Download Treaty of Versailles League of nations

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Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
The Paris Peace Conference- aims of the Big Three
Terms of the Treaty and Germany’s reaction to it
Aims of the League of Nations
Membership of the League
Strengths and weaknesses of the League
The Manchurian Crisis
The Abyssinian Crisis
Tick
when
done
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Unit 1 exam questions:
Unit 1
4 Mark Q- describe
Unit 1
6 Mark Q- source
evaluation
Remember to MOP
Make sure you include 3
points to describe what
the question asks you to. Message of the source
Read the question
carefully!!!
Own knowledge
compared to the source
(there’s always
something that the
source doesn’t show or is
missing that you can
include!)
Unit 1
10 Mark Q- knowledge
evaluation
Explain bullet point one
Explain bullet point two
(both need to be
detailed paragraphs)
Compare and conclude,
explaining your decision
Explaining needs to say
how or why something
happened, NOT just
Purpose of the sourcewhat happened? You
why was it made? Is it
cannot get more than
trying to persuade
4/10 (40%- D grade) if
someone at the time to
you only describe the
do or think something? Is two points.
it trying to justify their
actions? Is it lying or
exaggerating? If so,
why??
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The Paris Peace Conference
10 million people died in the First World War (1914-18). The part of France where there had been fighting
(the Western Front) was totally destroyed. In January 1919 delegates from 32 countries met in Paris to
make peace after the First World War - the peace they hoped would 'end all wars'. The conference was
dominated by David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson, the leaders of Britain,
France and America, often known as the 'Big Three'.
The Big Three
Negotiations were difficult. Each of the Big Three wanted such different things, that by March 1919 it
looked as though the conference was going to break up.
What did the Big Three want?
Wilson’s 14 points- summed up in six key principles of the
Fourteen Points were:
1.
2.
3.
Setting up a League of Nations
Disarmament
Self-determination for the people of Europe - the right to
rule themselves
4.
Freedom for colonies
5.
Freedom of the seas
6.
Free trade
The Big Three: Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Wilson (l - r)
Wilson's aims:
 To end war by creating a League of Nations based on his Fourteen Points (above)
 To ensure Germany was not destroyed.
 Not to blame Germany for the war - he hated the Guilt Clause.
Clemenceau's aims:






Revenge and to punish Germany
To return Alsace-Lorraine to France.
No League of Nations.
An independent Rhineland.
Huge reparations.
To disband the German army so that Germany would never be strong enough to attack France
again.
Lloyd George:




A 'just' peace that would be tough enough to please the electors who wanted to 'make Germany
pay', but would leave Germany strong enough to trade.
Land for Britain's empire.
To safeguard Britain's naval supremacy.
However, the British people wanted the terms to be much stricter
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4 mark exam Q (describe 3 clear points)
5 mins
In January 1918 President Woodrow Wilson of the USA published the Fourteen Points, which were his
aims for peace. Describe the main features of the Fourteen Points. (4 marks).
:
4 mark exam Q (describe 3 clear points)
5 mins
Clemenceau represented France at the Paris Peace Conference which led to the Treaty of Versailles.
Describe his main aims at this conference. (4 marks)
:
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6 mark exam Q (MOP)
10 mins
Remember to MOP:
Message
Own knowledge
Study Source B.
Source B Part of a speech about the Paris Peace Conference made
1918 General Election by the British politician Sir Eric Geddes.
during the
Purpose of the source
Source B
“Germany is going to pay. We will get everything you can squeeze out of a lemon and a bit
more. They are going to be squeezed until you can hear the pips squeak. The Germans
should hand over everything they have”
Source B suggests that Britain intended to punish Germany harshly at the Paris Peace Conference.
Do you agree that this was Britain’s main aim?
Explain your answer by referring to the purpose of the source, as well as using its content and your
knowledge. [6 marks]
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The terms of the Treaty
The Germans had expected that the peace treaty would be based on President Wilson's Fourteen Points,
but it was Clemenceau who mostly got his way.
An easy way to remember the terms is to think of LAMB
They were also banned from ever making an Anschluss (joining together) with Austria
4 mark exam Q (describe 3 clear points)
5 mins
At the end of the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles took land away from Germany and gave it to other
countries. Describe these changes. (4 marks)
:
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10 mark exam Q
20 mins
Which leader was more satisfied by the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles:
 George Clemenceau of France
 David Lloyd George of Britain?
You must explain both bullet points
then conclude with your opinion and
reasons.
