Chapter 1�Impact of World War One in Europe

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES A FAIR TREATY?

Background to World War One

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES A FAIR TREATY?

Background to World War One

Competition for Colonies

Competition for Colonies

Arms and Naval Race

Arms and Naval Race

Arms and Naval Race

The British battleship – HMS Vanguard

Military Alliances between Countries

1882 The Triple Alliance of Central Powers

• Austria-Hungary
• Germany
• Italy

1907 The Triple Entente of Allied Powers

• Britain
• France
• Russia

Military Alliances between Countries

Nationalism in the Balkans region

1908 –

BOSNIA became part of Austria Hungary

SERBIA remained independent

Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary

28 June 1914

Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary

Ow!

Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary

Gavrilo Princip, the Serbian member of the “Black Hand” terrorist group which carried out the assassination

Events leading to the outbreak of War

28 June Archduke assassinated

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28 July Austria-Hungary declare war on Serbia

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29 July Russia joined in with Serbia

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1 Aug Germany joined AH against Russia

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4 Aug Russia, France and Britain were at war with Germany / Austria-Hungary

Impact of the War

• Large scale war with mass destruction – economic and social

Impact of the War

• Great numbers of dead and wounded

Impact of the War

• The Armistice – Nov 1918 and the surrender of Germany

• The Paris Peace Conference 1918

Georges Clemenceau FRANCE

Woodrow Wilson

USA

David Lloyd George BRITAIN

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

What is a fair treaty?

A fair treaty is perceived as one that is balanced. The concerns of all parties involved are duly considered, including the offending party.

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An unfair treaty is one that is mainly punitive and not consultative, representing the views of only one side.

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The Treaty of Versailles 1919

Is it possible for a treaty to be fair to all parties?

It is difficult for any treaty to be fair to all parties as the concerns of the various parties often clash.

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The parties have to be willing to compromise on some of their demands in order to reach a balanced treaty.

Purpose

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To Punish Germany, and obtain

reparations from her

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To Prevent another war from

taking place

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To ensure Peace

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The Paris Peace Conference 1919

What the “Big 3” wanted from the Conference and Treaty

FRANCE

USA

BRITAIN

Reparations for war damage & keep Germany weak

Self – Determination & an international organisation to preserve peace

Justice for the war, Peace, and keep Germany weak!

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

War Guilt Clause

Germany blamed for the war and forced to pay Reparations

Allied forces

6,600 million Pounds

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

Why did the Allies insist on the War Guilt Clause?

They were bitter about the losses they had suffered in World War 1, in terms of loss of lives, damage to property and even economic instability.

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They wanted Germany to shoulder the blame. This would justify the demands by the Allied powers.

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Territorial Reductions

German and Austrian lands redistributed among the neighbouring Allied countries

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

Military Terms - Demilitarization

Designed to weaken Germany’s military power

German army reduced

All weapons destroyed

Conscription banned

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No airforce

Navy limited to 6 battleships

The Rhineland to be demilitarised

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Self-Determination

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People from Austria-Hungary allowed

To govern themselves

Formation of the League of Nations

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To maintain world peace

The Treaty of Versailles 1919

Were the concerns of the various powers valid?

Many of the various powers had valid concerns about Germany having the power to start another major worldwide conflict in the future.

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However, many of their concerns (Italy & Japan) were also with regard to claiming territories for their own expansion, and to placate their own populaces with specific outcomes after the war.

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Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

German humiliation

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Regarded the treaty as unfair for forcing Germany to accept total blame for causing the war

VENGEANCE! GERMAN NATION. Today in Versailles, the disgraceful treaty is being signed. Do not forget it. The German people will … reconquer the place among nations …. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919!”

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

German territorial reductions

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• Reduced German military

power

• Lost overseas colonies
• Lost resource-rich lands

eg Rhineland,

Saar coal fields

• No more union with

Austria-Hungary

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Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

A German postcard, produced about the time of the Treaty of Versailles, showing the land where Germans lived.   The areas in red are the lands given to other countries by the Treaty of Versailles,( including the land lost by Austria).   

Its title is

'Lost but not forgotten land'.

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The poem under the map reads:

 You must carve in your heart

 These words, as in stone -

  What we have lost

  Will be regained!

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

Another German postcard produced about the time of the Treaty of Versailles.   

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Its title is

'Hands off German Homeland'.  

