The Treaty of Versailles

In 1919 the Big Three (Britain, France and the USA) met at the palace of Versailles to examine the terms of the Peace. Germany were not invited or allowed to attend these meetings (although over 32 nations were involved). The treaty was to give compensation to those who had suffered from the war and it was also meant to stop another war from beginning again.

The Big Three had very different ideas of what should happen.

France

They wanted to punish the Germans very harshly indeed. The idea was to make them pay for the physical damage of the war (France had suffered very significantly) and to stop Germany being in a position to start war again. Clemenceau, the French Prime Minister argued that by crushing the Germans, war would be avoided in future.

America

Under the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson the Americans wanted to use democracy as the solution. Wilson's 14 points focused on people being open and free to chose their leaders. If you have the vote for everyone then you will never vote for war! Seems simple and sensible. However, leaders rarely take a nation to war by being open about it and the truth was that people did vote for war; Hitler became chancellor by popular vote in 1933!

Britain

Lloyd George tried to balance the views of the two above and tried to balance the need for reparations with the need not to destroy potential trade markets. So Germany needed to be still able to trade.

Terms of the Treaty

1) War Guilt Clause. Germany had to accept full responsibility for the First World War.

2) Reparations. £6600 million in costs for the war.

3) Restrictions on the armed services. Germany could have no Navy, Air force and a maximum 100,000 men.

4) Demilitarising of the Rhineland. No German soldiers to be allowed on this bordering area of Germany with France.

5) Land taken of Germany. Alsace and Lorraine etc. given to neighbouring countries. Foreign territories taken away.

Some historians have argued that the Treaty of Versailles was so harsh that it led to the Second World War. They argue that Germany was so badly hit and thrown into such a hard depression that it allowed Hitler and his policies to take hold with the German people.

This poster shows how even at the time some commentators were warning that the Treaty was leading to war