The Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)

Revision Note

Germany’s Reaction 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. The ‘Big Three’ of Britain, France and the USA met at the Palace of Versailles in January 1919 with different intentions.

With so much difference in opinion, it is clear why the final agreement dissatisfied every contributor and became a controversial treaty. The Allies banned Germany from attending the peace talks in January 1919. While the Weimar Republic had little choice but to sign the treaty, its terms brought anger to the German public. The public’s hatred towards the Treaty of Versailles lasted into the 1930s. Hitler utilised this anger as a way to win the support of the people.

The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

The Military Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Article number

Description of term

Impact on Germany

42

The Rhineland (an area in Western Germany that bordered France) became demilitarised. Allied troops were stationed there until 1930

Germany was not allowed to have soldiers in the Rhineland. This made them vulnerable to an invasion from France

160

Germany’s army was restricted to 100,000 men

Many ex-soldiers became unemployed

181

Germany’s navy was restricted to six battleships and could not produce submarines

Germany became weaker. They could not develop the military technology that other countries had

198

Germany was not allowed to have an air force

The Territorial Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Article number

Description of term

Impact on Germany

45

France was given the area of the Saar, with its coalfields, for 15 years

Germany lost 15% of their coal resources. This affected their economy

51

Alsace-Lorraine became a part of France again

Germany did not have a buffer between themselves and France anymore

80

Anschluss (the union between Germany and Austria) was forbidden

Austria was a part of Germany’s cultural identity. Many Austrians considered themselves to be German

87

Germany lost Posen and West Prussia, which allowed the Allies to create a ‘Polish Corridor’. This gave Poland access to the sea

The ‘Polish Corridor’ divided Germany into two. Roughly one million Germans were under Polish rule

199

France and Britain ruled all 11 of Germany’s colonies in Africa and the Far East as mandates

Germany’s reputation as a global power was destroyed. They had fewer items to trade with other countries

The Political and Economic Terms of the Treaty of Versailles

Article number

Description of term

Impact on Germany

1-26

Germany could not join the League of Nations

Germany felt excluded from world politics. They were more likely to resort to violence to resolve disputes

231

The ‘War Guilt’ Clause. Germany had to agree that they started the First World War. The clause made Germany accept responsibility for the deaths and destruction during wartime

This clause created the most anger among the German population. They felt it was unfair to take all of the blame for the atrocities caused by the First World War

232

Germany would have to pay the Allies reparations as a condition of their surrender. The amount was set at 132 billion gold marks (£6.6 billion)

This amount would be enough to bankrupt Germany, especially, as the territorial terms reduced their ability to trade

Why was the Treaty of Versailles Unpopular in Germany?

  • Many Germans argued that the Weimar government should not have signed the treaty

    • The Allies had not defeated the German Army in battle

    • They believed that German politicians committed a ‘dolchstoss’ - or a ‘stab in the back’ 

    • Many Germans felt that the Weimar government had lied to them about the reality of surrendering to the Allies

    • 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 compared the acceptance of the treaty to committing a crime against the German state

  • The terms of the Treaty of Versailles destroyed Germany’s economy

    • The Allies theorised that, by imposing large reparations, Germany would be unable to finance another war

    • Germany had already been financially ruined by the First World War. This made the Weimar government seem weak

    • From the outset, Germany could not pay its reparations bill.  By 1923, this created problems 

    • Many Germans felt humiliated and weaker than the rest of Europe

    • Many extremist political groups gained wider support when they campaigned that they would ignore the Treaty of Versailles if elected

      • Hitler made the destruction of the Treaty of Versailles one of the main points in the Nazi Party’s manifesto

What Does Left and Right in Politics Mean?

  • Germany was experiencing political chaos in 1918 due to the number of new political parties that emerged

  • The political parties of Weimar Germany represented a range of left-wing and right-wing ideas

What Does Left-Wing Mean?

  • A person who has left-wing opinions believes that:

    • The people should run the country rather than one person or political group. Extreme left-wing groups believe that the country should not have a government at all

    • Capitalism only harms the country. The rich get richer and the poor become poorer. An extreme left-wing party would ban people from owning businesses or property

    • A person can work their way up in society through hard work. Someone with an extreme left-wing opinion would not believe in the idea of class. They would see everyone as equal, no matter what job they did or how educated they were

    • Their nation is not better than any other country. They believe in global collaboration to create the best policies

  • The most extreme version of the left-wing is Communism

What Does Right-Wing Mean?