On the stone (bottom left) is written 'd.ö.' standing for

Deutsch-österreich (German Austria).

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

German military weakness

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• To prevent Germany starting any war

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• Unable now to defend herself

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Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

German economic weakness

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• Germany had to pay high cost in Reparations; unable to keep up with payments

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• Valuable coal and other resources were surrendered to the Allies

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• Lost much of the male population

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• 1923 France soldiers entered the Ruhr industrial region to confiscate German coal

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• German industrial strikes and unhappiness

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French Occupation of the German industrial region of Ruhr 1923

Self Determination and the Creation of new boundaries

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• Principle of Self-Determination led to the break up of old existing empires such as the Austria-Hungary empire

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• The new independent nation states however, had many different ethnic groups

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• Many new states consisted of peoples

from different ethnic groups

eg Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia

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• Many ethnic groups also found themselves

now outside the borders of countries with

their own ethnic community

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WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON FOR THE WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS?

1919

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Collapse of the Balance of Power

Collapse of the Balance of Power

• After WWI, major European countries and empires had broken up
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman empire, Russia
• Many nationalist groups wanted independence

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Pre-WW1 Balance

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Collapse of the Balance of Power

Pre-WW1 Balance

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

The Paris Peace Conference

• W. Wilson wanted lasting peace
• His 14-Points mentioned the forming of an international association of nations
• League of Nations established in June 1919
• But USA did not become a member

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Aims of the League of Nations

Collective Security

• All member states of the League working together
• Prevent wars and conflict
• International cooperation and commitment to good relations

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Aims of the League of Nations

Disarmament

• Reduce military capabilities of countries, especially Germany
• Reduce ability of countries to wage war

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structure of the League of Nations

Structure

• A General Assembly
• A Council of 4 permanent members (Britain, France, Italy and Japan)
• Agencies and Commissions
• Secretariat
• Conference of Ambassadors

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Peacekeeping Measures of the League of Nations

Peacekeeping measures

• Military sanctions – “arms embargo” – stop the sale of arms
• Peaceful arbitration - discussion
• Moral persuasion – condemn culprit
• Economic sanctions (boycott)
• Disarmament

NO ABILITY TO USE COMBINED ARMIES TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS

ORIGINS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Territorial Disputes in the 1920s

• Aaland Islands (1921)
• Memel (1923)
• Vilna (1923)
• The Ruhr (1923)
• Upper Silesia (1921)
• Albania (1920)
• The Greek-Bulgarian border (1925)
• Corfu (1923)

Was the L o N successful in resolving these disputes?

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

• Member states did not cooperate
• Tense relationship between Assembly and Council
• Any action needed unanimous vote by the Council; 2/3 vote by Assembly
• Members of Council had power of veto

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

Lack of Authority and Credibility

• Established by Treaty of Versailles
• Perceived to be the League of the victorious nations who signed Treaty
• Ineffective peace-keeping measures

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

Limited Membership of the League

• Only 42 countries were members
• Many faced economic problems at home
• Did not want to get too involved in world affairs

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

Limited Membership of the League

• USA, the strongest nation, eventually did not join the League
• The government did not want to be involved in international problems

ISOLATIONISM

NON-INTERVENTIONIST

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

AMERICAN ISOLATIONISM

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

AMERICAN ISOLATIONISM

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

What is this cartoon trying to tell us about the relationship between the USA and the League?

The cartoon is trying to tell us that the USA was not a member of the League of Nations and did not play an active role in helping to resolve international conflicts, even though the League of Nations was conceived by the USA.

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

• What do you think the cartoonist is trying to tell us about the League in this cartoon?

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• Did the cartoonist think that ‘moral suasion’ was going to be effective?

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

What do you think the cartoonist is trying to tell us about the League in this cartoon?

The cartoon is trying to tell us that the League has no practical or effective means by which to impose its will and defend itself against a strong predator.

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

Did the cartoonist think that ‘moral suasion’ was going to be effective?

The cartoonist did not think so. The cartoonist has likened ‘moral suasion’ to the power of the rabbit’s eye, which would be completely ineffective in protecting the rabbit from the snake. In the same way, the League has no effective defence against aggressive powers, making it almost inevitable that international strife will overtake the League. The League indeed backed down in the face of threats by strong powers such as France, Japan & Italy.

