading member
− Wrote Mein Kampf whilst in prison – mainly about foreign policy but his desire to overturn the Treaty
of Versailles was stressed
− Wanted to reunite all the German people in one great country – extreme nationalism and expansion of
their borders, increase military power and industrial output again
Germany between 1919 and 1929:
− German Revolution between Nov 1918 and July 1919
− The German government had lost control of the country even before the end of WWI
