The Treaty of Versailles, 1919 (Edexcel GCSE History)
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Zoe WadeExpertise
History
Germany’s Reaction to the Treaty of Versailles - Summary
The Treaty of Versailles is often referred to as one of the most hated treaties in history. This is because every country that signed the agreement was deeply unhappy with the outcome. The ‘Big Three’ of Britain, France and the USA met at the Palace of Versailles in January 1919 with different intentions. Georges Clemenceau, France’s Prime Minister, wanted the treaty to be harsh on Germany. France and Germany had fought multiple times during the 19th century. Germany had taken key areas from France including the region of Alsace-Lorraine. Clemenceau saw the Treaty of Versailles as an opportunity to gain territory back and ensure Germany could not launch future invasions into France. Clemenceau’s anger also stemmed from the impact of the First World War on his country. The majority of the Western Front was in France. The fighting had destroyed many roads, hospitals and factories. He wanted Germany to pay to repair these damages and take responsibility for starting the war. Woodrow Wilson, the American president, completely differed from Clemenceau’s view. Wilson wanted to create a lasting peace after the First World War. He believed the Treaty of Versailles should embody what he called the ‘14 Points'. He did not want to make Germany pay large reparations to the Allies. He wanted to keep Germany strong as they could help rebuild Europe. He also believed Germany should join a new organisation called the League of Nations. This group encouraged countries to communicate their problems rather than resort to armed conflict. David Lloyd George, Britain’s Prime Minister, held an opinion in between Wilson and Clemenceau’s. Britain had experienced high casualties like France. The British public hated Germany and wanted revenge. George understood some of Clemenceau’s personal anger towards Germany. Before the start of the First World War, Germany had challenged Britain’s naval power. However, Britain also supported Wilson’s point that a strong Germany was better for European economies. Britain had a large empire and wanted lots of countries to trade with. With so much difference in opinion, it is clear why the final agreement dissatisfied every contributor and became a controversial treaty. The Allies banned Germany from attending the peace talks in January 1919. While the Weimar Republic had little choice but to sign the treaty, its terms brought anger to the German public. The public’s hatred towards the Treaty of Versailles lasted into the 1930s. Hitler utilised this anger as a way to win the support of the people. |
German Reaction to Armistice
One of the first actions of the Weimar government was to surrender to the Allies
The government had little choice but to bring an end to the First World War
Germany was experiencing civil unrest and their economy was collapsing
Matthias Erzberger, a member of the Centre Party, signed the armistice on 11th November 1918. An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting
Withdrawing from the First World War tainted public opinion of the Weimar government
People believed that the government had begun as a failure.
The government would need to prove their ability to govern if they were to change this opinion
The German army retreated in November 1918 but it was not defeated. Some people did not believe in signing the armistice because Germany had not lost the war on the battlefield
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
The armistice only ensured temporary peace
There needed to be an official peace document where the Allies agreed on the terms of Germany’s defeat
Discussions began in January 1919 at the Palace of Versailles, Paris. This is where the treaty gets its name from
The Allies eventually agreed on their terms for peace and signed the treaty on 28th June 1919
No German representatives were allowed to attend the peace talks
The treaty was known as a ‘diktat’. This means the losing side has the terms of peace imposed upon them
Germany had 15 days to ask the Allies to change sections of the treaty. The Allies denied every concession the Germans requested
The ‘Big Three’ negotiated the terms of the treaty
The ‘Big Three’ is the name for the leaders of Britain, France and the USA in 1919
The aims of the 'Big Three'
An illustration showing the individual aims of the 'Big Three' for the negotiations at Versailles
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
The military terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Article Number | Description of Term | Impact on Germany |
42 | The Rhineland (an area in Western Germany that bordered France) became demilitarised. Allied troops were stationed there until 1930 | Germany was not allowed to have soldiers in the Rhineland. This made them vulnerable to an invasion from France |
160 | Germany’s army was restricted to 100,000 men | Many ex-soldiers became unemployed |
181 | Germany’s navy was restricted to six battleships and could not produce submarines | Germany became weaker. They could not develop the military technology that other countries had |
198 | Germany was not allowed to have an air force |
The territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Article Number | Description of Term | Impact on Germany |
45 | France was given the area of the Saar, with its coalfields, for 15 years | Germany lost 15% of their coal resources. This affected their economy |
51 | Alsace-Lorraine became a part of France again | Germany did not have a buffer between themselves and France anymore |
