Making peace 1919-23 - Mr. Patrick's IB Hub

Making peace1919-23

11 3. 1 Prospects for peace

French civilians

Germany must becrippled or we will never

feel safe again.

This war wasGermany's fault. Theymust be punished.

We may have won thewar, but we are nearlybankrupt. We mustrebuild trade and

prosperity.

armistice; ceasefire; democratic; humiliated;Kaiser; League of Nations; PresidentThe key thing to grasp is that

the end of the war did notend the hatred. Try toremember at least two majorproblems that concernedpeople at the end of the war.

It's time for the USA to make theworld a better place. I want to endrivalry between nations. I want smallnations to rule themselves. I want a

LEAGUE OF NATIONS to help to keep peace. PRESIDENT Wilson of the USA

The cost of the Great War* Troops killed: 8 million.* Troops wounded: 21 million. British civilians* Casualties for selected

countries: Germany - 2 million;Russia - 1.75 million; Britishempire - 3.2 million.* France lost 250,000 buildingsand 8000 square miles ofagricultural land. Around 60per cent of France's youngmen were either killed orwounded.* Britain spent around £9 billionon the war.* Germany, Russia and the British Prime Minister, L10yd GeorgeAustrian empire all collapsed inrevolution.* To make matters worse, a fluepidemic spread throughEurope in the winter of1918-19. It killed around 20million people.

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Germanyshould giveback all theland it tookfrom Russia.

Fighting ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day ofthe eleventh month in 1918, with an ARMISTICE or CEASEFIRE.The Great War was the bloodiest, costliest war that the

world had ever known. The Factfile on page 55 gives yousome of the raw details. What do you think people aroundEurope would be thinking after such an awful war?

You are one of President Wilson'spolitical advisers. Write him ashort memo beginning:

Dear Mr PresidentYou have said you intend tomake the world a better place.This may be more difficult thanyou think. You need to knowwhat people in Europe arethinking at the moment. Forexample ...

An armistice'? I don't believeit. We should be flghting on!Germany will never be beaten.Those weak politicians at home

have let us down.

The KAISER has leftGermany. We run thecountry now, but it's in

ruins. People are starving.They feel HUMILIATED bydefeat. They are alreadyblaming us for their

problems, but what can wedo about it'?

Parts of our countryare a wasteland. TheGermans must pay forwhat they have done.

Ayoung corporal from the German army

The old Austrian empire isflnished. Now we can buildnew nations, and rule

ourselves. But how can wedecide where the borders ofthese new countries will be'?

Peoples of Eastern Europe (Serbs, Croats,Czechs)

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_ 3.2 What did the Big Three want?

Your most important aimshould be to name each ofthe Big Three and at leastone priority for each of themat the peace talks. Addedbonus: list two issues thatthey disagreed about.

Key worM compensation; conference; ideal; justice; longterm; reparations; security; self-determination;treaty

Welcome to Paris. Actually, you are just outside Paris, at thePalace of Versailles. The leaders of the winning countries inthe Great War are here. They are discussing how to put theworld back together again.The Germans are here, but they will have no say in any

of the talks. They will be told to sign a peace TREATY oncethe Big Three have worked out the details. Germany is inno state to restart the war so it has to accept what the BigThree say.Who are the Big Three? Have a look!

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David L10yd George, BritainBackground:• Poor Welsh boy made good.• Brilliant lawyer and clever talker.• Known for being sneaky at times.Relationship with people back home:• People back home are saying thingslike: 'Squeeze Germany like a lemon.'They will only be happy with a treatythat punishes Germany.

Relationship with other two:• He is annoyed with Wilson for sayingthat Britain should give freedom toits colonies.

• Clemenceau has already tried to hit him!

Priorities:• Peace and trade: he wants peace inEurope that will last. This will allowBritain to rebuild its trade.

• The British empire: he will take someof Germany's colonies if he getsthe chance.

• But he has to keep people at homehappy, too.

Woodrow Wilson, the USABackground:• Brilliant scholar from highly respectable American family.Relationship with people back home:• He wants the USA to get involved in world politics as a force for good.But casualties in the war have horrified Americans. They want to be freeof Europe's problems.

• His political enemies back home will take any chance to get him.Relationship with other two:• He thinks L10yd George and Clemenceau are too selfish.They are just trying to get a good deal for their own countries.

• He, on the other hand, is trying to make the world a safer place.

Priorities:• Apeace treaty that will be fair. He thinks Germany should be punishedbut not humiliated.

• He set out his aims in January 1918 in his 'Fourteen Points', amixtureof IDEALS and practical measures. These included:- SELF-DETERMINATION - peoples in Austro-Hungarian empire to rulethemselves in their own countries; people in colonies to have a say intheir own government.- League of Nations - a sort of international police force to helpcountries to sort out disputes without going to war.

