IGCSE History

International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes

IGCSE HISTORY (INTERNATIONAL HISTORY)

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

• Terms of the Peace Treaties

• The Big Three – Aims and Outcomes
• Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany

TERMS OF THE PEACE TREATIES

Treaty of Versailles
Terms Impact
War Guilt Clause • Germany was forced to accept blame for starting the war
• Served as the justification for the imposition of heavy reparations
on Germany

Reparations • Germany had to pay war reparations for starting the war, and for
causing damage to Allied countries such as France and Belgium,
amounting to £6600 million
• If the terms of the payment were not changed under the Young Plan
(1929), Germany would not have finished paying these reparations
till 1984

Loss of Territories • Germany lost the Saar to the League of Nations, Upper Silesia to
Poland and Alsace-Lorraine to France
• Germany’s vast overseas empire was taken away and redistributed
to the Allies, eg:
o Togoland, Cameroon à Britain and France
o German South West Africa à South Africa
o German East Africa à Britain
o New Guinea à Australia

Restrictions on the • The size and power of the German armed forces was a major
Armed Forces concern for all major powers, especially France.
o Army was limited to 100,000 men
o Conscription was banned
o Not allowed to have armoured vehicles, submarines or
aircraft
o Navy was limited to six battleships
o Demilitarisation of the Rhineland, ie: no German troops
were allowed into the area

Other Peace Treaties

Country Treaty Terms
Austria Treaty of St • Loss of Territories
Germain o Bohemia and Moravia à Czechoslovakia
o Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia à Yugoslavia
o Galicia à Poland
• Army was restricted to 30,000 troops
• Forbidden from uniting with Germany

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 IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes

Hungary Treaty of • Lost territories to new states in the Balkans – three million
Trianon Hungarians ended up in other states; loss of population and raw
materials
o Transylvania à Romania
o Slovakia, Ruthenia à Czechoslovakia
o Slovenia, Croatia à Yugoslavia
• Forced to pay war reparations

Turkey Treaty of • Loss of Territories – Turkey lost control of the Straits of Marmara
Sevres o Smyrna à Greece
o Syria à Mandate, under French control
o Many other territories of their former empire, such as Egypt
and Morocco, were to be placed under British or French
protection

Bulgaria Treaty of • Loss of Territories

Neuilly o Western frontier à Yugoslavia
o Southern access to the Mediterranean à Greece
• Limited armed forces to 20,000 soldiers
• Forced to pay £100 million in reparations

THE BIG THREE

Aims of the Big Three

Georges Clemenceau (France)

• Hoped to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine, which was lost to Germany in 1871
• Wanted Germany to pay heavy reparations
• Wanted Germany to accept total blame for the war
• Wanted revenge for the war and compensation for its war losses

Motivations
1. Opportunity for Revenge
• France had suffered tremendous damage to its land, industry and people during World War I,
eg: 2/3 of its soldiers had been killed or injured in the fighting; large parts of France’s northern
industrial area were destroyed because the Western Front was fought in France
• France had been invaded numerous times by Germany, ie: invaded by Germany five times
since 1814 à This created deep resentment against Germany, and the Paris Peace
Conference was the first time that France could dictate the terms of peace to the Germans and
this made them seek the toughest terms possible
• Therefore, France wanted a harsh treaty to punish Germany for the damages it had inflicted
during World War I, eg: imposed heavy war reparations on Germany amounting to £6600 million
pounds

2. Weaken Germany à Protect France’s Security

• Despite Germany’s defeat in World War I, France still saw Germany as a clear threat to France,
eg: Germany’s population was growing whereas France’s population was in decline; Germany’s
land and industry was not as badly damaged as France’s
• France wanted to weaken Germany economically to prevent it from becoming a significant
European power ever again. Prior to World War I, Germany’s Gross National Product was
almost twice that of France’s and its industry had not been as badly damaged as France à

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 IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes

Imposed heavy war reparations on Germany; demanded the return of Alsace-Lorraine to

