Peace Settlement

Expectations and Reality of the Paris Peace Conference

Germany's expectations, and the reality of, the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 were very different. Germany did not have a voice at the conference.

Expectations of the Paris Peace Conference

Germany had expected to negotiate a peace based on Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points.
Wilson’s key ideas were: self-determination; free trade; a general reduction in armaments; and a new international body, the League of Nations, to settle disputes; and ensure peace through collective security.
Hite and Hinton (2000):
- ‘Germany hoped the Fourteen Points … would lead to a fair peace: they were in for a major shock.’

The 'Big Four'

The 'Big Four' (Britain, France, Italy, USA) met in January 1919. France, Britain and Italy carried most weight because they had been damaged most, especially France.
France had been attacked by Germany twice (1871 and 1914) and wanted it permanently weakened to ensure French national security.

November Criminals

The German delegates arrived in Paris in April expecting to negotiate, but found they had observer status only.
By April 1919, Germany’s army had been demobilised. Britain’s navy was still blockading its ports while French and Belgian troops were poised on its border.
In May 1919, Germany was presented with a list of non-negotiable demands.
The new German government signed The Treaty of Versailles. German opinion called it a Diktat and branded those who signed it as ‘November Criminals.’

Terms and Problems at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919

The main aspects of the Treaty of Versailles were territorial issues, demilitarisation, reparations and war guilt.

Territorial issues for Germany

Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France.
Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium.
The coal-rich Saarland was given to France for 15 years. There would then be a plebiscite to determine its future.
Poland got Poznań and West Prussia, separating East Prussia from Germany. The port of Danzig became a ‘free city’ under League of Nations control.
Czechoslovakia was given the Sudetenland.
Control of Germany’s overseas colonies was given mainly to Britain and France.
Anschluss (unification) with Austria was forbidden.

Demilitarisation

Germany’s army was cut to 100,000 troops and conscription was banned.
There were to be no tanks, military aircraft, submarines or vessels over 10,000 tons.
The Rhineland was demilitarised. Allied troops occupied its west bank and would stay there for 15 years.

The War Guilt Clause

Article 231 – the ‘War Guilt Clause’ – made Germany accept responsibility for starting the war and so all the losses that resulted.
Article 231 led to Germany paying reparations. A commission decided the amount. These were set in April 1921 at £6.6 billion (132 billion gold marks).

Attitudes to the Treaty of Versailles

Countries wanted to treat Germany with differing degrees of severity. This was largely driven by how World War One had impacted them.

Impact of World War One

Dead: 1.3 million in France; one million in Britain; two million in Germany
- The war dead left widows and orphans to be cared for.
Wounded: four million in France; two million in Britain; 6.3 million in Germany.
In France, 300,000 buildings and 21,000 square km of farmland was destroyed. The war was not fought on British or German soil, so such damage was small.
Belgium’s economic losses were so large that it needed a hefty loan from the Allies to repair the damage done to its economy and infrastructure.

Would Germany have been less harsh?

Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg issued a memo on 9 September 1914 that detailed the annexation of French and Belgian territory to Germany as a war aim.
The Bethmann-Hollweg memo also said that Germany was aiming for: ‘A commercial treaty that makes France economically dependent on Germany'.
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty of March 1918 required Russia to give up almost half its European territory.
- Cavnedish (2008): ‘[The terms] were very harsh'.

French attitudes

1914 was the second time in living memory that Germany had invaded France.
France wanted both compensation for what had happened and to make sure that it would not happen again. So Germany needed to be weakened.
Barros (2006):
- ‘French definition of disarmament, “moral disarmament” … required convincing controls over German's material capability for war.’
Reaction to Versailles:
- ‘People approved of the reparations ... However, there was a strong sense that Germany still threatened France.’

British attitudes

Lloyd-George did not want too harsh a treaty on Germany because it was an important trading partner for Britain.
But the public mood was very anti-German. ‘Hang the Kaiser’ and ‘Make Germany Pay’ were popular slogans.
Lloyd-George was facing re-re-election in the UK in December and had to pay heed to popular opinion.

