The Impact of the Versailles Settlement on Germany
- Created by: Becca Newman
- Created on: 06-06-19 11:30
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- The Impact of the Versailles Settlement on Germany
- The Treaty
- The Treaty was agreed upon at the Palace of Versailles - the Germans could not see the Treaty until 7th May
- On 28th June it was signed by all powers
- It imposed much harsher terms on Germany than they had expected
- It was regarded as dictated peace (diktat)
- The Armistice was an agreement to stop fighting and withdraw troops
- The Treaty was agreed upon at the Palace of Versailles - the Germans could not see the Treaty until 7th May
- Terms of the Treaty
- Territorial Losses
- Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
- Lost of 70,000km of territory
- Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
- Disarmament
- Had to surrender all heavy weapons + dismantle fortifications
- Army of max 100,000 men + navy of 15,000 men
- Navy was allowed a max of 6 battleships, no submarines
- No airforce
- Navy was allowed a max of 6 battleships, no submarines
- Army of max 100,000 men + navy of 15,000 men
- Had to surrender all heavy weapons + dismantle fortifications
- The Rhineland
- An Allied occupation of it to ensure Germany followed the terms of the treaty
- War Guilt
- Germany had accept responsibility for the war
- Had to cover costs of damage suffered in the war (reparations)
- Fixed at £6.6 billion in 1921
- Had to cover costs of damage suffered in the war (reparations)
- Germany had accept responsibility for the war
- The Saarland
- Contained rich reserves of coal and was removed from Germany
- Germany was suppplying France, Belgium and Italy with free coal
- France could exploit coal mines in this area
- Germany was suppplying France, Belgium and Italy with free coal
- Contained rich reserves of coal and was removed from Germany
- Other terms of the treaty
- Austria was forbidden from uniting with Germany
- Germany could not join the New League of Nations
- The Kaiser + other Germans were to be put on trial for war crimes
- Germany could not join the New League of Nations
- Austria was forbidden from uniting with Germany
- Territorial Losses
- German reactions to the Treaty
- The abdication of the Kaiser + the government signing the agreement was greeted with horror
- Neither ordinary soldiers nor the people were told how dire the situation on the Western front was
- Millions of Germans were now living in non-German states such as Poland + Czechoslovakia
- The War Guilt clause was humiliating
- Reparations were considered to be too high + would cripple the economy
- Disarmament was considered unjust
- Were the complaints justified?
- Wilson's 14 points made some of these clauses clear - they should have been expected
- French could have made the Rhineland independent
- If Germany had won the war the consequences for the Allies might have been harsher
- The Reparations bill was lower than the French demanded
- The abdication of the Kaiser + the government signing the agreement was greeted with horror
- Political Impact of the Treaty
- Political Crisis of June 1919
- No one wanted to accept the treaty, however it was impossible to negotiate amendments to it
- Field Marshall John Hindenburg discussed resisting the treaty through military action
- General groener told President Ebert that military resistance would be futile, and Germany had no choice but to accept the treaty
- The reaction of Pro-Republican Parties
- The SPD took the view that signing the treaty was not unpatriotic - and that complying with the treaty would be sensible
- The Treaty alienated those who were promised a 'better' germany in the constitution
- It caused demoralisation at the centre of the government
- Reaction on the Right
- Nationalists committed to overthrowing the government - couldn't accept a defeated Germany
- The politicians who had signed the treaty became known as the November Criminals - and they stabbed germany in the back
- This myth justified the nationalists attacks on the Republic - appealled to ex-soldiers who wanted to keep fighting
- Many SPD members and working-class soldiers supported the new regime
- Some moved towards Communism and joined Freikorps
- The politicians who had signed the treaty became known as the November Criminals - and they stabbed germany in the back
- Nationalists committed to overthrowing the government - couldn't accept a defeated Germany
- Reactions from abroad
- Britain - the people were satisfied with the punishment of germany. Privately Lloyd George believed that Germany shouldn't have been made so weak
- Some believed the Germans had been treated too harshly - and this would have bad consequences
- France - they gained a lot out of it, however some still felt the treaty was too lenient on Germany. President Clemenceau was blamed for this and lost at the next election
- United States - Widespread opinion that Germany had been treated too harshly + that Britain and France had used it to gain for themselves
- They refused to join the League of nations and retreated from European affairs
- Britain - the people were satisfied with the punishment of germany. Privately Lloyd George believed that Germany shouldn't have been made so weak
- Political Crisis of June 1919
- The Treaty
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