France
• France wanted to weaken Germany militarily to prevent it from having the resources and
capabilities to mount another invasion that could threaten France’s national security. The
military strength of Germany before World War I enabled it to mount an effective and swift
invasion that surprised the French, eg: Germany had 3.8 million troops in 1914 whereas France
had less than 1 million troops à Imposed heavy restrictions on Germany’s military to prevent
this imbalance, eg: limit of 100,000 soldiers and not allowed to have conscription;
demilitarisation of the Rhineland

David Lloyd George (Great Britain)

• Wanted the German navy to remain weak to protect its own naval superiority, which had been
previously threatened by German naval armaments
• Wanted Germany to recover economically from the war, to prevent the rise of communism

Motivations
1. Protect British Naval Superiority
• Britain depended on its naval superiority to control trade routes and maintain security for its
empire, ie: it had enjoyed unchallenged dominance of the seas since the Battle of Trafalgar in
1805; used the Royal Navy to protect trading outposts and trade routes from Europe to the Far
East and to protect its empire
• Britain feared that a strong, powerful German navy could be used to threaten British trade
routes and economic influence à Contributed to the outbreak of World War I, eg: Germany and
Britain both engaged in a fierce arms race from 1900 to 1914; British had 122 ships and 64
submarines while Germany rapidly caught up with 85 ships and 23 submarines
• Even though the German navy had been devastated during World War I, Britain feared that a
resurgent Germany with a strong navy could potentially threaten British naval superiority again,
just as Britain was regaining control of its empire and was rebuilding its economy à Imposed
heavy restrictions on the German navy, eg: could only build six battleships

2. Establish Germany as a Market for British Goods

• Britain did not want to destroy Germany’s economy and hence opposed excessive reparations
• Britain’s economy was weakened by World War I and needed exports to boost economic growth.
It saw Germany as an important source of these exports, eg: Germany had been Britain’s
second-largest export partner before World War I. Germany, with its size, would still be one of
the biggest economies on continental Europe after the war.
• Trading with Germany meant that it could sustain economic growth and create jobs for the
British people à This was important because Britain wanted to counterbalance France’s
economic and political power on the European continent, and establishing economic superiority
would be important for this

3. Stop the Rise of Communism in Germany

• Lloyd George was very concerned with the rise of communism in Russia – in 1917, the strain
of war led to revolution in Russia led by Vladimir Lenin. By 1918, the Bolsheviks were in power
and their ideas, such as the abolition of religion, democracy and private property were
unacceptable to Britain.
• Lloyd George believed that the economic devastation of Germany might cause it to turn towards
communism. In misery and chaos, people were more likely to turn towards radical ideas which
promised them empowerment and equality versus capitalism and democracy. à If Germany
were to turn communist, this might encourage more communist revolutions across Europe
which would in turn threaten Britain’s own system of democracy and capitalism if it led to the
growth of communism within Britain
• Therefore, Lloyd George supported a moderate treaty which would ensure economic prosperity
in Germany and prevent it from turning to communism, in turn threatening the political stability
of the rest of Europe

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 IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes

Woodrow Wilson
• Wanted to establish the Fourteen Points as a basis of lasting peace and international cooperation
• American public wanted the US to stay neutral and stay out of future conflicts

Motivations
1. Self-Determination
• Self-determination is the idea that nations should rule themselves rather than be ruled by
other states. In practice, this would mean the abolition of empires and the creation of new,
independent states.
• Woodrow saw self-determination as a way to protect the rights of people from oppression.
Imperial states often oppressed ethnic minorities as they considered them second-class
citizens, eg: the ethnic Poles were discriminated against in Germany in part because they
were Roman Catholic à Poles were forbidden from building homes; forceful evictions were
aimed at ethnic Poles
• Therefore, Wilson supported self-determination in the Fourteen Points, eg: supported self-
determination in Eastern Europe, the former Ottoman Empire and advocated colonies having
a say in their own future

