Treaty of Versailles

Punishment of Germany

• Match Up the opinions of the “Big Three” in your jotters.

2,000Breweries destroyed

1,000 BridgesBlown

up

300,000 Donkeys and

Mules taken

320,000kmBarbed wire

to pull up250million

Cubic metresOf trenches

To fill

500,000Sheep Taken

1600kmCoal-mining

Galleriesdestroyed

6,000 Factories gutted

500,000Cows taken

1,600km Railway

Destroyed

300,000Homes

Destroyed

War In France

Public Opinion

• France – Suffered too much to allow the Germans to be forgiven

• Britain – Also suffered too much to allow the German to be forgiven

• USA – Had not suffered as they joined the war late and had small causalities and no fighting took place in USA

• British & French believed that GERMANY STARTED THE WAR.

• WANTED REVENGE

Cost of the War.

• What the Government spent

• Germany £8,394 Million

• Austria-Hungary £4,563 Million

• Turkey and Bulgaria £499 Million

• Russia £5,021 Million

• Great Britain £7,852 Million

• France £5,392 Million

Military Loss of Life

• Germany 2,000,000• Russia 1,700,000• France 1,358,000• Austria 1,100,000• Great Britain 761,213• Italy 460,000• Turkey 375,000• British Empire 251,900• USA 114,095

Punishment

• Clemenceau’s victory at the peace talks.

• The American public opinion did not reflect President Wilson.

• Public opinion would not accept a peace that did not curb German power.

• The dictated treaty reflected the views of Clemenceau.

The Terms of the Treaty

• 7th May 1919

• The Germans expected a ‘fair’ treaty and were shocked by the terms of the treaty.

• However they were in no position to fight so were forced to sign the treaty.

• The Treaty contained over 200 clauses

Blame• Germany had to accept the Blame for

starting the war (Clause 231).

• This caused a lot of anger in Germany

He Started

the War!

They blame us

for the war.

ARGGH

Article 231

• Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied governments have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.

Reparations

• Germany had to pay £6,600 million (called Reparations) for the damage done during the war.

• Article 232 of the Treaty

Article 232

• Germany undertakes that she will make compensation for all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied powers and to their property

German Army

• Limited to 100,000 men

• No Submarines

• No Battleships

• No Military Aircraft

• League of Nations set up to settle international disputes

• Germany lost all of her colonies and was banned from forming an alliance with Austria

Anschluss

• The Anschluss was forbidden.

• This meant that Germany and Austria were not allowed to unite to form one country or Alliance.

Loss of land• Additionally Germany lost 13% of her European

land and 10% of her population.• The Polish corridor was created to give Poland

access to the Baltic Sea.

Demilitarised Zone

• The Rhineland was demilitarised to prevent future attack on France or Belgium.

Questions

• 1. Were the military terms of treaty unfair to Germany?

• 2. Why was the Anschluss forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles?

• 3. Why is article 231 of the treaty known as the War Guilt Clause?

• 4. Were the Allies justified in forcing Germany to sign Articles 231 and 232 of the Treaty of Versailles?