The Treaty of Versailles &The German Economic Collapse

The Causes of WWII Part 1:

THE END OF WWI

OBVIOUSLY ENDED WITH THE DEFEAT OF THE GERMANS

What do you think?

Will they show them mercy?

Will they make them pay for the war?

What will become of Germany?

Discuss

The End of World War One The Germans tried negotiate terms to end the war

while maintaining their honor The US President, Woodrow Wilson, proposed 14

points that Germany must agree to for the war to end

Wilson was not interested in punishing Germany Rather, he wished to build systems and institutions

that would provide a more peaceful future (e.g. The League of Nations)

Overall, Germany was pleased with the 14 points and eventually surrendered under the impression that these points would be the basis of the peace treaty.

FUN FACT: WOODROW DOESENT WANT AMERICA TO JOIN LEAGUE

So.. Here’s what we have so far

America wants Europe to rebuild itself (including Germany)

But not everyone feels the same way…

Why did i put that?

BECAUSE: THE FRENCH THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY

The Paris Peace Conference- 1919

The Paris peace conference is where the combatants met to create the peace

One Problem: The meeting was

dominated by the French who wanted to forever destroy Germany’s ability to make war

Any idea why the French wanted to destroy Germany’s military ?

AND THEN THERE WAS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES- 1919

What do you think happens? How do you think the allies will deal with Germany

Discuss…

Think of:

-Military-Economy-Repairs-Land

On top of all that

Saar Region (Germany’s richest land in terms of natural resources) was occupied by the French

SO AT THIS POINT, THE GERMANS ARE LIKE…

AND THE ALLIES ARE LIKE…

AND THESE ARE THE DUDES THAT DO IT…

Him not so much…

SO WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF THE TREATY?

WHO GAINED? WHO LOST?

DO YOU THINK THE WORLD AGREES WITH THE TERMS?

Discuss

The Effects of the Treaty

The Treaty was considered excessive by many at the time

Germany was humiliated and economically destroyed

Who else suffered? Austria/Hungary was completely destroyed Italy received no benefit for its war efforts

and fell into poverty Russia and Germany were both banned from

joining the League of Nations (Did not trust them, Bolshevik Russian Revolution)

So what happened to Europe after the war?

DID GERMANY LOSE OR GAIN LAND?

Before and After…WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE?

Talk amongst yourselves

SO WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO GERMANY? NAMELY, THE GERMAN ECONOMY?

The German Economy in the 1920s

It would have been very difficult for Germany to make repartitions payments even if their economy was healthy

However, with no colonies and the loss of so much territory, Germanys situation was completely hopeless

In order to find a way out of this situation, the new German government, began to print extra money to make the payments on time.

THIS

What do you thinkabout this picture?

What am I trying toshow you

Hyperinflation

The prices in Germany rose so fast that German money became completely useless

Almost the entire German population became poor almost overnight

SO HOW BAD WAS IT?

What do you think?

4 Billion Marks

100 Gold Marks = 100 Trillion Marks

The Effect of Hyperinflation The German rich did very well during inflation They bought up land, assets and expanded

their businesses The inflation cancelled out their debt However, lower and middle class Germans

were completely destroyed – life savings were eliminated

Employers could not keep up with the inflation, many stopped working as their weekly cheque would not be enough for a cup of coffee.

The Effect of Hyperinflation Part 2

Police and government officials stopped working

The streets were run by gangs and groups of ex-soldiers

Violence and crime were rampant Most transactions were from Trading or

Bartering Communists and Right wing groups fought for

control of the country and the hearts and minds of the citizens

1923 Germany made our depression seem like a picnic!

What’s next?

This terrifying environment was the perfect place for psychopaths and misfits to gain attention

Those who promised revenge and the restoration of Germany’s greatness soon became national heroes

The greatest of all these was . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfWVu3LogYo

THE PLAY

BORING YET INFORMATIVE VIDEO