2. Create Sustainable International Peace

• Peace had long been part of Woodrow Wilson’s agenda, eg: in explaining the US’s entry into
World War I, he declared that the US entered the war to secure a “just and secure peace”
• He initiated a series of studies called “The Inquiry”, by political scientists and other experts,
which concluded that the manner in which diplomacy between European countries was
conducted before World War I caused the war to begin with. He believed that there would be
no sustainable, long-term peace if countries were to continue with secret treaties, an extensive
system of alliances and if they quickly resorted to conflict to resolve disputes.
• Therefore, Wilson wanted to build an international system that would create a sustainable
peace, with a culture of open diplomacy and the formation of the League of Nations to resolve
disputes between countries instead of resorting to war

3. Strengthen Germany à Would not start another war

• Woodrow Wilson believed that strengthening Germany economically and politically was the
most effective way to ensure that it did not start another war.
• He wanted to strengthen democracy in Germany, and believed that if a country was democratic
the likelihood of its population choosing a nationalist, militaristic government would be reduced.
Democracy would result in pro-peace, moderate parties governing Germany instead, hence
securing peace.
• He wanted to avoid imposing heavy war reparations on Germany, and believed that Germany’s
economy should not be deliberately destroyed. If Germany was weakened economically, public
discontent and resentment against the Treaty and the Allies would result in them supporting
radical political forces fiercely opposed to the Allies, the Treaty and the system of international
peace that Wilson tried to build.

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How satisfied were the Big Three with the Paris Peace Conference?
Georges Clemenceau (SATISFIED)
Satisfied
• Heavy War Reparations
The Treaty of Versailles imposed heavy war
reparations on Germany amounting to £6600
million, which much of the money going to
rebuilding France.
• Restrictions on the German Military
The Treaty of Versailles imposed heavy
restrictions on the German military, eg:
demilitarisation of the Rhineland; limited to
100,000 soldiers; no conscription. This
protected France against future German
invasion.
David Lloyd George (MIXED, LARGELY SATISFIED)
Satisfied
• Limitations on the German Navy • Approach towards Germany
Lloyd George was satisfied with the
limitations imposed on the German navy as
this would allow the Royal Navy to enjoy
unchallenged dominance over the seas.
• Acquiring German Mandates
The Treaty of Versailles gave several of
Germany’s overseas colonies as mandates
administered by Britain.
Woodrow Wilson (NOT SATISFIED)
Satisfied
• League of Nations
The League of Nations was established in
1920, and served as the first international
platform where countries could gather to
resolve conflicts peacefully.
• Self-Determination
As a consequence of the Treaty of
Versailles, many nations achieved self-
determination, eg: Croatia, Poland
IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes
Dissatisfied
• Extent of Heavy War Reparations
Clemenceau felt that the war reparations did
not go far enough, eg: angry that France only
got the Saar coalfields for 15 years; wanted
a higher amount in reparations.
• Division of Germany
Clemenceau supported the division of
Germany into multiple small states to prevent
it from mounting an invasion against France
again. Other leaders refused to accept this.
Dissatisfied
Lloyd George feared that Clemenceau’s
harsh approach towards Germany would
result in a subsequent war with a far higher
cost. For instance, he believed that
Clemenceau’s proposed figure for
reparations was ridiculously high.
Nonetheless, Lloyd George wanted to put a
settlement together and accepted these high
reparations in exchange for Britain obtaining
a higher share of the reparations payments.
Dissatisfied
• Heavy War Reparations
Wilson believed that heavy war reparations
would destroy the German economy and
make it more hostile in the long-term.
Instead, he advocated rebuilding Germany
politically and economically to secure
peace.
• Self-Determination was Limited
Despite supporting the principle of self-
determination, Britain and France ended up
acquiring many of Germany’s former
colonies, eg: German East Africa
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 IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes

IMPACT OF THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE ON GERMANY

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany

1. Economic Impact
• The Treaty of Versailles included the War Guilt Clause and forced Germany to pay £6600
million in war reparations to Britain, France and Belgium for the amount of damage it had
caused. à This caused outrage, because many Germans felt that the war had been fought to
a stalemate rather than a German defeat and hence, reparations were unjustified. Furthermore,
many felt that the reparations demanded were far too harsh on Germany, especially since it
had just recovered from the war with many people left in poor living conditions, eg: it would take
up till 1984 for Germany to pay its reparations
• The Treaty of Versailles had removed the Saar, Upper Silesia and Alsace-Lorraine from
German control. These were important industrial areas, and meant a loss in production for the
German economy. Germany lost 16 percent of its coalfields and almost half its iron and steel
industry.

