Impact of the WarEvaluating the Treaty of Versailles

Domestic Consequences - Germany

Total destabilization of Germany political and economically

Had caused serious inflation and shortages

Serious crisis in 1923

Trying to cover war debts

Can’t, France and Belgium occupy

Had lost key industrial areas

Kaiser Wilhelm II had left, been replaced by democratic politicians

Both right and left forming there Nationalists blamed the

politicians for giving up on the war, thought they could have fought on

Domestic Consequences - Britain

Obvious loss of life Influence reduced globally Financial weakness

explains rapid demobilization

Accepts naval parity at Washington Naval Conference

Trying to avoid military conflicts in 20s and 30s

State control of economy ends

Welfare reforms, pensions, health, education, all accelerated

Unemployment skyrockets, decline in production, lost markets

Domestic Consequences - ITaly

Major political and social divisions, exact opposite of what they’d hoped for

Fascists under Mussolini criticized the liberals for their handling of the war

Inflation and food shortages, prices rise, Italy had borrowed hugely

Growing unrest in working class, demonstrations led to unionism and socialism

Politics in Italy During the war Liberals had

promised reforms of male suffrage and proportional representation

Methods had fallen out of style, lobbying

Socialists and Catholics became a major factor

All three could not work together Result was short, coalition governments

Italians begin to distrust government

1921 Rise of Fascists, Nationalists

Furious at the Treaty of Versailles Thought they had been given too

little Hated Vittorio Orlando for his role

at Paris Did not get Fiume or

Dalmatia Mutilated victory, won the war,

lost the peace

Italian Economic Crisis

Prices increased, hit those with fixed incomes,

Soldiers found no jobs Strict restrictions on

immigration to the USA Fears of radicalism

Radical socialists hoped to copy Russia’s revolution

Upper class fearful Peasants forming unions

Increase in militancy War had meant people

turned to violence Clashes between Fascists

and Socialists ugly

Rise of Fascism in Italy

Mussolini and Fascists exploited fears of the upper class towards a socialist revolution

Key reason for success in 1921 elections

Very middle-class organization, did not like the upper classes, but were scared of subversion from below

Mussolini becomes Prime Minister

International Consequences

Total war ensured everyone was affected

Felt globally Total cost $330 billion Economies struggled to

recover Huge debts, high inflation

US went from debtor to creditor

Huge role after the war All major European

nations own money Expanded into Latin

America, like Japan with Asia

On to World War II?

Wilson had called it “the war to end all wars”

“This is not peace. This is armistice for 20 years.” – Ferdinand Foch

Predicting war of German revenge

French thought they should be treated more harshly

Wanted Rhineland and Saarland taken

Collapse of Four Great Empires

Shattered the old balance of power for Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia

All changed political systems

Turkey lost extensive land in North Africa and Middle East

Republic as well

New states Czechoslovakia, Austria,

Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Yugoslavia

All unable to stand up to Hitler and Stalin

Creation of Nationalist Movement in Germany

Versailles created a desire for revenge

Hitler played on it combined with his radical ideas

Germans saw it as harsh, unfair and inconsistent

Lost 13 percent of territory All overseas colonies Especially hurt by Poland and

ban on union with Austria Reparations higher than

they can pay Rejected war guilt clause

National pride affected by demilitarization mandate

Destabilization of Germany

Hyper-inflation in Germany, printing money to pay debts

Dawes Plan provided help from the US

1929 Great Depression hit Germany harder than US

Economy too fragile

May have been the reason for Hitler’s rise

Could have raised taxes 1932 was too much, Nazis

in

Boundary Disputes

Germany lost German speaking peoples in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Austria

Made Hitler’s claims to them later somewhat legitimate

Other border disputes Poland versus Hungary

Italy resentful of not receiving territory

Nationalistic uprising in Turkey led to war with Greece

British and French Reluctance

Both weakened financially by the war and so disarmed

Britain had believed Versailles had been too harsh

Would appease Hitler throughout 1930s

France did not receive 100 percent support from America, so Britain would not participate in any action either

Thought they could not stand up to them on their own

Focused on defense, Maginot Line

Failure of the League of Nations

Flawed from the outset Created to avoid another

war France had wanted it to

be a military alliance Britain had hoped it

would only be democracies

US Senate opposed joining the League despite it being Wilson’s suggestion

Without US, Britain and France were always unwilling to act

US turns to isolationism, helped Germany and Japan