16931605
| Question | Answer |
| Why were the German people unhappy with the Treaty of Versailles? (6) | Exp 1 - military reasons. Restrictions left Germany vulnerable (provide detail) Exp 2 - Economic reasons (German economy weakened - reparations loss of Saarland fo 15 years) Exp 3 - Political reasons: War guilt (not proven) labels Germany / not able to join the League |
| Why was the work of the peacemakers at the Paris Peace Conference difficult? (6) | Differing aims of the Big Three meant ‘forced compromise’ Exp 1: Clemenceau’s search for security & revenge vs Wilson’s ‘idealism’ (provide detail) Exp 2: Clemenceau & Lloyd George. Differences over reparations (explain) |
| Why did the German people think the Treaty of Versailles was motivated by revenge? (6) | Exp 1: Blame - war guilt (231) was seen as vindictive and merely a way to justify the extraction of reparations - it was never ‘proven’ just assumed. Ex 2: If self-determination was meant to be a guiding principle Germans felt it was poorly applied - 12.5 % of Germans living in foreign lands. Exp 3: If disarmament was meant to be a guiding principle, this too was poorly applied as only Germany had to disarm. |
| Why was David Lloyd George unhappy with French aims at the peace treaty? (6) | Exp 1: economic reasons - Britain depended largely upon the economic revival of Europe which depended upon the revival of the German economy, which Clemenceau wanted to weaken. Germany was Britain’s main trading partner pre WWI. Exp 2: Political reasons - he feared a weak Germany would not be able to resist communism/ France would also become too dominant / a vengeful Germany was storing up problems for the future. |
| Why was Danzig an important issue at the Peace Conference of Versailles? [6] | Exp 1: It had economic importance for Germany: e.g. ‘Before the First World War Danzig had been a thriving German sea port. With the recreation of Poland, Germany would lose Danzig to Poland. (4)Exp 2: The issue of self-determination: Danzig’s population was mainly German, and transfer to Poland could cause great resentment and an unstable situation politically.’ |
| Why did Wilson believe his ‘Fourteen Points’ should form the basis of the Treaty of Versailles? (6) | Exp 1 - he believed his 14 points addressed the underlying causes of war + would bring lasting peace. E.g world disarmament (no more arms race) and a League of Nations to promote ‘internationalism’ to deter war. Exp 2 - his 14 points did not punish Germany which he believed would only sow the seeds of resentment and future conflict. |
| Why did the Treaty of Versailles cause problems for Germany from 1919 to 1923? (6) | Exp 1 - It fuelled political unrest / turmoil weakening the new Weimar Democracy - e.g Kapp putsch in 1920 and over 300 political assassinations. Label of November criminals’ Exp 2 - it contributed to economic hardship. Loss of Saarland + reparations made post war inflation worse - 1922 they defaulted, France + Belgium occupied the Ruhr leading to hyper-inflation. |
Want to create your own Flashcards for free with GoConqr? Learn more.