Impact of Versailles on Germany

Versailles damaged national pride and reduced the size of Germany and its army. The war guilt clause and reparations bill were deeply resented.
Although you could argue that Treaty damaged Germany economically, it was a source of anger and propaganda for German nationalists.
7 million Germans found themselves living as minorities in other countries.
The new Weimar Republic was associated with signing it, as well as being blamed for the defeat by the army’s stab-in-the-back myth.

Assessment of Versailles

Preuss (1923):
- ‘The criminal madness of the Versailles Diktat was a shameless blow … The [Republic] constitution was born with this curse upon it'.
Troeltsch (1919):
- ‘This … peace was possible because of the formal German declaration of war and its invasion of Belgium, thus making Germany exclusively responsible…’
More recently, historians such as Hiden (1974) have concluded that the ultimate failure of the Weimar Republic cannot be blamed on Versailles.

1The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

1.1Establishment Of The Weimar Republic 1918-1924

1.1.1Post WW1

1.1.2Weimar Constitution

1.1.3Peace Settlement

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Germany Post WW1

1.1.5Economic Issues

1.1.6Economic Issues 2

1.1.7Social Issues

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Economic & Social Issues

1.1.9Extremist Threats

1.1.10Extremist Threats 2

1.1.11End of Topic Test - Extremist Threats

1.1.12Political Instability & The Invasion of the Ruhr

1.1.13Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.14End of Topic Test - Weimar Government by 1924

1.1.15A-A* (AO3/4) - Germany Post WW1

1.2The 'Golden Age' Of The Weimar Republic 1924-1928

1.2.1Economic Developments

1.2.2Industry & Agriculture

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Economic Developments

1.2.4Social Developments

1.2.5Social Developments 2

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Social Developments

1.2.7Political Parties

1.2.8Political Stability

1.2.9End of Topic Test - Weimar Politics

1.2.10Germany's International Position

1.2.11Germany's International Position 2

1.2.12End of Topic Test - International Position

1.2.13A-A* (AO3/4) - The Weimar 'Golden Age'

1.3The Collapse of Democracy 1928-1933

1.3.1The Impact Of The Depression

1.3.2Politics After The Depression

1.3.3The Appeal Of Extremism

1.3.4End of Topic Test - The Depression & Politics

1.3.5'Backstairs Intrigue'

1.3.6'Backstairs Intrigue' 2

1.3.7End of Topic Test - Backstairs Intrigue

1.3.8Political Developments

1.3.9The State by March 1933

1.3.10End of Topic Test - Political Developments

1.3.11A-A* (AO3/4) - The Collapse of Democracy

2Nazi Germany 1933-1945

2.1The Nazi Dictatorship 1933-1939

2.1.1Hitler's Consolidation Of Power

2.1.2The Terror State

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Consolidation of Power

2.1.4Opposition

2.1.5Propaganda

2.1.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Terror State & Propaganda

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Propaganda

2.1.8Economic Policies

2.1.9Economic Policies 2

2.1.10Impact Of Economic Policies

2.1.11Impact Of Economic Policies 2

2.1.12End of Topic Test - Economic Policies

2.1.13Social Policies

2.1.14Social Policies 2

2.1.15Volksgemeinschaft

2.1.16End of Topic Test - Social Policies

2.1.17A-A* (AO3/4) - Economic & Social Policies

2.2The Racial State 1933-1941

2.2.1The Radicalisation Of The State

2.2.2Anti-Semitism

2.2.3Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies

2.2.4Development Of Anti-Semitic Policies 2

2.2.5End of Topic Test - Anti-Semitism

2.2.6Treatment of the Jews in the Early Years of War

2.2.7Deportation & Anti-Semitism Evaluation

2.2.8End of Topic Test - Early Treatment of the Jews

2.2.9A-A* (AO3/4) - The Racial State

2.3The Impact Of War 1939-1945

2.3.1Home Front

2.3.2Impact On Society

2.3.3Impact On Society 2

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Impact of the War

2.3.5War Economy

2.3.6War Economy 2

2.3.7Policies Towards The Jews & Untermenschen

2.3.8A-A* (AO3/4) - Impact of the War

2.3.9End of Topic Test - War Economy

2.3.10Opposition

2.3.11Opposition 2

2.3.12Nazi State by 1945

2.3.13End of Topic Test - Opposition

2.3.14A-A* (AO3/4) - Opposition & The State in 1945

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