Week 8 Day 1

Class 1- Tuesday February 25, 2014

            Lecture Notes: DEPTH RESEARCH AND TEAM ACTIVITY: THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

·         At the end of WWI, a peace treaty was drawn up at Versailles. Most of the decisions were made by the “Big 3”: Woodrow Wilson (US President), David Lloyd George (UK Prime Minister), and Georges Clemenceau (French Prime Minister). Each had his own ideas about how things should go.

·         No one from Germany or Austria was allowed to take part in the negotiations.

·         The USA had suffered less than Europe in the war, and had come in much later. Wilson believed that by punishing Germany would only make Germany want revenge, causing more trouble in the future. He drew up 14 points which he felt would bring about world peace. He wanted Poland and Czechoslovakia, near Germany, to become strong and independent.  He wanted France to feel safe, and he wanted to establish a League of Nations to protect world peace.

·         France wanted Germany punished. Much of the war had taken place in France. The damage was tremendous. 750,000 homes and 23,000 factories destroyed. 1,500,000 Frenchmen dead. Clemenceau wanted to punish Germany and hold them accountable for all of this… and wanted compensation. He also wanted to be assured that France was safe from another attack, esp.  from Germany.

·         Britain wanted to make a fair settlement. Lloyd George agreed with much of  Wilson’s plan, but the British public  was demanding that Germany be harshly punished.

·         On June 28, 1919, the treaty was signed.

·         Terms:

·         Germany had to accept the blame for the war.

·         German Military:

·         Cut to 100,000 men

·         Only volunteers, no conscription

·         Navy could only have 6 Battleships

·         Could not build any tanks, planes or subs

·         Germany could not keep troops in the Rhineland (area that bordered France). Allied troops stationed there for 15 years.

·         All of Germany’s overseas colonies taken by Allies.

·         League of Nations was set up (forerunner to UN). It had no armed forces.

·         Germany lost land to France, Belgium, Denmark, Poland and the League of Nations.

·         Austria was broken up into independent nations, and forbidden to unite with Germany.

·         In 1921, the Allies decided that Germany should pay £6600 million in WAR REPARATIONS (in gold and goods).

·         The Treaty of Versailles had many consequences, and some of these consequences became the sparks that started WWII and subsequent conflicts. By looking at the terms again, try to identify the consequences of each.

Discussion and Reflection: None Today

Homework: Teachers prepare the slide (next class)