Background
peace settlement signed after WWI had ended in 1918
and in the shadow of the Russian revolution.
The Treaty of Versailles
WWI had left Europe devastated. Those countries that
fought iin it, had suffered casualties never experienced
before.
Germany Gets The Shaft
The total deaths of all nations who fought in the war is
thought to have been 8.5 million with roughly 21 million
wounded.
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Background
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The Big Three
The treaty was signed on June 28, 1919 after months
of argument and negotiations between the “Big Three”
as to what it should contain.
The victims of the war were in no mood to be
charitable to the defeated nations and Germany in
particular.
The “Big Three” were David Lloyd George of Britain,
Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson
of the U.S.
At the same time, the Spanish flu killed 25 million
people. This added to the feeling of bitterness and it
primarily directed at Germany.
As the three big victors they would decide how
Germany would be treated. They had three different
perspectives.
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David Lloyd George
Georges Clemenceau
Had two views.
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His public view was that the treaty should be tough on Germany. He was
a politician and he followed the mood of his people, otherwise he would be
voted out.
Clemenceau wanted Germany brought to its knees so
that it could never start another war.
Privately he was more nervous about communism in Russia than Germany
and didn’t want it to spread west. He didn’t want Germans so disillusioned
that they turned to communism. He wanted Germany punished, but not to
the point that it was destitute and unable to fend off Russia. Politically,
however, it was suicide to voice this concern.
The French public wanted the same thing.
It was payback time.
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Woodrow Wilson
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The Final Draft
There was a growing desire in the US for the government
to adopt a policy of isolation and leave Europe to its own
devices.
In the end all three were reasonably happy.
For Clemenceau, it looked like Germany had been
smashed.
Wilson, despite developing the idea of a League of
Nations, wanted American input into Europe to be kept
to a minimum.
For Lloyd George was satisfied that there was
enough German power to act as a buffer to
communist expansion.
He believed that Germany should be punished but in a
way that would lead to European reconciliation as
opposed to revenge.
Wilson was just happy it was over and he could go
home.
He was also quite ill at the time of the negotiations.
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Terms of the Treaty Territorial
Germany was deprived of 13.5% of its territory (7
million people) and all of its overseas possessions.
Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, and Belgium was enlarged to the east.
East Prussia was handed over to Lithuania, and the Sudettenland to
Czechoslovakia.
German Territorial Losses
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Terms of the Treaty Financial
Terms of the Treaty - Military
The loss of vital industrial territory was a severe blow to
the economy.
Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men.
They were allowed no tanks, no airforce, and no
submarines.
Germany would have to pay reparations, the bulk
would go to France and Belgium to pay for the damage
done to the infrastructure of both countries by the war.
Germany was only allowed a certain number and size
of ships.
Germany basically had to provide the Allies with a blank
cheque which the Allies would cash as it suited them.
The Rhineland and 50 km east of the Rhine River were
to be a demilitarized zone where no German soldiers or
weapons could go.
It would be more than Germany could hope to pay
back. (132 billion marks/$31.5 billion)
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Terms of the Treaty - War
Guilt
German Reaction
When the Germans agreed to the armistice in 1918 they
were given the impression they would be treated fairly
and consulted on the treaty. This didn’t happen.
The most infamous clause of the treaty was clause 231
- the “War Guilt Clause”.
The first time they saw the treaty was only a few weeks
before they were to sign it.
Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the
war.
There was anger throughout Germany but German
leaders knew they had no choice as Germany was
incapable of restarting the war again.
Since they started the whole thing they would have to
pay for the whole thing.
Germany was given two choices: sign the treaty or be
invaded by the Allies.
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Consequences
Left a mood of anger throughout Germany.
Above all else, Germany hated the clause blaming her
for the cause of the war and the resultant financial
penalties.
German resentment sowed the fertile psychological
ground for the eventual rise of the Nazi party.