Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why did many people negatively react to the Treaty of Versailles? - Summary
The Treaty of Versailles is often referred to as one of the most hated treaties in history. This is because every country that signed the agreement was deeply unhappy with the outcome.
In Britain, some people felt the treaty was too harsh and worried it would lead to future problems. They feared that making Germany pay huge reparations and weakening its economy would create resentment and instability in Europe. They thought that Germany could start another war to seek revenge.
Many people in France did not think the Treaty of Versailles was harsh enough. The French public had a high desire for revenge on Germany. They believed that the terms still allowed Germany to threaten France’s safety.
In the USA, many people were disappointed with the treaty. The US public thought the treaty did not reflect President Wilson's vision of a fair and lasting peace. The US Senate refused to ratify the treaty. The USA did not join the League of Nations. Many Americans wanted to avoid becoming involved in European conflicts again. They believed the treaty's harshness would not lead to lasting peace and stability.
In Germany, the reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Germans were angry and humiliated by the treaty, which they felt was unfair and blamed them entirely for the war. The harsh reparations, loss of territory and restrictions on their military caused economic and political problems in Germany. This anger would later contribute to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Second World War.
Reactions of the Allies to the Treaty of Versailles
No Allied leader was happy when they walked out of the peace discussions at Versailles
No leader achieved all of their aims
All three leaders had to make significant compromises to achieve the Versailles Settlement
There were aspects of the Treaty of Versailles that each leader liked and disliked
Leader | Aspects of the Treaty of Versailles that they liked | Aspects of the Treaty of Versailles that they disliked |
|---|---|---|
Georges Clemenceau | The demilitarisation of the Rhineland gave France protection from Germany Gaining back Alsace-Lorraine restored territory that was previously French back to France | Clemenceau felt that Germany’s reparations were not high enough Germany being allowed to have an army and exist as a country angered Clemenceau Clemenceau believed that the Rhineland should be French |
David Lloyd George | The treaty allowed Britain to regain their naval supremacy over Germany Britain took control over some of Germany’s colonies, expand their empire | Lloyd George believed that the reparations were too high. He was worried about how the repayments would impact Germany’s ability to trade Lloyd George knew that the German people were unhappy with the treaty. He worried that Germany would seek revenge in the future |
Woodrow Wilson | The creation of the League of Nations saw one of WIlson’s visions become reality. He was hopeful that the League would help to create long-lasting peace in Europe Wilson was happy to achieve self-determination for some countries in Europe | Many of Wilson’s Fourteen Points were not included in the Treaty of Versailles due to Britain and France’s desire for revenge Wilson believed that the terms of the treaty were far too harsh. He worried about the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles on Europe |
Public reaction in Britain, France & the USA to the Treaty of Versailles
Public attitude in Europe
There was a mixed reaction in Europe to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919
The public opinion to the Treaty of Versailles in each country depended on:
How harsh the treaty was on Germany
Whether their leader achieved most of their country’s aims
Whether the terms of the treaty made them feel safe
Why was Britain happy with the Treaty of Versailles?
Many British people hated Germany in 1919
Propaganda during the war was anti-German
Around 750,000 British soldiers died in the First World War
Most of the British public thought the treaty was fair
Some people thought that the terms could have been harsher
Other people were concerned about future retaliation from Germany
Lloyd George was hailed as a hero
British newspapers reported that Britain would never be threatened by Germany again
Why was France unhappy with the Treaty of Versailles?
