Key Question 1: Was the Treaty of Versailles fair?
NOTE – In the June 2026 series, Paper 2 (Document Questions) will be based on this chapter.
This means it is very unlikely to be asked in Paper 1 (Structured Questions), and should be studied
accordingly. The pictures and comics in these notes are therefore important, as candidates may
have to identify people and/or situations in order to analyse the documents provided.
In the textbook you use, this chapter is titled “Were the peace treaties of 1919 - 1923 fair?”. For
examination in 2026, you will not be asked about the other treaties that are mentioned in your
textbook. You should, however, have a basic understanding of what they were.
, 1.1 What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?
The aftermath of WW1
Some countries suffered more than others during the First World War. Known as
the “Great War” at the time, it was destruction that had never been seen before.
Here are some statistics about the total deaths (civilian and military) and
percentage of population lost per country –
United States – 117,465 (0.1%)
United Kingdom – 994,138 (2.2%)
France – 1.7 million (4.3%) (+ over 4.2 million soldiers wounded)
Russia – 3.3 million (1.9%) (+ nearly 5 million soldiers wounded)
Italy – 1.2 million (3.5%)
Germany – 2.47 million (3.8%) (+ over 4.2 million soldiers wounded)
Austria-Hungary – 1.57 million (3%)
[Check census.gov for more statistics]
How do you think the attitudes of these countries would differ based on how they
were affected by the war? Think about the effect these civilian and military
casualties would have on a country’s morale.
The ‘winners’ of World War 1 were able to dictate the terms of the Treaty – but
when the war ended, both sides had suffered unimaginably. Come back to these
statistics at the end of this section and think about how they may have informed the
terms of the Treaty.
NOTE – In the June 2026 series, Paper 2 (Document Questions) will be based on this chapter.
This means it is very unlikely to be asked in Paper 1 (Structured Questions), and should be studied
accordingly. The pictures and comics in these notes are therefore important, as candidates may
have to identify people and/or situations in order to analyse the documents provided.
In the textbook you use, this chapter is titled “Were the peace treaties of 1919 - 1923 fair?”. For
examination in 2026, you will not be asked about the other treaties that are mentioned in your
textbook. You should, however, have a basic understanding of what they were.
, 1.1 What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?
The aftermath of WW1
Some countries suffered more than others during the First World War. Known as
the “Great War” at the time, it was destruction that had never been seen before.
Here are some statistics about the total deaths (civilian and military) and
percentage of population lost per country –
United States – 117,465 (0.1%)
United Kingdom – 994,138 (2.2%)
France – 1.7 million (4.3%) (+ over 4.2 million soldiers wounded)
Russia – 3.3 million (1.9%) (+ nearly 5 million soldiers wounded)
Italy – 1.2 million (3.5%)
Germany – 2.47 million (3.8%) (+ over 4.2 million soldiers wounded)
Austria-Hungary – 1.57 million (3%)
[Check census.gov for more statistics]
How do you think the attitudes of these countries would differ based on how they
were affected by the war? Think about the effect these civilian and military
casualties would have on a country’s morale.
The ‘winners’ of World War 1 were able to dictate the terms of the Treaty – but
when the war ended, both sides had suffered unimaginably. Come back to these
statistics at the end of this section and think about how they may have informed the
terms of the Treaty.
