Treaty of Versailles and its Consequences

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1 Treaty of Versailles and its Consequences Although the final German attack in 1918 was defeated, the German army did not collapse. It retreated slowly, without panicking. When the German Kaiser left the throne and the new Weimar government took over, they signed the armistice ending the war. Many German soldiers did not feel like they had been defeated. Some soldiers wanted to go on fighting and blamed the new government for betraying the soldiers - they said the government had "stabbed the army in the back." They called the new government the "November Criminals." one of the soldiers who believed this was Adolf Hitler, and these ideas became very popular in Germany and helped Hitler come to power in Germany in If some German were angry about the armistice, they were even more angry about the Treaty of Versailles. Both the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, and the French Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau, openly said they wanted to make Germany "pay" - although the American President, Woodrow Wilson tried to get a fairer peace. In summary, the Treaty of Versailles, which Germany was forced to sign in June of 1919 said that : * Germany had to accept full blame for the war (War Guilt Clause) * Germany had to pay 6.6 billion pounds (called reparations) * Germany had to give all its overseas colonies to Britain and France * Germany had to hand over land to France and to Poland * Germany's armed forces were cut. Germany was allowed a small army of 100,000 men; no air force; no U-Boats or tanks, and a very small navy.

2 There were also no German army allowed in an area called the Rhineland which was located between Germany and France. The industrial area of Alsace- Lorraine was given back to France after they lost it to Germany in the Franco- Prussian War of A section of Germany was given to Poland called the Polish Corridor. This gave Poland access to the sea but cut East Prussia from the rest of Germany. The Sudetenland, an area of land between Czechoslovakia and Germany where 3 million Germans lived, was also given to Czechoslovakia. Finally, Austria, which was a small country where 7 million Germans lived, were forbidden from uniting with Germany in the future. These terms were very harsh and the German people blamed their new government for accepting these terms. This was another thing that helped Hitler come to power. Hitler and his Nazi party had promised to "tear up the Versailles Treaty" if they were elected and this promise made Hitler very popular with Germans.

3 First of all, after Hitler came to power, he began to rebuild his armed forces in direct defiance of the Versailles Treaty. In March of 1935, Hitler introduces military conscription in Germany. In 1936, Hitler then sends his troops into the Rhineland, an area where no German armed forces are allowed to enter in accordance with the Versailles Treaty because it is land bordering on both Germany and France. In the following year, Hitler announced the Anschluss or union with Austria. After World War 1, this union of Germany and Austria was banned by the Versailles Treaty. Later the same year, Hitler also sends his troops into the Sudetenland where 3 million German speaking people live on the borders of Czechoslovakia. Early into 1939, the Nazis then take control of all of Czechoslovakia. In September of 1939, the Germans then invade Poland. As a result of this invasion, Britain and France are forced to declare war on Germany and World War 2 begins. It is important to note that at each stage of Germany's violation of the Versailles Treaty, the Allies protested but did nothing to stop the Nazis. This policy of appeasement was also a major factor in the start of World War 2. Allied politicians wanted to avoid a war at all costs knowing that it would be political suicide to go to war again just 20 years after World War 1 where millions of people were killed. They hoped that by giving in to the Nazis, the Nazis would be satisfied with their gains and stop their aggressiveness in Europe. This was a false assumption as we know today.

4 Questions : 1. Why was the German army so upset after Germany surrendered in World War 1? ( 10% ) 2. Give 2 reasons why Hitler became very popular in Germany after World War 1? ( 10% ) 3. Why was Germany forbidden to have any armed forces in the Rhineland? ( 10% ) 4. What was the "War Guilt Clause"? ( 5% ) 5. What does the term "Reparations" mean? ( 5% ) 6. What was the "Anschluss"? ( 10% )

5 7. What event sparked the beginning of World War 2? ( 10% ) 8. What does the term "Appeasement" mean? ( 10% ) 9. Based on the cartoon in the case study, what is the overall theme of the cartoon? ( 5% ) A. Hitler is tired of fighting B. Hitler's next target is Britain C. Hitler wants to make another alliance with another country D. Hitler wants to appease Britain 10. Based on the cartoon in the case study, what country is represented by the patient in the seat? ( 5% ) A. France B. Austria C. Britain D. Italy 11. Based on discussions in class and from your knowledge of World War 1, which Allied country would want to punish Germany the most at the Versailles Treaty? ( 5% ) What was their purpose in punishing Germany by the harsh conditions in the treaty? ( 15% ) Country : Reason :