The Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
Author
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. 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. |
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 |
Why was the Treaty of Versailles Unpopular in Germany?
Many Germans argued that the Weimar government should not have signed the treaty
The Allies had not defeated the German Army in battle
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 the 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
What Does Left and Right in Politics Mean?
Germany was experiencing political chaos in 1918 due to the number of new political parties that emerged
The political parties of Weimar Germany represented a range of left-wing and right-wing ideas
What Does Left-Wing Mean?
A person who has left-wing opinions believes that:
The people should run the country rather than one person or political group. Extreme left-wing groups believe that the country should not have a government at all
Capitalism only harms the country. The rich get richer and the poor become poorer. An extreme left-wing party would ban people from owning businesses or property
A person can work their way up in society through hard work. Someone with an extreme left-wing opinion would not believe in the idea of class. They would see everyone as equal, no matter what job they did or how educated they were
Their nation is not better than any other country. They believe in global collaboration to create the best policies
The most extreme version of the left-wing is Communism
What Does Right-Wing Mean?
A person who has right-wing opinions believes that:
The country should have strong armed forces and an autocratic leader
Businesses should be able to make lots of money and pay less in taxes. They value the concept of capitalism
The family unit is important. They believe in upholding traditional values
A person should have a strong pride in their country. They would make decisions based on the interests of the country rather than what’s best for an individual or group
They have a strong sense of national identity. Someone with extreme right-wing beliefs does not like immigrants or people of a different ethnicity or religion to them
The most extreme version of the right-wing is called Fascism
The Main Political Parties in the Weimar Republic
Abbreviation | Name in English | Politically left or right? | Support base |
|---|---|---|---|
SPD | Social Democrats | Moderate left | The workers and the middle classes |
DDP | Democrats | Moderate left | The more educated middle classes |
ZP | Centre Party | Centre (neither left or right) | Originally the party of the Catholic Church, supported by conservatives |
DVP | People’s Party | Moderate right | The upper middle classes |
DNVP | National Party | Right | Wealthy landowners and big businesses |
KPD | Communist Party | Extreme left | The workers and some middle classes |
NSDAP | Nazi Party | Extreme right | Little support until the mid-to-late 1920s |
Spectrum of Weimar Germany's Political Parties
Exam Tip
It is important to use the phrases ‘extreme’ and ‘moderate’ when describing where a political belief fits on this spectrum. It shows the examiner that you understand the variations of political left and right. In Weimar Germany, the SPD and the KPD were both left-wing parties. However, the KPD was more extreme-left in their beliefs than the SPD, who held the most seats in the Reichstag in 1919. You can also have parties that are neither left nor right as they have a mixture of both ideologies. These are called ‘Centre’ or ‘Moderate’ parties. An example in Weimar Germany was the Zentrum (which translates in English to the Centre Party). It held right-wing beliefs on the constitution but left-wing beliefs about social reform.
The Spartacist Uprising
The Spartacist Uprising was a left-wing challenge to the Weimar Republic
The Spartacist League was a German Communist group
The KPD supported their cause
Spartacist comes from the name Spartacus, the leader of a slave revolt in Ancient Rome
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht led the Spartacists
The Weimar government
Sacked Emil Eichhorn, Berlin’s police chief
Eichhorn was popular among the workers
Luxemburg and Liebknecht used this to begin the uprising on 4th January 1919
By 6th January, Berlin was in chaos
Luxemburg and Liebknecht had encouraged the workers to go on a general strike
Over 100,000 workers protested on the streets
The Spartacists had taken control of the government’s newspaper and various telegraph offices across Berlin
Chancellor Ebert did not know what to do
The First World War had weakened the Reichswehr
There were too many protestors on the streets
Ebert turned to another organisation to defeat the Spartacist Uprising
He ordered the Reichswehr to organise Freikorps units to fight the Spartacist Uprising
The Freikorps held extreme right-wing opinions and hated Communists
The Spartacist Uprising ended on 13th January 1919
The Freikorps and Reichswehr were fighting mainly unarmed Communist workers
On 16th January, both Luxemburg and Liebknecht were brutally killed by the Freikorps
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch was a right-wing challenge to the Weimar Republic
Learn more about the events of the Kapp Putsch
The Occupation of the Ruhr
The Weimar Republic was struggling to pay the reparations from the Treaty of Versailles
As a result, the French and Belgian armies occupied the Ruhr region of Germany
Learn more about the occupation of the Ruhr
Economic Crisis and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany
The Occupation of the Ruhr caused an extreme economic depression in Germany in 1923
Hyperinflation is when prices rise rapidly and become out of control
Learn more about the hyperinflation crisis of 1923
Worked Example
Why did the Treaty of Versailles lead to instability in the Weimar Republic?
6 marks
Partial answer:
One reason why the Treaty of Versailles led to instability was because of how unpopular it was in Germany (1). The Treaty of Versailles restricted the army to 100,000 men, with no air force and a small navy of 6 battleships (1). This created instability because many ex-soldiers were left unemployed and angry. They formed the Freikorps, an armed right-wing group. They attempted to overthrow the government in 1920 in the Kapp Putsch. Their uprising caused significant instability. The government only maintained control because the workers did not support the Freikorps’ aim to bring back the Kaiser (1).
Exam Tip
In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks for this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons why the Treaty of Versailles caused instability. Use the PEE structure in your answer:
P - Make a point about the question
E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made
E - Explain why this evidence caused instability in the Weimar Republic. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor created a serious threat to the government
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