The majority of the French public were very angry at the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Many French people believed that the treaty needed to be much harsher on Germany
In France, in the 18 to 30 age group, there were 15 women for every man in 1919
Fighting in the First World War had destroyed large areas of rural and industrial France
People felt Clemenceau had not done enough to get revenge for France
Clemenceau resigned as Prime Minister in 1920 and never returned to politics
Some terms were acceptable to the French such as gaining control of the Saar and its coalfields for 15 years
Public attitude in the USA
Many US citizens did not want to fight in the First World War in the first place
A large number of US politicians and citizens were isolationists
They wanted the USA to focus on their problems rather than being dragged into European conflicts
Some Americans had German ancestry
There was mass emigration from Europe to the USA before 1914
The US public considered the Treaty of Versailles to be too harsh. The US did not have the same desire for revenge as Britain and France because:
The USA only joined the war in 1917
No fighting took place on US soil
The USA suffered fewer military casualties than Britain and France
Wilson’s idea of the League of Nations was unpopular in the US. Americans did not want to help European nations:
In a war that caused casualties like the First World War
Maintain their empires
Many Americans were against the idea of empires (anti-imperialist)
The Republican candidate, Warren Harding, campaigned aggressively against the League of Nations
The Senate voted twice on the Treaty of Versailles and US membership to the League of Nations between November 1919 and March 1920
Wilson failed both times to get the Senate’s ratification of the bill
The public elected Harding as president in 1921
German reactions to the Treaty of Versailles
The 'Diktat'
The Treaty of Versailles took force on 10th January 1920
German people and politicians called the treaty a ‘diktat’
German representatives were not allowed to attend the peace talks
Germany had to accept the terms of peace otherwise the Allies would take control of the country
November Criminals and the 'Dolchstoss'
Many Germans argued that the Weimar Republic should not have signed the Treaty of Versailles
They believed that German politicians committed a ‘dolchstoss’ - or a ‘stab in the back’
The politicians who signed the Treaty of Versailles were called ‘November Criminals’. This was because November was the month the government signed the armistice
Many Germans felt humiliated and weaker than the rest of Europe
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Some students confuse ‘diktat’ with ‘dolchstoss.’ To help you remember the difference between ‘diktat’ and ‘dolchstoss’, create flashcards of keywords and definitions for this course. Ensure you test yourself or have someone test you multiple times. This will embed these definitions into your long-term memory.
What sections of the Treaty of Versailles angered the German people?
Area of the treaty | Why did this anger the German people? |
|---|---|
The War Guilt Clause | The German public did not think it was fair that they had to take all of the blame for the First World War. Other countries were planning for war in the 1910s, for example, Britain |
Restrictions on armed forces | The armed forces were a source of pride for the German people. Many Germans felt humiliated and vulnerable to attack from their enemies. They were bitter that the rest of Europe was not forced to disarm |
Reparations | Many Germans believed that the reparations were set too high. Germany had already been financially ruined by the First World War. By 1919, Germany continued to struggle with food shortages and high unemployment. From 1922, Germany could not pay its reparations bill |
Territorial losses | The Treaty of Versailles placed German citizens under the rule of other countries. Around 6 million Germans were forced to live in other countries. Many Germans felt that the Allies had taken away their cultural identity. They had prioritised the self-determination of other European countries over Germany’s. |
Worked Example
How useful are Sources B and C to an historian studying the Treaty of Versailles?
[12 marks]
Source B: A placard for Lloyd's News on 29th June 1919. It announced the signing of the Treaty of Versailles
Source C: A section from The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes (1919) John Maynard Keynes was a British economist who was critical of the Treaty of Versailles. “If we aim at the impoverishment of Central Europe, vengeance, I dare say, will not limp. Nothing can then delay for very long the forces of Reaction and the despairing convulsions of Revolution, before which the horrors of the later German war will fade into nothing, and which will destroy, whoever is victor, the civilisation and the progress of our generation.” |
Partial answer:
Source B is useful to an historian studying the Treaty of Versailles because it shows a popular reaction to the treaty. Source B shows David Lloyd George with his arm outstretched with the caption “They have signed!”. In 1919, the British public saw Lloyd George as a hero for his work in creating the Treaty of Versailles. Lloyd George had achieved many of the aims of the British public such as getting revenge on Germany and strengthening the British empire. As a result, Source B is useful to a historian because it demonstrates the typical public opinion in Britain in 1919 about the Treaty of Versailles. As the source is a placard by a newspaper company, it is intended to be widely distributed and read. Therefore, it is likely to represent the popular opinion in Britain at the time to sell more newspapers.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This question requires you to discuss the usefulness of both sources, using specific details and your knowledge. Unlike the ‘How Useful’ question in Paper 2A, this version of the question in Conflict & Tension: The Inter-War Years, 1918–1939 requires you to write a conclusion. You should address how the sources are more useful together for an historian studying the topic specified in the question.
To complete this answer, you should have one paragraph analysing the usefulness of Source C and a paragraph for your conclusion.
For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 12-mark “How Useful” question.
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