Remember to explain, not to describe or
waste too much time describing
Explain HOW each the leaders were
and were not happy with the terms
You must refer to the aims of both leaders and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles when explaining your
answer. (10 marks)
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How did Germany react to the terms of the Treaty?
Key term
Diktat=
In the cartoon to the left, the Big Three are shown to be executing
Germany. This was not the intention of Wilson or of Lloyd George,
but Clemenceau did want to punish Germany so harshly they
wouldn’t be able to start a war and fight France ever again.
Germany’s reaction to the Treaty
German outrage
When the Germans heard about the Treaty of Versailles, they felt ‘pain and anger’. They felt it was unfair. It was
a 'Diktat' – an IMPOSED settlement or a “dictated peace” They had not been allowed to take part in the talks –
they had just been told to sign. They couldn’t have refused as they were in no position to keep fighting.
The German reaction
On 7 May, the victors presented their Treaty to the small German delegation. Many Germans
wanted to refuse to sign the treaty; some even suggested that they start the war again. So it was
with great difficulty that the President got the Reichstag (German Parliament) to agree to sign the
treaty, and the commanding way the two German representatives were treated when they were
forced to sign made things worse.
The Germans HATED the Treaty of Versailles
The Germans hated Clause 231; this was the clause that made them take full responsibility for the war.
They said they were not to blame for the war. Clause 231 did not physically harm Germany, but it hurt
Germany's pride - and it was this, as much as anything else, that made them want to overturn the
treaty.
The Germans hated reparations; they said France and Britain were trying to starve their children to
death. At first they refused to pay, and only started paying after France and Britain invaded Germany
(January 1921).
The Germans hated their tiny army. They said they were helpless against other countries. At first they
refused to reduce the army, and the sailors sank the fleet, rather than hand it over.
The Germans also hated the loss of territory. Germany lost a tenth of its land - they claimed that the
treaty was simply an attempt to destroy their economy. Other nations were given self-determination –
but the Treaty forced Germans to live in other countries. Germans were also angry that they could not
unite with the Austrian Germans.
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10 mark exam Q
20 mins
Which part of the Treaty of Versailles made the German people
more angry:
 the land they lost
 the reduction in their armed forces?
You must refer to both parts of the treaty when explaining your
answer. (10 marks)
You must explain both bullet points
then conclude with your opinion and
reasons.
Remember to explain, not to describe or
waste too much time describing
Explain HOW and WHY each of the
terms made the Germans angry
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The aims of the League of Nations
The League of Nations was set up because President Wilson wanted this more than anything else. He
wanted the League to be a kind of ‘world parliament’, where nations would sort out their
arguments. He hoped this would stop wars. But Wilson wanted to do more than just stop war; he
wanted to make the world a better place. He wanted the League to do things to improve people’s lives
and jobs. He wanted to improve public health, and to end slavery.
Wilson also hoped that the League would persuade the nations to agree to disarmament – to reduce
and put down their weapons. That would make war impossible.
Finally, Wilson thought that the League of Nations could enforce the Treaty of Versailles, and persuade
countries to keep the promises they had made.
The aims of the League were to SIDE
Stop aggressive countries (wars)
Improve social conditions
Disarmament
Encourage cooperation between countries
Organisation
One of the biggest weaknesses was that the Organisation of the
League was a muddle. The different parts of the League were
supposed to act together; but in a crisis, no-one could agree.
1. Assembly (the League's main meeting – all members met once a
year. Decisions had to be unanimous- which was almost
impossible.)
2. Council (a small group of the more important nations – inc.
Britain, France, Italy & Japan – met 4–5 times a year).
3. Agencies (committees of the League): e.g. Permanent Court of
International Justice. Health. International Labour Organisation.
4. Secretariat (was supposed to organise the League but it was
understaffed and with so many different languages it was again
virtually impossible for the Secretariat to allow the League to
function properly)
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Membership of the League:
42 countries joined the League at the start. In the 1930s about 60 countries were members. This made
the League seem strong. Britain and France were the main members, helped by Italy and Japan. A
critical weakness was that the most powerful countries in the world were not members. The USA did
not want to join. Americans did not want to get dragged into other countries’ problems. This damaged
the League a lot. It did not have access to the prestige, influence, wealth or military power of the
United States. It was forced to rely on Britain and France, who had both been weakened by the First
World War. The Russians refused to join – they were Communists and hated Britain and France.
Germany was not allowed to join. Without these three big powers, the League was weak.
Powers of the League
The League hoped that it could influence countries to 'do the right thing' by:
1. Collective Security - countries agreeing to defend each other- strength in numbers
2. Moral Persuasion- persuading countries to see what they were doing was wrong and stop
The 'moral power' of the League lay in the League's Covenant, especially Articles 10-17, in which
members promised to keep the peace. Many writers have pointed out that this is hardly a very effective
deterrent against a powerful country which was determined to disobey the League.