FOCl«taskWho wanted what at the Paris PeaceCONFERENCE?

1 On the right is a list of statements that might havebeen made by one of the Big Three. Read themcarefully. Then read about the Big Three below.

2 Decide which of the Big Three could have saidwhich statements. You may think that somestatements could have been said by more thanone leader.

3 Finally, decide:• which statements the leader would have madein open discussions (and in front of journalists)

• which statements would have been privatethoughts, or voiced only at secret meetingsbehind the scenes.

Georges Clemenceau,FranceBackground:• Journalist and politician sincethe 1870s.

Relationship with people backhome:• Under a lot of pressure to makeFrance safe from German attacksin the future. For most Frenchpeople, this means cripplingGermany.

Relationship with other two:• He thinks Wilson is too idealistic.

He does not trust lIoyd George.• He thinks neither of them reallycares about France.

Priorities:• Future SECURITY for France fromany German attack.

• COMPENSATION from Germany(REPARATIONS) for the damagecaused by the war.

StatementsA Germany was our number two trading partner

before the war. Rebuilding Germany means jobs forour workers.

B How can I talk to a man who thinks he is the firstperson for 2000 years who knows anything aboutpeace'?

C I demand JUSTICE for the harm done to us. Germanymust pay very large reparations.

D I want a fair peace. I do not wish to crush Germanyor expand our empire.

E I want no German armed forces on my border.

F I want to see Germany broken up into smallerstates.

G I want to see Germany's armed forces reduced tothe very minimum.

H It is right that Germany should pay somereparations for the damage it has done.

I L10yd George is more interested in trade thanFrance's security.

J The French have only one thought. If we are tooharsh, Germany will want revenge one day.

K The Germans will never be able to pay thereparations we are asking. But I have to demandreparations because people at home expect me to.

L We are all using words like 'right' and Justice'. Dowe really mean what we say'?

M We cannot compete with Germany in the LONG TERM,but we can weaken it for many years.

N We must have a peace without winners and losers.Otherwise, the losers will want revenge one day.

o We should all reduce our armies and navies.

P We should be as harsh on Germany as it was onRussia last year - it took 40 per cent of Russia'sbest land.

SOURCE 1The excitement was tense in the extreme, as, with tremblinghand, the German minister . .. took the pen andplaced hissignature to paper. Everyone felt the tremendous significance[importance} ofthe moment. Not a word was spoken, and thefall ofa pin could be heard in the famous gallery. There wasjust the rustle ofshutters ofthe cameras ofthe pressphotographers.

From the BritiSh newspaper, the People, 29 June 1919.

POLAND

HUNGARY

0 ESTONIA \\_.,

SWEDEN! /l X""Danzig (free city) run r_._ ./

by.League of .Nations.. LITHUANIA ..This was to give f

Poland a sea port. .::-J To Ib '_.._> _ ,.

....., i........./

UNION forbidden between ,......, "__ _A_us_tr_ia_, __ __ '-'-'-'I-'-'-'-'-'_:'-'-'_/

\. /_.., .iAUSTRIA )-. ./

:- .... .-1'.I

SOURCE 2

.ORWAyr/ -

Germany signs the treatyAfter months of disputes, a treaty was finalised. On 28 June1919, the Germans signed the Treaty of Versailles.

N

t

No Germantroops allowed inthe Rhineland.

Scaleo 500km,-,---------',

North Sea

Key

The more you know about theTreaty of Versailles, the moreit will help you. Aim toremember at least three keyterms of the treaty.

Land taken awayfrom GermanyD No Germantroops allowedD Independentstates

11 3.3 The Treaty of Versailles:winners and losers

bA¥fwordi mark; Polish corridor; union

62 How the Treaty of Versailles changed German territory.

Why did the Big Three not get the treatythey wanted?The Big Three had conflicting aims so they could not allget what they wanted. But, in fact, none of them waspleased with the treaty.

• Clemenceau wanted the treaty to be much harsher. Forexample, he wanted Germany broken up into smallerstates. Wilson stopped this from happening.

• Wilson thought that the treaty was far too harsh and thatone day Germany would seek revenge. He said that if hewere a German he would not have signed it.

• Lloyd George had most reason to be pleased. He camehome to a hero's welcome, but he later said that thetreaty was a great pity and he predicted that it wouldcause another war.

Read the terms of the Treatyof Versailles and make a table torecord the main points.• In column 1, show some of theaims of the Big Three.

• In column 2, write examplesfrom the treaty that seemdesigned to achieve this aim.

• In column 3, note down whichof the Big Three would approveof this aim. It might be morethan one of them.