80 | Anschluss (the union between Germany and Austria) was forbidden | Austria was a part of Germany’s cultural identity. Many Austrians considered themselves to be German |
87 | Germany lost Posen and West Prussia, which allowed the Allies to create a ‘Polish Corridor’. This gave Poland access to the sea | The ‘Polish Corridor’ divided Germany into two. Roughly one million Germans were under Polish rule |
199 | France and Britain ruled all 11 of Germany’s colonies in Africa and the Far East as mandates | Germany’s reputation as a global power was destroyed. They had fewer items to trade with other countries |
The political and economic terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Article Number | Description of Term | Impact on Germany |
1-26 | Germany could not join the League of Nations | Germany felt excluded from world politics. They were more likely to resort to violence to resolve disputes |
231 | The ‘War Guilt’ Clause. Germany had to agree that they started the First World War. The clause made Germany accept responsibility for the deaths and destruction during wartime | This clause created the most anger among the German population. They felt it was unfair to take all of the blame for the atrocities caused by the First World War |
232 | Germany would have to pay the Allies reparations as a condition of their surrender. The amount was set at 132 billion gold marks (£6.6 billion) | This amount would be enough to bankrupt Germany, especially, as the territorial terms reduced their ability to trade |
Exam Tip
You do not have to remember all of the article numbers of the Treaty of Versailles. Examiners would expect a GCSE student to remember that Article 231 was the War Guilt Clause due to its significance to the German public. In a 12 or 16-mark exam question, an examiner will assess your ability to explain how a military, territorial, political or economic term of the treaty impacted Germany.
Why was the Treaty of Versailles Unpopular in Germany?
Many Germans argued that the Weimar government should not have signed the treaty
They believed that German politicians committed a ‘dolchstoss’ - or a ‘stab in the back’
Many Germans felt that the Weimar government had lied to them about the reality of surrendering to the Allies
The politicians who signed the Treaty of Versailles were called ‘November Criminals’. This was because November was the month the government signed the armistice
Many Germans compared Weimar's acceptance of the treaty to committing a crime against the German state
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles destroyed Germany’s economy
The Allies theorised that, by imposing large reparations, Germany would be unable to finance another war
Germany had already been financially ruined by the First World War. This made the Weimar government seem weak
From the outset, Germany could not pay its reparations bill. By 1923, this created problems
Many Germans felt humiliated and weaker than the rest of Europe
Many extremist political groups gained wider support when they campaigned that they would ignore the Treaty of Versailles if elected. Hitler made the destruction of the Treaty of Versailles one of the main points in the Nazi Party’s manifesto
Worked Example
Study interpretations 1 and 2. They give different views about the Treaty of Versailles
What is the main difference between these views?
Explain your answer, using details from both interpretations
4 marks
Interpretation 1: From The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans, published in 2004 No one was prepared for the peace terms… All of this was greeted with incredulous horror by the majority of Germans. The sense of outrage and disbelief… was almost universal. Germany’s international strength and prestige had been on an upward course since unification in 1871… now, suddenly, Germany had been brutally expelled from the ranks of the Great Powers and covered in what they considered to be undeserved shame. Versailles was condemned as a dictated peace, unilaterally imposed without the possibility of negotiation. |
Interpretation 2: From The Treaty of Versailles: a reassessment after 75 years by Manfred F. Boemeke, Gerald D. Feldman and Elisabeth Gläser, published in 1998 Scholars, although remaining divided, now tend to view the treaty as the best compromise that the negotiators could have reached in the existing circumstances. The delegations in Paris and their entourages had to work quickly. Troops had to be sent home, food shipments needed to enter blockaded ports, and revolutionary movements required containment. None of those endeavours allowed for delay. The progress of the deliberations… made heavy demands on the organisational skills, patience, mental and physical health, and political survival skills of the participants. |
Answers:
Interpretations 1 and 2 differ about the factors influencing the Allies’ decision-making at the Treaty of Versailles. Interpretation 1 states that the Allies had the intention to punish Germany for the First World War (1). A quote which supports this is that Germany was “brutally expelled from the ranks of the Great Powers” (1).
Interpretation 2 believes that the Allies did not intentionally aim to punish Germany but were pressured to create the treaty quickly (1). A quote to support this is the treaty was “the best compromise that the negotiators could have reached in the existing circumstances” (1).
Exam Tip
This style of question will always provide two interpretations to read and assess how they are opposing. Remember to state the difference between the interpretations and use evidence in the form of quotes to back up your observations.
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