In this cartoon the League is shown as a
rabbit who has no power against the evil
snake of international problems. Was this
a true representation?
Yes because…
No because…
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If these moral influences failed, the League had three powers it could use to make countries do as it
wanted. Theoretically, the League was could resort to using military force, but the League did not have an
army of its own – so if a country ignored it, in the end, there was nothing the League could do.
The Three Powers of the League
1. Condemnation (the League could tell a country it was doing wrong).
2. Arbitration (the League could offer to decide between two countries).
3. Sanctions (stopping trade, but this could harm the country who put the sanctions in place too!).
Complete this table based on the 2 previous pages:
Weaknesses of the League
Strengths of the League
The main weakness of the League of Nations was…
Because….
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a. Commission on Armaments
(1921)
The League set up an
independent commission,
but it failed to get
agreement on disarmament
because Britain objected.
b.
Poland (1920)
Poland took land from
Russia, breaking the Treaty
of Versailles. The Poles
ignored the League’s order
to stop.
c.
Slaves
The League attacked slave
traders in Africa and Burma
and freed 200,000 slaves.
d.
Disease
The League worked to
prevent malaria and
leprosy.
e. Disarmament Commission
(1926)
The League set up a
Commission to organise a
conference (but when it
eventually met in 1932, it
failed because Germany
demanded equality of
armaments with everybody
else).
f.
Prisoners of War
The League took home half
a million World War One
prisoners of war.
g.
Reparations (1921)
When the Germans refused
to pay, France and Britain
invaded Germany and
made them pay (as the
Treaty of Versailles said).
Successes and
failures of the
League in the
1920s
h.
Jobs
The International Labour
Organisation failed to
persuade countries to adopt
a 48-hour week.
i.
Economic problems
The League sent economics
experts to help Austria and
Hungary.
Read the boxes to the left
and decide if they were a
success or failure for the
League in the 1920s
j.
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
Sixty-five countries signed
the treaty to end war – but
then they just ignored it.
Colour code the boxesone colour for success and
a different colour for
failure
k
Refugees (1922)
The League set up camps
and fed Turkish refugees.
l.
SS Wimbledon case (1923)
The Court of International
Justice ruled that Germany
was wrong to refuse right of
passage through the Kiel
Canal (given in the treaty of
Versailles) to a French ship.
m.
Drugs
The League closed down
four big Swiss companies
which were selling drugs.
n.
Invasion of the Ruhr (1923)
France invaded the Ruhr in
1923 to force the Germans
to pay Reparations (as the
Treaty of Versailles said).
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The League in Manchuria
The 1920s had been times of prosperity and democracy.
But, after 1930, there was a great depression. Countries
now wanted to increase their wealth at other nations'
expense. In the 1920s, the League had been quite
successful. In the 1930s, it failed terribly. This page looks
at its failure in Manchuria.
The Dispute
In the 1930s there was a world-wide economic depression. Japan tried to overcome the depression
by building up an empire. In 1932, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria which belonged to China
and threw out the Chinese. They set up their own government there. China asked the League to help.
What the League did:
The League sent a group of officials led by Lord Lytton to study the problem (this took a year for him to
make his report). In February 1933 it ordered Japan to leave Manchuria.
The Outcome:
Japan refused to leave Manchuria. Instead, Japan left the League. Many countries had important
trading links with Japan. The League could not agree on sanctions or even a ban on weapons
sales. Britain and France did not want a war, particularly so far away when the crisis didn’t really
affect them, so nothing was done. If Russia had been in the League they could have sent an army, but
they were not. The Japanese stayed in Manchuria. The League had failed.
The crisis proved several things about the League:
 It was slow to act
 The main powers was unwilling to act when a crisis was far away and didn’t affect them
 They were unwilling to effect their own trade by using sanctions
 That important members could just leave if they didn’t want to follow the rules
Importantly, it proved to other countries such as Italy that they could get away with being aggressive and
invading other countries.
This cartoon shows Japan blasting through
the treaties made in the 1920s and the
League cannot stop them
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4 mark exam Q (describe 3 clear points)
5 mins
In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria.
Describe how the League of Nations reacted to this invasion. (4 marks)
:
10 mark exam Q
20 mins
Which of the following reasons was more responsible for the
failure of the League of Nations:
• the organisation of the League
• the League’s response to the Manchurian Crisis?
You must explain both bullet
points then conclude with your
opinion and reasons.
