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The Treaty of Versailles

June 1919

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The Big Four

Woodrow Wilson USA David Lloyd-George Great Britain

Georges Clemenceau France Vittorio Orlando Italy

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The Big Four at Versailles in 1919

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What did France want from thetreaty?

Security

Revenge

Reparations

Clemenceau : TheTiger

Clemenceau wanted to make sure

that Germany could not invadeFrance in the future. He wasdetermined that Germany should bemade to pay for the damage thathadbeen caused in northern France by

the invading German armies.

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David Lloyd-George

In public Lloyd-George said hewanted to punishthe Germans. The

British public was veryanti-Germanatthe end ofthe war.

In private he realised that Britainneeded Germanyto recover

because she was an importanttrading partner.

He was also worried aboutthedisease from the east ,communism. The Russian

governmenthad been overthrownbya communist revolution in 1917.Lloyd-George believed thatthespread of communism had to bestopped. A strong Germany would

be a barrier against it.

What did Britain Want?

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WoodrowWilson

What did AmericaWant?

Woodrow Wilson wanted the treatyto bebased on his Fourteen Points

He believed Germany should be punishedbut not severely. He wanted a just

settlementthat would not leave Germanyfeeling resentful

Wilson wanted to set up an internationalorganisation called The League of

Nations which would settle disputes

The American public did not supporthim.They were fed up with involvement inEuropean affairs. The USA became more

isolationist.

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What were the terms ofthe Treaty of Versailles?

To do with Germanys armed forces :

The German army was to be reduced to 100,000 men. It wasnotallowed to have tanks.

Germany was notallowed an airforce

The areaknown as the Rhineland was to be de-militarised

The Allies were to occupy the west bank ofthe Rhine for

fifteen years

The German navy was to have no submarines or large battle-ships

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100,000 De-militarised

The MilitaryClauses

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Territorial Losses

Germany lost ALL ofher overseascolonies

Alsace-Lorraine was given to

France

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Eupen and Malmedy were given to Belgium

North-Schleswig was given toDenmark

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"The Allied and Associated Governmentsaffirm, and Germany accepts, the

responsibility of Germany and her Allies forcausing all the loss and damage to which theAllied and Associate Governments and theirnationals have been subjected as a

consequence of a war imposed upon themby the aggression of Germany and herAllies."

Article 231

The War Guilt Clause

GERMANY ACCEPTEDRESPONSIBILITY FOR

STARTING THE WAR

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REPARATIONS

Germanyagreed to pay for the damage

caused byher armies during the war. Thesum she had to pay was later fixed at6,600 million

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Germany was forbidden to unite with Austria