TERMS OF THE TREATY

From these two pages, workout which term upset theGermans the most.

SOURCE 3

PARIS GOESWILD WITH JOY

Paris went wild with joylast night when news of

the Germans'unconditional climb-downarrived, and expressed itsfeelings in the traditionalway - flags, processions,gun firing, illuminations[lights], cheering.

Reactions to the treatyLet's do a quick tour of Europe to see the reactions to thetreaty. Remember that the war was not technically over untilthe treaty was signed.

FranceThe treaty was greeted with enthusiasm and there werecelebrations on the streets of Paris. The war was nowdefinitely over. France had won. It looked as though thethreat from Germany had ended.

BritainMost people in Britain supported the treaty. They felt thatGermany had got what it deserved. They saw Lloyd Georgeas a hero. The King went to meet him at the train stationwhen he returned from Paris!However, some British people were worried. They asked

whether this treaty would bring peace, and they worriedabout Germany's reaction to it. But most people thought theGermans were just complaining. They would soon get overit, wouldn't they?

From the British newspaper, SOURCE 5the Star, 24 June 1919.

SOURCE 4 PEACE WITH VIGILANCE

THE PEACE THATIS NO PEACE

From the British newspaper, theDaily Herald, 8 May 1919.

... though we have paralysed Germany on land, at sea andin the air, we have not destroyed totally her power for evil.

Germany is still a menace.

From the British newspaper, the Daily Mail, 30 June 1919.

SOURCE 6

LONDON'SJOYThere were great scenes outside Buckingham Palace,where all day Londoners flocked in their thousands tocheer the King and Queen ... The West-End wasnaturally the objective of all who felt the need of releasingpent-up feelings of enthusiasm, and there were carnivalscenes everywhere, but no rowdiness, only boisterousmerriment and noise.

From the British newspaper, the Daily Chronicle, 30 June 1919.

Acartoon in the German magazine Simplicissimus,1919.

SOURCE 7

THE TREATY IS ONLYASCRAP OF PAPERI

From the German newspaper, Deutsche Zeitung(German News), 30 June 1919.

We will seek vengeancefor the shame of 1919.

FOcurtMkWhy did Germans object so bitterly to the Treaty of Versailles?

1 Draw up your own version of this diagram.2 From pages 62-65 note any features of the treatythat you think would upset the Germans. Write eachone in one of the empty 'clouds'.

3 In small groups, discuss why each feature wouldupset them and then add the reason to your diagram.

4 As a group, discuss which term you think wouldupset them the most. There are no right answers tothis question!

5 Now choose two German complaints. Make up arhyme or word that will help you remember them (likeGARGLe on page 63). Try more than two complaintsif you can.

GermanyYou will not be surprised to learn that theGermans were not happy about the treaty.They lost:

• 10 per cent of their land• 12.5 per cent of their population.

Other things upset them as well.

• War guilt: they did not feel that they hadstarted the war on their own.

• The limits on the army were humiliating.• They had no say in the treaty. They werejust told to sign it.

• Millions of Germans were now ruled byforeigners.

• East Prussia was cut off from the rest ofGermany by the 'Polish corridor'.

• The German government that had to signthe treaty was not the same governmentthat took Germany into the war. Thetreaty punished the wrong people.

SOURCE 8

11 3.4 Was the treaty to blame forGermany's problems?

Your aim here is to remember:

• at least one problemGermany faced in theperiod 1919-23

• why Germans blamed theTreaty of Versailles forthat problem.

Communist; crisis; hyperinflation;instalment; Nazi

The Germans hated the Treaty of Versailles. During theyears 1919-23, the country faced one CRISIS after another.Germans blamed the treaty for these crises. The story stripon these pages shows how Germans felt during thesetroubled years.

The government told thefactory workers to strikeso that there was nothingfor the French to take. ** But that also meant thatthe rest of Germanysuffered.

French troops bulliedGerman civilians

I don't likesigning this, but Ihave no choice.

The government stopped paying_;:JHelga's war pension. They blamed the

=::1::.::..;....-.--1Treaty. *May 1919: the Treaty of Versaillesblamed Germany for the war, took away But the main reason it. had no moneysome of Its land and ordered it to pay IS because It had spent It all on thecompensation to other countries. war.

can do whatever theywant because of that

treaty.

ask yourself three questions.

a) What is Germany's bigproblem at this point?

b) What has this got to do withthe Treaty of Versailles?

c) What other factor(s) arecausing the problem?

Record your answers in a table.Once you have completed yourtable, write a paragraph toexplain whether you think theGermans were right to blame theTreaty of Versailles for all theirproblems.

