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Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of VersaillesTreaty of VersaillesTreaty of VersaillesParis Peace Conference

January 18 – June 28, 1919

End of The Great War• USA enters the war in April 1917, angered by German submarine

attacks against neutral Ships• Germans make final push, taking back Ypres, Somme & Passch• Germany running low on troops, food, and supplies• During final 3 months of war, Canada’s troops very successful due

to disciplined command of Arthur Currie• November 9, 1918: German Kaiser abdicated• November 11, 1918: Armistice signed at 11:00 a.m. in France • Canadian Private George Price is the last soldier to die on the

Western Front - a sniper shoots him just before 11:00

Canada� The British Dominion governments were not originally granted

separate invitations to the conference

�Were expected to send representatives as part of the British Empire delegation.

� Convinced that Canada had become a nation on the battlefields of Europe, its Prime Minister demanded that it have a separate seat at the conference

�This was initially opposed not only by Britain but also by the US, who perceived such a delegation as an extra British vote.

�Borden responded by pointing out that since Canada had lost a far larger proportion of its men compared to the U.S. in the war, Canada at least had the right to the representation of a "minor" power.

�British Prime Minister eventually relented, and convinced the reluctant Americans to accept the presence of separate Canadian delegate.

The Treaty Of Versailles

• 28 June 1919, the victors

met at the Hall of Mirrors in

the Palace of Versailles, near

Paris, and forced two

Germans to agree to the

terms of peace.

• Germany and its allies were

not allowed to send any

delegates, and had no choice

but to accept whatever was

decided.• The first 26 Articles of the Treaty set out the Covenant

of the League of Nations; the rest of the 440 Articles

detailed Germany's punishment.

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What did the winners want?What did the winners want?What did the winners want?What did the winners want?

France• Prime Minister Clemenceau

wanted to punish Germany; Made 3 demands to ensure war never happened again:– Return Alsace-Lorraine

(taken during Franco-Prussian War)

– Pay reparations to cover the entire cost of rebuilding

– Give up Rhineland so Germany cannot attack France again

England

• Many in England wanted to punish Germany too: “Squeeze ‘em until the pips squeak”; but Prime Minister David Lloyd George disagreed:

– If Germany was treated too harshly it will cause more trouble in the future; Germany should be allowed to recover

– Rhineland should be demilitarized (military removed), not taken over

Italy

�Prime Minister Orlando had agreed to leave the Triple Alliance (with Germany & Austria-Hungary) & fight for Allies after France & England secretly promised to give Adriatic Coast to Italy after the war; Italy’s only demand:

�France & England should keep their promise to give this land to Italy

USA

�President Woodrow Wilson came up with 14 Points of Lightto restore Europe:

�Europe should have freedom of seas, free trade; Reduction of weapons; Divide all colonies

�Self Determination—countries should have right to choose their own type of government

�Create a Le ague of Nationsto prevent future wars

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The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

The main points of the Treaty [BRAT]

B

R

A

T

lame

eparations

rmy

erritory

The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

1. War Guilt Clause - Germany had to accept the

BLAME for starting the war.

The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

2. Germany had to pay £6.6 billion (called

REPARATIONS) for the damage done during the

war.

The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

3. Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air force. She could have a navy

of only six battleships, and an ARMY of just 100,000 men. In addition, Germany was not

allowed to place any troops in the Rhineland, the strip of land, 50 miles wide, next to France.

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The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

4. Germany lost

TERRITORY (land) in

Europe. Germany’s

colonies were given to

Britain and France.

Also, Germany was

forbidden to join the

League of Nations, or unite

with Austria.

The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

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Territory Lost by Germany

What did Germany have to say?

Germany had no choice but to agree to the above terms – No debating, or compromising.

“The criminal madness of this peace will drain Germany's national life-blood. It is a shameless blow in the face of common-sense. It is inflicting the deepest wounds on us Germans as our world lies in wreckage about us.”

from a speech made by a German MP in the Reichstag in 1919.

Results of VersaillesResults of VersaillesResults of VersaillesResults of Versailles

•Treaty of Versailles created more problems than it solved

•Riots, debt, humiliation in Germany will allow leaders (Hitler) to rise to power by promising revenge

• Italy was not given land it was promised; economic problems will lead to strong leaders who promise a return to glory (Mussolini)

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Was Germany treated fairly?

The Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of VersaillesThe Treaty Of Versailles

The Failure of

the Treaty =