Remember to explain, not to
describe or waste too much time
describing
Explain HOW each point made
the League weak
You must refer to both reasons when explaining your answer. [10 marks]
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Abyssinia
Like Britain and France, Italy had joined in the so-called “Scramble for Africa” in the 19th Century. However,
the prize territories had been conquered by others and Italy was left with unimportant areas such as
Eritrea and Somaliland. The Italians had attempted to expand in eastern Africa by taking over Abyssinia
conquests, but in 1896, the Italians were heavily defeated by the Abyssinians. This defeat had an enormous
impact on Italian pride. The loss of 6000 men against a backward army from Abyssinia was difficult for the
Italian people to comprehend. However, this defeat did not stop politicians in Italy planning for a new
attempt to take over Abyssinia.
The desire to show the world how powerful Italy was became the prime motivation of Mussolini, the
leader of Italy. In December 1934, Mussolini accused the Abyssinians of aggression at an oasis called Wal
Wal. He ordered Italian troops to attack Abyssinia. Large quantities of ammunition and supplies, including
poison gas, had been stockpiled there.
In October 1935, the Italian army invaded Abyssinia. The Abyssinians could not hope to stand up to a
modern army – they had little equipment or weapons. The Italians used armoured vehicles and even
mustard gas in their attack.
A cartoon from 1936 commenting on the aggressive invasion of Abyssinia by Italy
When the Italians had invaded in October 1935, the Abyssinians had appealed to the League of Nations for
help. The League condemned the attack all League members were ordered to impose economic sanctions
on Italy. It took six weeks for the sanctions to be organised and they did not include vital materials such as
oil.
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It is also possible that both Britain and France considered the war too far away to be of any importance to
them. They were not prepared to risk their naval power in the Mediterranean for the sake of a country
barely anybody had heard of in either France or Britain.
Behind the scenes, and going against the “no secret treaties” part of the League, British Foreign Secretary
Samuel Hoare and the French Prime Minister Pierre Laval met in December 1935. They came up with
the Hoare-Laval Plan. This gave two large areas of Abyssinia to Italy and a gap in the middle of the country
of fairly useless land to the Abyssinians. It seemed that the League had betrayed the people of Abyssinia.
The sanctions also failed.
The League’s involvement in this event was a disaster. It showed nations that its sanctions were halfhearted even when they were enforced and that member states were prepared to negotiate with
aggressor nations to the extent of effectively giving in to them.
Again, the League looked weak, especially to other aggressive dictators, such as Hitler. By the end of this
crisis, no one had any faith in the League.
The League died in 1935. One day it was a powerful body imposing sanctions, the next day it was a
useless fraud, everybody running away from it as quickly as possible. Hitler watched.
Written by the historian AJP Taylor (1966)
4 mark exam Q (describe 3 clear points)
5 mins
In 1935 Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia appealed to the League of Nations for help after Italy invaded his
country.
Describe how the League of Nations tried to solve the Abyssinian Crisis. (4 marks)
:
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Why did the League collapse?
Absent powers: No USA or Russia: The lack of major powers was a real problem from the beginning of the
League. Because powerful countries such as the USA weren’t members it meant that the League lacked
influence and power.
Unwilling to act: Both France and Britain refused to really take a lead role and the League was dependant
on their co-operation. They did not always see eye to eye. They also betrayed the League
Organisation of the League: The way that the League was organised also made it difficult to act quickly.
The right of member countries to Veto meant that decisions could easily be stopped. Decisions had to be
reached unanimously
Weak powers- when sanctions were applied they were only really applied half-heartedly and the League
also had no standing army. The League lacked bite- it was described as being a “toothless tiger”
Crises in Manchuria and Abyssinia exposed the weaknesses of the League and
encouraged aggressive dictators like Mussolini and Hitler to act.
10 mark exam Q
20 mins
Which was the more important reason why the League of Nations
failed to solve the Abyssinian Crisis:
the actions of Britain and France
the absence of the USA from the League of Nations?
You must refer to both reasons when explaining your answer.
You must explain both bullet
points then conclude with your
opinion and reasons.
Remember to explain, not to
describe or waste too much time
describing
Explain HOW each point made
the League fail in Abyssinia
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10 mark exam Q
20 mins
Which of these crises weakened the League of Nations more:
the Manchurian Crisis, 1931–1933
the Abyssinian Crisis, 1935–1936?
You must explain both bullet
points then conclude with your
opinion and reasons.
Remember to explain, not to
describe or waste too much time
describing
Explain HOW each point made
the League weak
You must refer to both reasons when explaining your answer. [10 marks]
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