Germans blamed all their post-war problems on the Treaty ofVersailles, but there were otherfactors as well. As you readthrough the story strip,whenever you reach a

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THE HELGA EITLING STORY

67

Helga blamed France and the treaty forGermany's problems. So did a youngNAZI called Adolf Hitler. ** You'll find out more about him later.

That caused HYPERINFLATION. Prices wentout of control. **And Helga Eitling's savings of a fewthousand marks were worthless.

yea rs. I can earn a 6:rlittle extra by

sewing.

I .After the war, food was so expensive

Helga's brothers died in the war, and her that Helga had to sell her mother'smother died in the flu epidemic of 1919. precious jewellery just to eat.

Soon everyone was running out ofmoney. Instead of trying to talk to theFrench, the government printed moremoney.

11 3.5 Were the peacemakers 'very stupid men'?

The key point here is thatpeople disagreed about thetreaty in 1919 and they stilldo! Aim to remember:

• three points arguing thatthe treaty was unfair

• three points arguing thatthe treaty was fair.

SOURCE 1The historian, with everyjustification, will come to theconclusion that we were verystupid men. We arriveddetermined to get a peace ofjustice and wisdom. We leftfeeling that the terms weimposed on our enemieswere neither just nor wise.Sir Harold Nicolson, writing in his

diary, 1919.

WOrM public opinion

Sir Harold Nicolson, a top British diplomat, was at most ofthe Paris Peace Conference. Source 1 gives his view of thetreaty at the time.Some historians agree with him. They say that the

peacemakers made some big mistakes. The treaty was notjust (fair) or wise. It stored up big problems for the future.Other historians disagree. They say that the treaty was thefairest that could have been made at the time and that thepeacemakers had an impossible job. The chart below showssome of the arguments each side uses.Historians will never agree about this. Our view of the

treaty is affected by hindsight - by what we knowhappened next. We know that the treaty helped Hitlerbecome leader of Germany and that, in turn, helped to leadto the Second World War.However, try to forget that for a while. Just by looking at

the period up to 1923 - from that evidence alone - is itright to call the makers of the treaty 'very stupid men'?

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Against the treaty• The treaty punished the wrong people.The German government that was forcedto sign the treaty was not the samegovernment that took Germany into thewar. The treaty should have tried to buildup the fragile, newly elected government.Instead, the treaty knocked it back beforeit even got started.

• The treaty should not have blamedGermany. Germany was not the onlycountry to blame for the war.

• The treaty damaged Germany enough tocause resentment, but left Germanystrong enough to seek revenge. It shouldhave been either less harsh or moreharsh.

For the treaty• The treaty was much less harsh onGermany than PUBLIC OPINION in thewinning countries demanded. In fact,the peacemakers held back.

• The treaty was much less harsh than theGermans would have been if they had won.The Germans had been very hard on theRussians in 1918. Germany had alwaysplanned to pay its war debts by winningthe war and making other states payreparations.

• The treaty did not cause Germany'sproblems - bad government did. Germanycould easily have paid the reparations if ithad wanted to. As soon as a good leadertook charge after 1923, Germany sortedout its problems very quickly.

SOURCE 3

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Supports theview that thetreaty wasnot wisebecause ...

Supports theview that thepeacemakershad a veryhard jobbecause ...

Supports theview that thetreaty wasfairbecause ...

Supports theview that thetreaty wasnot justbecause ...

Point/pieceof evidence

Point/pieceof evidence

4 Now write a paragraph saying which view of thetreaty you hold.

Part 1: the case against the Treaty of Versailles1 Look back at all your work in this chapter. Collect allthe evidence that supports the view that the treatywas not just or wise.

You could look at:• the terms of the treaty(page 63)

• the reactions to the treaty (pages 64-65)• the problems Germany faced because of thetreaty, 1919-23 (pages 66-67),

Remember you are only looking for evidence againstthe treaty just now.

2 Choose four key points from your evidence and writethem into a table like the one above.Some points could provide evidence for bothcolumns 2 and 3.

Part 2: the case for the Treaty of Versailles3 Now look at the arguments for the treaty on thescales on page 68. Look for evidence in this chapterto support each point. Write it in a table like this.

It is now time to prepare your class quiz, based on theyellow notes at the beginning of each section. Yourteacher can give you a sheet to help you.

A British cartoon from 1920.

GnU.ulT. "HELP I HELP I i DROWN ,. THROW ME THE LIFE·BELT I"

Ma. LI.oTD '''TRY 'UP ON YOUR FEET."M. BnuND •.. T .

PEACE AND FUTURE CANNON FODDER

If

SOURCE 2

ABritish cartoon from 1920. The '1940 class', inthe form of a weeping child, represents the children

born in the 1920s who might die in a future war.'The Tiger' was the nickname for Clemenceau.