2. Political Impact
• The loss of German territories was a significant blow to German national pride. It lost
territories in the Sarr and Upper Silesia à These territories contained significant numbers of
German-speaking peoples. The loss of these territories signalled that Germany was no longer
a large power which could unite German-speaking peoples across Europe, and this set back
the goals of German unification.
• Furthermore, Germany’s colonies around the world were taken away, and handed to the British
and French as mandates, eg: Togoland and Cameroon were transferred to France as a
mandate of the League of Nations; Britain acquired German East Africa à This was a severe
blow to German national pride as it signalled that Germany was no longer recognised as a large
European imperial power, a position which it had sought to attain since the reunification of
Germany. Instead, its colonies were being taken away and redistributed to other imperial
powers.
• The harsh disarmament imposed by the Treaty of Versailles damaged German national pride.
An army of 100,000 soldiers was very small for a country of Germany’s size and the army was
a symbol of German national pride. Furthermore, none of the Allies disarmed to the same extent
that Germany did despite the Fourteen Points calling for disarmament.

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Was the Treaty of Versailles Justified?
Justified / Fair / Not too Harsh
1. Germany’s Double Standards
• Treaty of Frankfurt (1871) – Germany
forced France to pay large sums in
reparations and give them Alsace-
Lorraine
• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1919) –
Germany imposed harsh terms on
Russia, eg: took 89% of their coal mines,
54% of their industry
• The Treaty of Versailles was simply as
harsh as the terms of peace that
Germany had imposed on other
countries – to consider it too harsh on
Germany would be hypocritical
2. War Guilt Clause was Illegitimate
• The War Guilt Clause lay blame for
starting the war solely on Germany – but
in reality, many other Allied countries
were involved and responsible for
escalating these tensions
• Eg: The Scramble for Africa, where
Germany tried to seize large tracts of
African territory as part of its imperialist
Weltpolitik, involved all Allied nations
including Britain and France. Britain
occupied South Africa and Egypt; France
occupied much of North Africa.
• Eg: Britain and Germany both engaged
in a fierce arms race to build large
numbers of warships à Would be wrong
to solely blame Germany
• Eg: The system of alliances in Europe
resulted in World War I, but France and
Britain were equally responsible for this
system of alliances. For example, the
Franco-Russian Alliance (1894)
guaranteed that the other party would
support the other if Germany declared
war
IGCSE History
International History
Paris Peace Conference – Revision Notes
Unjustified / Unfair / Too Harsh
1. Deliberately Designed to Weaken
Germany Economically
• The Treaty of Versailles set out to
destroy Germany economically by
imposing heavy war reparations on it,
motivated by revenge rather than a
desire to build a sustainable post-war
settlement.
• Eg: £6600 million in war reparations; loss
of 10% of Germany’s land and industry
2. Deliberately Designed to Weaken
Germany Politically
• The Treaty of Versailles set out to
destroy German’s ability to administer
itself as a state in Europe
• Eg: military restrictions were so severe
it denied Germany the ability to defend
itself against threats; transfer of
colonies to other countries; loss of 10%
of its land
3. New Government
• The Treaty of Versailles was imposing
harsh terms on Ebert’s new government
rather than the Kaiser’s government.
Ebert’s government had no intention to
start any conflict with the rest of Europe,
and was not involved in the history of
German aggression or Germany’s harsh
treaty with Russia
• It was unjust to punish a new and fragile
government in a time of chaos in a
crippled Germany