WW1 AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

1. COMPETITION FOR COLONIES (Fight for power)
   1. More colonies= more prestige and resources = bigger empire size

      Annotations:

      • BRITAIN AND FRANCE'S EXPANSION OF TERRITORIES  - Increased power and prestige  - More access to raw materials and resources
      • JAPAN AND GERMANY JOINED THE RACE - Joined too late: smaller number of colonies - lesser power and access to resources
   2. COMPETITION FOR RAW MATERIALS, RESOURCES AND MARKETS
      1. Powers industrialization

         Annotations:

         • Economic power can provide political and military power
         1. Feeds power and wealth of industrialized nations
            1. Competition for colonies
2. ARMS AND NAVAL RACE

   Annotations:

   • Aided by industrialization (Can increase production of weapons) Need for military capability to protect empires
3. ALLIANCES
   1. Formed so that countries could have assistance in the event of war

      Annotations:

      • Triple Entente (Britain,France,Russia) VS Triple Alliance (Germany,Austria--Hungary,Italy)
      • Became the Central powers vs Allies
4. NATIONALISM
   1. Definition: Desire to become independant
      1. Austria-Hungary and Russia wanted to control the Balkan States

         Annotations:

         • Balkan States wanted independence States had broken away from the Ottoman Empire when it lost power
5. TRIGGER: ASSASSINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
   1. World powers were drawn in to support their allies

      Annotations:

      • War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia= war between Austria-Hungary and Russia (Serbia's ally)

1. POILITICAL
   1. Pacifism
   2. New nation states and boundaries created

      Annotations:

      • Germany was broken up into many states
2. ECONOMIC
   1. Economic debts
      1. Infrastructure factories, businesses, farms were destroyed
      2. High unemployment
         1. Few jobs for returning soldiers
3. SOCIAL
   1. Equality for women

      Annotations:

      • Contributed a lot for the war efforts
   2. Class equality
   3. Racial equality
   4. Loss of lives and homes

Annotations:

• Held in 1919  Germany NOT invited Gathering of the victors (Britain, Italy, France

1. What the Treaty meant for Germany
   1. War Guilt Clause and humiliation
   2. Territorial Reduction
   3. Demilitarization and reparations
   4. Self-determination and new boundaries
   5. Formation of the LON

1. GERMAN HUMILIATION

   Annotations:

   • Germany had to accept total blame for the war. -Germans were greatly angered (felt that they did not deserve total blame for the war) -Newly formed government had no choice but to accept the Treaty or continue fighting (Germans felt that it was a betrayal to their war efforts)
   1. Germany was already weakened by the war
      1. Continued war would be disastrous
2. GERMAN TERRITORIAL REDUCTIONS

   Annotations:

   • - Lost overseas colonies and resource-rich regions (Rhineland, Saar coal region) and parts of Poland - Injured pride of Germans (Germany's standing as a world power was greatly reduced) -Damaged Germany's economy
   1. Treaty forbade German-unification

      Annotations:

      • Germans in Germany wanted to be able to join forces with German-speaking Austrians in Austria-Hungary
      1. A;llies feared that it could strengthen Germany's position in Europe
3. GERMAN MILITARY WEAKNESS

   Annotations:

   • -meant to ensure that Germany could not start another war. -Weaken Germany so that she could not defend herself against attacks from the Allied Powers -Lead to Germany's economic weakness
4. ECONOMIC WEAKNESS

   Annotations:

   • -War Guilt Clause gave Allies the right to demand as much compensation as they wanted from Germany -Shortage of able-bodied workers to help Germany rebuild its economy
5. SELF-DETERMINATION AND CREATION OF NEW BOUNDARIES

   Annotations:

   • -refers to creation of independent nation-states -Germans were angered (felt that self-determination only applied to the victors) -confusion: some countries never gained their own states                  : many nationalities found themselves outside of their nation states (Germans left stranded in the 'Free City' of Danzig