Revision Diary

Treaty of Versailles

Main terms of The Treaty of Versailles –

territorial changes, military restrictions, war-guilt and reparations

Make sure that you know:

Guilt	• clause 231 blamed Germany for causing the war.
Army	• army: 100,000 • no submarines or aeroplanes • 6 battleships • Rhineland de-militarised
Reparations	• £6,600 million – in instalments, until 1984
Germany lost land	• Alsace-Lorraine to France • Saar to France (15 years) • Danzig a ‘free city’ • In all, Germany lost 10% of its land.
LoN	• set up
Extra	• forbade Anschluss.

Overview

Germans thought the Treaty was unfair, because they had not been allowed to take part in the Conference and had been forced to sign.

They hated:

the War-guilt clause (they said Russia had caused the war)

the tiny army (which meant that Germany couldn't defend itself)

reparations (which they said would cause starvation)

the loss of land (which meant that other countries ruled over Germans) and

Anschluss forbidden.

Facts

1. German newspapers attacked ‘the disgraceful treaty’

2. Kapp Putsch (1920) to try to overturn the Treaty

3. President Hindenburg denied war-guilt in 1927

1. League of Nations was set up by Versailles - forerunner of the United Nations of today

2. Drew the map of Europe for the next 20 years.

3. Led to Hitler and World War II:

• Unfairness of Treaty outraged Germans.

• Severity of reparations caused 1923 crisis in Germany.

• Unfairness of Treaty forced 'appeasers' to say that Hitler's claims were 'reasonable'

Revision Focus

This is a Paper 1 topic, so concentrate on learning:

1. WHAT happened

2. EFFECTS/ Importance