The treaty of versailles and worldwide depression

Unit 4b Notes

Discuss the question with your group:

What was World War I?

In November 1918 Germany surrenders to the Allied countries. The most powerful ones, being France, USA and Britain, wanted to create a treaty

that punished Germany for starting WWI.

BUT WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

Allied countries could not agree on what the treaty should include, but... They could agree on where it should take place: A French palace in a city called Versailles (near Paris, France)

In 1919, leaders from countries involved in the war met here to write a treatyTreaty outlined the terms of the winners and what they expected of the losing country

FRANCE

USA

BRITAIN

“SIGN THE TREATY OR WE WILL INVADE

YOU……ITS YOUR CHOICE!”

The treaty was dictated to Germany-- they did not have a say in it.

WAR GUILT

Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war

Disarm Germany’s Military

The Army was cut to just 100,000 men, the Navy could only have 6 battleships, and they were not allowed to build any

new planes, tanks, or submarines.

GERMAN LAND GIVEN AWAY

Germany had to give up its colonies and a bunch of land

PAY REPARATIONS

Germany had to pay $33 billion dollars.

What did the Treaty

of Versailles do?

Not only did Germany lose about 10% of its land, it also consequently lost 10% of its population. German people were now living in foreign countries.

Land taken away from Germany under the treaty of Versailles

“Today in the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles the disgraceful Treaty is being signed.

Do not forget it. The German people will press forward to reconquer the place among nations to which we deserve. Then will come revenge for the shame of 1919.”

Excerpt from a German newspaper on the day the treaty was signed...

Germany was a proud country due to its military strength and strong traditions of dominance within

that area of Europe. However, the treaty of Versailles created different feelings:

The war had left Germany almost bankrupt. As its

people starved and the country lay in

chaos, the Allies gave them a bill (Treaty of Versailles) that they

simply could not afford to pay...

German money was only good for starting fires…

The Treaty of Versailles caused Germany to go through a depression

a time when businesses and people lost a lot of money

People who could not find jobs joined the Communist and National Socialist parties.

The National Socialist Party’s leader, Adolf Hitler, was gaining more and more power

They were also mad because the treaty said that Germany alone caused WWI. Many Germans wanted revenge

As more and more Germans became poor and angry, more and more began joining the National Socialist Party.Before long, the party is very large and it’s leader, Adolph Hitler becomes very powerful.They also change the name of the party to the Nazi Party

Germany wasn’t the only country who sufferedIn the 1930s, countries around the world fell into a worldwide economic depression

WHY?...

1929—USA experienced a stock market crash

Value of stocks began to drop so stockholders began to sell their stocks as fast as they could

Businesses could no longer sell their goods because people had less money to spend, so many had to close & workers lost their jobsPeople couldn’t repay their loans to the bank, so they lost everything (homes, farms, etc.)

Businesses around the world traded with the US:

When the US stopped buying goods, it hurt businesses in other countriesWhen US banks closed, banks in other countries were hurt tooStockholders in other countries could no longer sell their stocks to American companies

As businesses and factories around the world closed one by one, buying and selling almost stopped…