Mr Slade’s History Resources

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

In January 1919, the British
Prime Minister David
Lloyd George m et w ith the
leaders of France, the USA and
other victorious countries to
decide the terms of the peace.
The meeting was held in the
Palace of Versailles in
France and the Treaty w as
eventually signed on the 28th
June 1919. Germany w as
not invited and was given little
choice but to accept whatever
was agreed. It quickly became
clear, however, that the
different leaders had very
different ideas about what the
terms should be. Why did the
different leaders have different
ideas? What agreement did
they eventually reach? What
was the reaction to the treaty in
Germany? Did the tr eaty,
as some historians argue, lead
directly to WW2 twenty years
later?

Source A ‘This is not a peace. It is an armistice for 20 years.’

Marshall Foch’s view of the Treaty of Versailles (1919)

THE BIG THREE

1. David Lloyd George—Prime Minister of Great Britain

The British public wanted to ‘hang the Kaiser’ and ‘make Germany pay.’ Lloyd George
wanted to punish the Germans and keep them weak, however, he didn’t want to humiliate
them. He was keen to end the German threat to the British Empire and to make sure that the
German navy could no longer thr eaten Britain’s navy.
2. Woodrow Wilson—President of the USA
The USA hadn’t joined the war until 1917 and hadn’t suffered as much as Britain and France.
Wilson w anted to lessen the thr eat fr om Germany w ithout punishing them too
harshly. He also put forward his Fourteen Points which he felt would secure world peace and
strongly believed that national groups should have the right to rule themselves—this was
known as ‘self-determination.’ He also wanted to set up the League of Nations.
3. Georges Clemenceau—Prime Minister of France
1.4m Frenchmen had been killed in the w ar and lar ge ar eas of France had been
devastated including 750,000 homes and 23,000 factories. Germany had attacked France
twice in less than 50 years. Clemenceau was determined that Germany would never be able to
attack France again. Moreover, he was determined that Germany should pay for the war
damage.

Page 1
 Mr Slade’s History Resources

SOURCE B THE MAIN POINTS OF

THE TREATY
 Under Article 231 of the Treaty
Germany had to accept the blame
for starting the war.
 Germany had to pay £6,600 in
war reparations for the damage
done by the war.
 She was forbidden to have any
submarines or an air force. Her
navy was limited to just 6
warships and her army to
100,000 men.
 German troops were not allowed
in the Rhineland.
 The League of Nations was set up
REACTION TO THE TREATY with the aim of avoiding future
Unfortunately, the peace pleased nobody. In particular it angered wars by means of peaceful
the Germans who felt that they’d been treated unfairly and that discussion.
they’d been humiliated. The terms of the treaty led to widespread  Germany lost 13% of its territory
bitterness and resentment in Germany. Many Germans resented in Europe as well as 6 million of
the fact that they had effectively been forced to sign the treaty but its population. Land was lost to
had had no input or say in it., the Treaty had been a DIKTAT—a France, Belgium and Poland. Her
dictated peace. They felt like they were being blamed because they colonies were given to France,
had lost the war. For many Germans recovering lost land and Britain and Japan.
rebuilding their armed forces became a matter of pride.  The Austro-Hungarian empire
was broken up and its empire
Many in France were disappointed by the treaty and felt it wasn’t
given to other countries such as
harsh enough. Clemenceau had wanted Germany to be broken up
Italy and Poland. New nation
into smaller, less powerful states. Many French people still felt
states such as Czechoslovakia,
threatened by Germany.
Hungary and Austria were set up.
In Britain public opinion generally saw the treaty as fair and Lloyd  Germany also lost 48% of its iron
George was given a hero’s welcome when he returned from Paris. industry and 16% of its coal
Newspapers argued that Germany could no longer threaten world industry.
peace. However, Lloyd George worried that the treaty was far too
harsh and would ruin Germany. Source C “Germany might have
feared much worse. If Clemenceau had
Many Americans thought that the treaty was unfair and that Britain had his way instead of being re-
and France were making themselves rich at Germany’s expense. strained by Britain and U.S., the trea-
ty could have been much worse for
Page 2 Germany" E.H. Carr Historian.
 Mr Slade’s History Resources

WHAT WERE THE WEAKNESSES OF THE TREATY?

 It caused huge resentment and shock in
Germany. Many Germans never forgave
the German government for signing it.
They became known as the ‘November
Criminals.’ The idea that the politicians
had stabbed the German army in the back
began to grow.
 Many Germans became committed to over-
turning the terms of the treaty.
 Lots of Germans and German speaking
people found themselves living in newly
formed countries such as Poland and
Czechoslovakia.
 Germany was surrounded by smaller,
weaker countries such as Poland, Austria
and Czechoslovakia that were too small to
stand up to it.
 The League of Nations was weak. The USA
never joined it and it never had its own
armed forces. It was seen as just a ‘talking
shop.’
 Germany found it difficult to pay the repa-
rations and had to rely on US loans to help
it pay.
 The Germans expected the Treaty to be
based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points and
many felt betrayed by the actual terms of
the Treaty.

KEY WORDS
Treaty—an agreement between nations.
Self-Determination—the right of people of the same nationality to live in their
own country.
Reparations—money paid by Germany to Britain and France as compensation for
their losses during WW1.

Source D
This cartoon appeared in a German magazine in 1919,
attacking the Treaty. The mother is saying to her child:
‘When we have paid one hundred billion marks then I
can give you something to eat.’

Page 3
 Mr Slade’s History Resources

TASKS

1. Who were the ‘Big Three’?

2. Are the following statements true or false? Copy them in to your book and correct the false ones.
I) The Treaty was signed on the 28th June 1919.
II) The Treaty set up the United Nations.
III) Germany had to accept the blame for starting WW1.
IV) The German army was limited to just 10,000 men.
3. What is a DIKTAT?
4. Which of the ‘Big Three’ wanted the harshest Treaty and why?
5. Study Source B. How did the Treaty?
 Reduce the chances of Germany starting another war.
 Weaken her economy.
 Followed President Wilson’s ideas.
6. Why do you think that the victorious countries were keen to blame Germany for starting the war?
7. Give three main reasons why you think many Germans may have been unhappy with the Treaty of Versailles?
8. What do you think were the 2 main weaknesses of the Treaty?
9. Look at Source D. What is the message of the cartoon?
Challenge!
10. In what ways can the Treaty of Versailles been seen as a long-term cause of WW2?
11. ‘The Treaty was fair and reasonable.’ How far do you agree with this statement?

Page 4