germany lost
territories in Europe: Alsace Lorraine, the
Saar, west prussia
collonies taken away
Demilitarized (rhineland) (100,000 troops max.)
War guilt
Reparations
creation of league (1920 -> same day as Versailles Treaty came into operation
Genoa Conference 1922
war debts to USA
reparations to france
attempts to diminish tensions
created by German reluctance to
continue to pay reparations
failed: 1923 Germany did not pay its
reparations ; France militarized the
Ruhr
Dawes Plan 1924 London
attempt to break deadlock
Americans chaired by US
rep. Dawes
800m marks to Germany
from US
France removed military
presence from Ruhr
German economy rebuilt;
reparation payments
continue to France
Locarno Treaty 1925
Germany, France and Belgium
promised to respect borders
No guarantees for German borders
with Poland and Czechoslavakia
France would help Czech.
and Poland if Germany
attacked
Western boundaries protected;
eastern boundaries not
guaranteed
Mussolini was anoyed that their border
with austria was not guaranteed
Kellogg- Briand Pact 1928
Proposal from
French:France and USA
sign pact denouncing war
expand to international
community = 65 countries
signed
utopian = no sanctions against
breaches included; Japan attacked
China in 1931
League of Nations weakened by
individual initiatives
Young Plan 1929
aim: settle remaining issue of payment of
repapartions during a period of great ecomic growth
reduce reparations to 2000 million;
Keynes proposal at Versailles proved
correct: reparations were punitive
Wall Street Crash = economic instability;
economic situation changes = 6million
Germans unemplyed = political instability
World Disarmamnent Conf. 1932 - 33 Geneva
aim: scale
down
armaments
League's Covenants: all would reduce arms
but only Germany had complied {stressman]
rise of Nazis
worries
France
Germany wants
to rearm; wants
to build army to
equal France's
forces; UK and
Italy sympathises
so Germany
leaves
conference
Germany withdraws from
the League of nations
How the interwar period was a time of tension and growing
confrontation threatening peace
1. so many different treaties weakens the power of
diplomacy=no core; no unified response to violations of
the Covenant = League failed in its mission to restore peace
2. Germany's economic situation weak; reparations punitive;
unemployment excessive = leads to te rise of nazi policy = coming
topower of a leader who promises an end to he suffering and the
humiliation
3. Hitler blamed Allied powers for economic situation = justifying
war; pretext for war = presents them as germany's enemy
4. The USA's refusal to join the League of Nations = isolationist policy = positions itself as a player in the
European stage: Kellogg-Briand; Dawes; Keynes economic policy = ? factor in weakening the League and
in the failure to maintain peace.
League of Nations
Success
The establishment of new orgs. ie. Int'l
Labour Org which improved labour conditions,
the halth org cobatted typhus and the refugee
org POW return home
Political disputes resolved. ie. some minor quarrels
Failure
About the league
Considered Woodrow Wilson's
Brainchild however it was the result
of multiple statesmen coming
together to discuss post-war