1 Were the peace treaties of 1919–23 fair?

What were the motives and aims of the Big Three (Peacemakers) at Versailles?

David Lloyd George – British Prime minister

-          Wanted to “make Germany pay” but did not want to be too harsh to make Germany vengeful or France too strong

-          Trading relation with Germany

-          Wanted reparations from Germany

George Clemenceau – French Prime minster

-          Wanted a harsh treaty which would crush and punish Germany to ensure French security

-          Reparations from Germany

Woodrow Wilson – US president

-          Being 3000 miles away from Germany Wilson had no fear of a German invasion

-          Did not want to punish Germany as harshly due to economic interests

-          League of nations to be set up

-          14 Key Points

Why did all the victors not get everything they wanted?

-          Different victors wanted different things, so they couldn’t all have everything what they wanted

-          The Big Thee were aware that their job was not just to get what they want but to re-build peace

-          The British and the French got a lot of what they wanted but not everything

-          European countries though Japan as inferior which resulted in them receiving nothing

What was the impact of the peace treaty on Germany up to 1923?

Germany was forced to disarm

-          Abolish conscription

-          Reduce its army to 100,00

-          Limit its navy to 24 ships, with no submarines

-          No air force

-          Demilitarise the Rhineland

To pay reparations

-          Germany had to pay £6.6 billion

Lose 13% of its territory

-          Alsace Lorraine was handed back to France

-          Saar was given to the French for 15 years

-          Danzig was put under League of Nations control

-          Poland was given parts of the Posen and West Prussia, crating the “Polish Corridor” giving access to the sea

-          Surrender its entire colonial empires

-          Promise to never unite with Germany

-          To accept the “war guilt clause” Article 80

The impact of the treaties on the defeated countries

Austria – Treaty of St Germaine 1919

-          Austria was disarmed and there army was limited to 30,000

-          Reparations had to be paid and they had to accept article 231

Hungary – Treaty of Trianon 1920

-          Disarmed and had there army limited to 35,000

-          Pay reparations

-          Lost 2/3 of its territory

Bulgaria – Treaty of Nevilly 1919

-          Army limited to 20,000

-          Pay reparations

Turkey – Treaty of Sevres 1920

-          Black sea became under international control

-          Turkey was to lose various coastal territories, however the Sultan was overthrown

-          After the Turks overthrew the Sultan Britain was forced to agreeing treaty of Lausanne

Turkey - Treaty of Lausanne

-          Cancelled treaty of Sevres

-          Turkey regained lost land

-          Military restrictions were torn up

Could the treaties be justified at the time?

Too harsh

-          Germany has no say in the treaty

-          Germany had to accept responsibility for the war

-          Reparations demand was unreasonable, crippling Germany

Wasn’t too harsh

-          Germany didn’t give Russia much say in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1917

-          Most historians believe that Germany did deserve the primary responsibility

-          Self-determination (the right for each country to have its own territory) was applied

-          Treaties were not fair as Germany could not cope with demands of the big three

-          Unreasonable and cause the second world war

-          The treaty should have been harsher to prevent the second world war