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Impact of the WarEvaluating the Treaty of Versailles
Domestic Consequences - Germany
Total destabilization of Germany political and economically
Had caused serious inflation and shortages
Serious crisis in 1923
Trying to cover war debts
Can’t, France and Belgium occupy
Had lost key industrial areas
Kaiser Wilhelm II had left, been replaced by democratic politicians
Both right and left forming there Nationalists blamed the
politicians for giving up on the war, thought they could have fought on
Domestic Consequences - Britain
Obvious loss of life Influence reduced globally Financial weakness
explains rapid demobilization
Accepts naval parity at Washington Naval Conference
Trying to avoid military conflicts in 20s and 30s
State control of economy ends
Welfare reforms, pensions, health, education, all accelerated
Unemployment skyrockets, decline in production, lost markets
Domestic Consequences - ITaly
Major political and social divisions, exact opposite of what they’d hoped for
Fascists under Mussolini criticized the liberals for their handling of the war
Inflation and food shortages, prices rise, Italy had borrowed hugely
Growing unrest in working class, demonstrations led to unionism and socialism
Politics in Italy During the war Liberals had
promised reforms of male suffrage and proportional representation
Methods had fallen out of style, lobbying
Socialists and Catholics became a major factor
All three could not work together Result was short, coalition governments
Italians begin to distrust government
1921 Rise of Fascists, Nationalists
Furious at the Treaty of Versailles Thought they had been given too
little Hated Vittorio Orlando for his role
at Paris Did not get Fiume or
Dalmatia Mutilated victory, won the war,
lost the peace
Italian Economic Crisis
Prices increased, hit those with fixed incomes,
Soldiers found no jobs Strict restrictions on
immigration to the USA Fears of radicalism
Radical socialists hoped to copy Russia’s revolution
Upper class fearful Peasants forming unions
Increase in militancy War had meant people
turned to violence Clashes between Fascists
and Socialists ugly
Rise of Fascism in Italy
Mussolini and Fascists exploited fears of the upper class towards a socialist revolution
Key reason for success in 1921 elections
Very middle-class organization, did not like the upper classes, but were scared of subversion from below
Mussolini becomes Prime Minister
International Consequences
Total war ensured everyone was affected
Felt globally Total cost $330 billion Economies struggled to
recover Huge debts, high inflation
US went from debtor to creditor
Huge role after the war All major European
nations own money Expanded into Latin
America, like Japan with Asia
On to World War II?
Wilson had called it “the war to end all wars”
“This is not peace. This is armistice for 20 years.” – Ferdinand Foch
Predicting war of German revenge
French thought they should be treated more harshly
Wanted Rhineland and Saarland taken
Collapse of Four Great Empires
Shattered the old balance of power for Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia
All changed political systems
Turkey lost extensive land in North Africa and Middle East
Republic as well
New states Czechoslovakia, Austria,
Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Yugoslavia
All unable to stand up to Hitler and Stalin
Creation of Nationalist Movement in Germany
Versailles created a desire for revenge
Hitler played on it combined with his radical ideas
Germans saw it as harsh, unfair and inconsistent
Lost 13 percent of territory All overseas colonies Especially hurt by Poland and
ban on union with Austria Reparations higher than
they can pay Rejected war guilt clause
National pride affected by demilitarization mandate
Destabilization of Germany
Hyper-inflation in Germany, printing money to pay debts
Dawes Plan provided help from the US
1929 Great Depression hit Germany harder than US
Economy too fragile
May have been the reason for Hitler’s rise
Could have raised taxes 1932 was too much, Nazis
in
Boundary Disputes
Germany lost German speaking peoples in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Austria
Made Hitler’s claims to them later somewhat legitimate
Other border disputes Poland versus Hungary
Italy resentful of not receiving territory
Nationalistic uprising in Turkey led to war with Greece
British and French Reluctance
Both weakened financially by the war and so disarmed
Britain had believed Versailles had been too harsh
Would appease Hitler throughout 1930s
France did not receive 100 percent support from America, so Britain would not participate in any action either
Thought they could not stand up to them on their own
Focused on defense, Maginot Line
Failure of the League of Nations
Flawed from the outset Created to avoid another
war France had wanted it to
be a military alliance Britain had hoped it
would only be democracies
US Senate opposed joining the League despite it being Wilson’s suggestion
Without US, Britain and France were always unwilling to act
US turns to isolationism, helped Germany and Japan