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Structural Weakness

• Germany not allowed to join
• Communist Russia not allowed in until 1934

1919

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Post War attitudes of major powers

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Post War attitudes of major powers

Appeasement and Distrust

• Unwillingness to work with League to maintain world peace
• Britain and the Policy of Appeasement (giving in to aggressive nation in the hope that it would stop the aggression)
• Distrust led to failure to disarm

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Post War attitudes of major powers

Appeasement and Distrust

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Key Failures of the League in the 1930s

Manchuria 1931

• The Japanese invasion of Manchuria

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Key Failures of the League in the 1930s

Abyssinia 1935-36

• The Italian invasion of Abyssinia

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Key Failures of the League in the 1930s

Abyssinia 1935-36

• The Italian invasion of Abyssinia

REASONS FOR WEAKNESS OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Key Failures of the League in the 1930s

Abyssinia 1935-36

• The Italian invasion of Abyssinia

Italy Invades Abyssinia – Oct 1935

Meanwhile…..what was happening in the League?

• Discussion #1 – Stop selling rubber and metal to Italy
• Discussion #2 – Stop selling oil to Italy

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Hmmm…. Nothing much, actually ….

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Ethiopian Emperor Haille Sallassie

Tutorial 1

• Define “Nationalism.” (2m)

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Nationalism is the desire for the state or nation to govern themselves, free from foreign control.

Tutorial 1

2. Describe one example in which the system of alliances led to WW1. (4m)

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Countries made alliances with other countries to ensure assistance in times of war. The Triple Entente consists of Britain, France and Russia (The Allies) and the Triple Alliance consists of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (The Central Powers). When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia intervened as the Serbs had the support of the Russians. Due to the alliance system, the conflict quickly expanded to involve the major powers. Germany and Austria on one side, and Britain, France and Russia on the other.

Tutorial 1

5. What is the message of this source? (5m)

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Point

To show how severely/harshly Germany had been treated by the TOV (L1/1m)

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Evidence

The soldiers of the other countries surrounding Germany are very large / The Allied soldiers are holding a long and heavy chain, about to surround Germany, perhaps to tie her up with it (L2/2-3m)

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Explain

- This means that Germany has been very weakened by the military terms of the TOV

- This also suggests the total control of Germany by other countries and was greatly resented by the Germans (L3/4-5m)

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Tutorial 1

6. From the source, what can we learn about the feelings of the German people towards the TOV? (5m)

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Point

Anger, resentment, etc. (L1/1m)

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Evidence

The words for the postcard are “hands off the German Homeland” which refers to both Germany and Austria, since the stone has the words “German Austria” on it. (L2/2-3m)

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Explain

- The words in the postcard mean that the Germans were unhappy with the TOV attempting to interfere in the German homeland / They saw the TOV as an attempt to destroy the German Austrian way of life (L3/4-5m)

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Tutorial 1

7. What is the difference between “economic sanctions” and “military sanctions”?

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The difference between both sanctions are that one deals with trade and stop trading with the offending nations while the other deals with arms and military weapons and ban those sale to the offending nations.

Tutorial 1

8a. How did the limited membership of the League weakened the effectiveness of the League of Nations?

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Although there were 42 nations involved in the League, more and more of them faced their own national economic problems and were reluctant to get involved in the matters of other countries. US, was very powerful economically and militarily was not even a member. Germany and Russia only permitted to join in 1926 and 1934 respectively. This greatly weakened the effectiveness of the League.

Tutorial 1

8b. How did the “pacifist” and “isolationist attitudes” weakened the effectiveness of the League of Nations?

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Britain and France suffered tremendously and this made them more inclined towards pacifist attitude. They focused solely only on Germany, keeping her as weak as possible. This is where Japan and Italy took advantage of this attitude with the occupation of Manchuria by Japan and Abyssinia by Italy. The League was powerless to stop the invasion. To make matter worse, US continued to practice isolationism, keeping herself away from the issues of Europe. The League was doomed from the start.

Tutorial 1

8c. How did the policy of appeasement weakened the effectiveness of the League of Nations?

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Britain and France refused to use military aggression in any conflict. They chose a policy of appeasement where they hoped through negotiation and discussion, the offending nation would give in so as to avoid war. This is where they got it wrong. The case was Japan occupation of Manchuria and Italy invasion of Abyssinia. Britain and France unable to stop Japan and Italy. Thus, the policy of appeasement weakened the effectiveness of the League.