Peace Treaties 1919-1923

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Treaty of Versailles

The conference: 
Delegates from 23 countries met in January 1919 in Paris to make peace after WW1.

"The Big Three":
Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France), David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Britain) and Woodrow Wilson (President of the United States).
  • Clemenceau wanted to destroy Germany so it could never attack France again; to have Germany return Alsace - Lorraine to France; an independent Rhineland, huge reparations an to disband army.
  • Lloyd George wanted a 'just' peace that would be tough enough to satisfy the electors who wanted Germany to pay, but would leave Germany strong enough to trade and wanted land for Britain's empire (German colonies) and to decrease the Germany navy. 
  • Wilson wanted to end the war and prevent future wars by creating a League of Nations based on the Fourteen Points, to ensure Germany wasn't completely destroyed and to not blame Germany. 

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

War Guilt:
Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war.

Reparations:
The major powers agreed that Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies for the damage caused by the war. The exact figure was set in 1921 - 6.6 million pound.

Overseas Germany:
Alsace - Lorraine went to France, Saar land was run by League of Nations, Rhineland was demilitarised, North Scheswig went to Denmark, Polish corridor and Upper Silesia went to Poland and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were given independence. German colonies were controlled by the League.

Germany's Armed Forces:
Army limited to 100,000,  conscription was banned, no armoured vehicles, submarines or aircraft were allowed, only 6 battleships, Rhineland was demilitarised.

League of Nations:
The League was set up as an international police force. Germany was not invited until it had shown that it was a peace - loving country.

Impact on Germany

Political Violence: 
  • A revolution called the Kapp Putsch tried to overthrow Ebert's government but failed because of strikes in Berlin. 
  • In November 1923, Adolf Hitler led a rebellion called the Munich Putsch which failed, but he was let off easily and used German's hate of the Treaty to gain support for himself and the Nazi Party. 
Conflict in the Ruhr:
In 1923 French and Belgian soldiers entered the Ruhr and took what was owed to  them in raw materials and goods, as the reparations payment had not been paid in 1922. Workers were ordered to go on strike, but the French ended up killing 132 of them and expelling 150,000.

Hyperinflation: 
The government printed more money because they didn't have enough to pay reparations,m causing the currency to lose value and prices increased dramatically. 

Was it fair or not?

Fair:
A lot of people at the time thought Germany was being hypocritical, as they had been very harsh to other countries in their treaties. Germany's economical problems were partially self-inflicted, as they didn't raise taxes. 

Not Fair:
Same thought that the 'peacemakers' were blind and selfish and as a result produces a disastrous treaty that would cause another war.

  • German representations were shown the Treaty and were not given the option of negotiation. On June 19th 1919, delegates met at the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and two forced Germans signed it.

Treaty of Sevres - 1920

  • Turkey lost land to Bulgaria, Italy and Greece as well as losing a lot of its empire along with Tunisia and Morocco.
  • Armed forces were limited to 50.000 men, the navy was also limited and no air force was allowed. 

Treaty of Lausanne - 1923

  • Smyrna, Anatolia and parts of Thrace became Turkish lands.
  • Turkey;s borders were fixed to what they are now.

Treaty of St. Germain - 1919

  • Austria's army was limited to 36,000 men and Anschluss was forbidden.
  • The Austrio - Hungarian empire was broken, creating a patchwork of new states in Central and Eastern Europe, including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
  • Austria suffered severe economic problems.

Treaty of Trianon - 1920

  • Hungary lost territory to Roumania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
  • Due to pay reparations but its economy was so weak that it never did.

Treaty of Neuilly - 1919

  • Bulgaria lost land to Greece, Roumania and Yugoslavia.
  • Army was limited to 20,000 soldiers and had to pay 10 million pounds in reparations. 

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