  • A person who has right-wing opinions believes that:

    • The country should have strong armed forces and an autocratic leader

    • Businesses should be able to make lots of money and pay less in taxes. They value the concept of capitalism

    • The family unit is important. They believe in upholding traditional values

    • A person should have a strong pride in their country. They would make decisions based on the interests of the country rather than what’s best for an individual or group

    • They have a strong sense of national identity. Someone with extreme right-wing beliefs does not like immigrants or people of a different ethnicity or religion to them

  • The most extreme version of the right-wing is called Fascism

The Main Political Parties in the Weimar Republic

Abbreviation

Name in English

Politically left or right?

Support base

SPD

Social Democrats

Moderate left

The workers and the middle classes

DDP

Democrats

Moderate left

The more educated middle classes

ZP

Centre Party

Centre (neither left or right)

Originally the party of the Catholic Church, supported by conservatives

DVP

People’s Party

Moderate right

The upper middle classes

DNVP

National Party

Right

Wealthy landowners and big businesses

KPD

Communist Party

Extreme left

The workers and some middle classes

NSDAP

Nazi Party

Extreme right

Little support until the mid-to-late 1920s

Spectrum of Weimar Germany's Political Parties

A diagram displaying the Weimar political parties on a spectrum of left-wing to right-wing
A diagram displaying the Weimar political parties on a spectrum of left-wing to right-wing

Examiner Tip

It is important to use the phrases ‘extreme’ and ‘moderate’ when describing where a political belief fits on this spectrum. It shows the examiner that you understand the variations of political left and right. In Weimar Germany, the SPD and the KPD were both left-wing parties. However, the KPD was more extreme-left in their beliefs than the SPD, who held the most seats in the Reichstag in 1919. You can also have parties that are neither left nor right as they have a mixture of both ideologies. These are called ‘Centre’ or ‘Moderate’ parties. An example in Weimar Germany was the Zentrum (which translates in English to the Centre Party). It held right-wing beliefs on the constitution but left-wing beliefs about social reform.

The Spartacist Uprising

  • The Spartacist Uprising was a left-wing challenge to the Weimar Republic

  • The Spartacist League was a German Communist group

    • The KPD supported their cause

    • Spartacist comes from the name Spartacus, the leader of a slave revolt in Ancient Rome

    • Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht led the Spartacists

  • The Weimar government

    • Sacked Emil Eichhorn, Berlin’s police chief

      • Eichhorn was popular among the workers

  • Luxemburg and Liebknecht used this to begin the uprising on 4th January 1919

  • By 6th January, Berlin was in chaos

    • Luxemburg and Liebknecht had encouraged the workers to go on a general strike

    • Over 100,000 workers protested on the streets

    • The Spartacists had taken control of the government’s newspaper and various telegraph offices across Berlin

  • Chancellor Ebert did not know what to do

    • The First World War had weakened the Reichswehr 

    • There were too many protestors on the streets

  • Ebert turned to another organisation to defeat the Spartacist Uprising

    • He ordered the Reichswehr to organise Freikorps units to fight the Spartacist Uprising

    • The Freikorps held extreme right-wing opinions and hated Communists

  • The Spartacist Uprising ended on 13th January 1919

    • The Freikorps and Reichswehr were fighting mainly unarmed Communist workers

  • On 16th January, both Luxemburg and Liebknecht were brutally killed by the Freikorps

Kapp Putsch

The Occupation of the Ruhr

  • The Weimar Republic was struggling to pay the reparations from the Treaty of Versailles

    • As a result, the French and Belgian armies occupied the Ruhr region of Germany

  • Learn more about the occupation of the Ruhr

Economic Crisis and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany

  • The Occupation of the Ruhr caused an extreme economic depression in Germany in 1923

    • Hyperinflation is when prices rise rapidly and become out of control

  • Learn more about the hyperinflation crisis of 1923

Worked Example

Why did the Treaty of Versailles lead to instability in the Weimar Republic?

6 marks

Partial answer:

One reason why the Treaty of Versailles led to instability was because of how unpopular it was in Germany (1). The Treaty of Versailles restricted the army to 100,000 men, with no air force and a small navy of 6 battleships (1). This created instability because many ex-soldiers were left unemployed and angry. They formed the Freikorps, an armed right-wing group. They attempted to overthrow the government in 1920 in the Kapp Putsch. Their uprising caused significant instability. The government only maintained control because the workers did not support the Freikorps’ aim to bring back the Kaiser (1).

Examiner Tip

In Paper One, ‘explain why’ questions are worth either six or ten marks. For full marks for this question, an examiner is looking for two fully explained reasons why the Treaty of Versailles caused instability. Use the PEE structure in your answer:

  • P - Make a point about the question

  • E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made

  • E - Explain why this evidence caused instability in the Weimar Republic. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor created a serious threat to the government

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