1.4: The new map of Europe

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 3

1.4: The new map of Europe 

Era 9

The Time of World Wars

After this lesson you will: 

• Understand that Germany was heavily punished by the Treaty of Versailles
• Understand how the map of Europe changed after the war
• Recognise the impact of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany

Use these questions to make your own summary!

What is this lesson about?

After World War I, the leaders of 27 nations met at the Paris Peace Conference to decide on the fate of Europe and large parts of the world. They signed different treaties with the losing Central Powers. 

The former Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire were divided. The Treaty of Versailles shaped the fate of Germany. The Germans felt humiliated because they were severely punished. It immediately led to new tensions....

The Big Four

Clemenceau

prime minister

France

Lloyd George

prime minister

Great Britain

Orlando

prime minister

Italy

Wilson

president

USA

Actually The Big Three....and Italy

Word Duty

Fourteen Points: US president Wilson’s principles for peace, to be used for the peace negotiations in order to end World War I

Treaty of Versailles: peace treaty that brought World War I to an end and in which the Allies

defined the future of Germany

war reparations: compensation paid by a defeated nation for the damage it inflicted during a war

League of Nations: international organisation founded in 1920 to maintain world peace and to prevent future wars; in 1946 replaced by the United Nations

national self-determination: the right of nations to form their own nation state

secular: not related to religion; in a secular state there is a separation between Church and State

WORD DUTY

Important date in this lesson:

1919: June 28th: Signing of Peace Treaty of Versailles

1920: founding of the League of Nations

Introduction

On 11th November 1918, an armistice was signed. With this it came an end to World War I and the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. In Russia, a revolution raged. While the victors celebrated, Eastern Europe seemed to balance on the edge of chaos. A heavy burden lay on shoulders of the Allied leaders: they had to reconstruct the world.

The signing of the treaty of peace at Versailles, 28 June 1919

The Paris Peace Conference

The people of Europe were relieved that the Great War was over. They looked with great expectation towards the future. Most of them hoped that Woodrow Wilson, the president of the USA, would bring freedom and democracy. Wilson put himself in the position of peacemaker and had put his ideas of a better world onto paper in his Fourteen Points. 

He predicted a new era: a time of freedom, peace and democracy. To reach his goals he had to negotiate with the other Allied victors.

American president Wilson was enthusiastically greeted by the people of Paris in 1919

1a. Wilson's "Fourteen Points" were his plan to punish Germany after the war.

1. TRUE
2. FALSE

1b. Look at Wilson's "Fourteen Points". Which 2 points were likely to meet with disapproval from Britain?

1. 1 & 14
2. 2 & 5
3. 4 & 7
4. 5 & 13

On 18 January 1919, the Paris Peace Conference started. Wilson and delegates of 26 other countries met at the Palace of Versailles. Every nation had its own expectations and agenda, but although hundreds of representatives were invited, the real power lay with 

The Big Four: Wilson himself and the prime ministers of France, Britain and Italy. During the peace conference different treaties were signed, but the most difficult issue they faced was the future of Germany. The French felt that their long time rival Germany had to be punished severely, because it had been the first to declare war. Prime Minister of France Clemenceau fanatically tried to convince the conference to keep Germany weak to ensure that it would never rise again. With this, he went against Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The USA and Great Britain were not as radical as France. They predicted that harsh punishments would trigger another war, but still felt that Germany should take the blame.

The Big Four, 27th May, 1919. From left to right: Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Premier Vittorio Orlando (Italy), French Premier Georges Clemenceau, US President Wilson.

2a. Which Allied country sustained the most damage during the war?

1. France
2. Britain
3. Italy
4. USA

2b. Which country needed to fear a future powerful Germany the most?

1. France
2. Britain
3. Italy
4. USA

2c. Which country wanted the harshest treatment for Germany?

1. France
2. Britain
3. Italy
4. USA

2d. What argument did Britain and the USA present for treating Germany not too harshly?

Germany: the main culprit

On 28th June 1919, the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles. In it was decided that Germany:

• was not allowed to have an army bigger then a hundred thousand soldiers; its fleet had to be given to the Allies
  
• had to give its colonies to France and Britain; Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
  
• had to give up ten percent of its territory
  
• had to pay for the damage, caused by the war.
  
• had to accept the full blame for WW1 (Alleinschuld)

It was mostly out of an emotion and feelings of revenge that Germany was ordered to pay 132 billion gold marks (around 380 billion euros today) as war reparations, a huge amount. The Germans were astonished that they were not allowed to participate in the meeting. As expected they were outraged when they read the treaty. They felt humiliated and refused to sign it. Eventually they agreed, but only because the Allies threatened to continue the war.

signing of the Treaty on June 18th, 1919, exactly 5 years after the assassination of the archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo

3. Tom and Maggie are discussing this cartoon.
According to Tom, the artist agrees that Germany
should pay a lot of war reparations.
Maggie disagrees; she says that the artist
shows that Germany should pay an unreasonable
amount of money. Who is right?

 On the bag ‘Reparations $ 55,000,000,000’. Underneath ‘Germany’. American political cartoon about the German war reparations, c. 1921.

1. Tom
2. Maggie

4. The Treaty of Versailles is often named as one of the causes of Hitler’s rise to power. How do you think the Treaty of Versailles played a role in Hitler’s rise of power?

A League of Nations

One of president Wilson’s most important objectives in his Fourteen Point plan was the idea of a League of Nations. He wanted a future in which countries gathered and discussed hostilities and possible conflicts before using violence. He hoped that it would cause transparency and end the secret alliances. Wilson dreamed of a more peaceful world in which countries would disarm their militaries, so global wars could be prevented. However, his League of Nations did not become what he had expected. Germany was not allowed to participate and the newly formed Soviet Union (Russia) did not want to be involved. Even Wilson’s own country, the USA, did not agree with his plans. Membership to the League was declined by the congress. It was not until after World War II that this plan was brought back to life, when the United Nations were founded.

The official opening of the League of Nations, 15 November 1920

7a. Which of the following countries was a member of the League of Nations when it started in 1920?

1. Great Britain
2. Russia
3. USA
4. Germany

7b. From what year till what year was Germany a member of the League of Nations?

1. Germany never joined
2. 1920 - 1945
3. 1933 - 1945
4. 1926 - 1933

8. Why did the rise of new nations in Eastern Europe cause tensions?

1. Because the people feared war between the new nations.
2. Because Austro-Hungary was intending to get its former territory back.
3. Because the new countries did not want to govern themselves democratically.
4. Because millions of Germans were now minorities in some new countries.

Finally, here you can write down a question about
something from this lesson that you don't fully understand yet.

Homework

 Finish 1.4 assignments 1, 3 and 4

Done? You can make assignments 5, 6 and 7

Let me know if you have any questions :)