WW1 AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

WW1 AND THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

1. BACKGROUND OF WW1

   • COMPETITION FOR COLONIES (Fight for power)
     • More colonies= more prestige and resources = bigger empire size
       • 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
     • COMPETITION FOR RAW MATERIALS, RESOURCES AND MARKETS
       • Powers industrialization
         • Economic power can provide political and military power
         • Feeds power and wealth of industrialized nations
           • Competition for colonies
   • ARMS AND NAVAL RACE
     • Aided by industrialization (Can increase production of weapons) Need for military capability to protect empires
   • ALLIANCES
     • Formed so that countries could have assistance in the event of war
       • Triple Entente (Britain,France,Russia) VS Triple Alliance (Germany,Austria--Hungary,Italy)
       • Became the Central powers vs Allies
   • NATIONALISM
     • Definition: Desire to become independant
       • Austria-Hungary and Russia wanted to control the Balkan States
         • Balkan States wanted independence States had broken away from the Ottoman Empire when it lost power
   • TRIGGER: ASSASSINATION OF THE ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
     • World powers were drawn in to support their allies
       • War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia= war between Austria-Hungary and Russia (Serbia's ally)

2. IMPACTS OF WW1

   • POILITICAL
     • Pacifism
     • New nation states and boundaries created
       • Germany was broken up into many states
   • ECONOMIC
     • Economic debts
       • Infrastructure factories, businesses, farms were destroyed
       • High unemployment
         • Few jobs for returning soldiers
   • SOCIAL
     • Equality for women
       • Contributed a lot for the war efforts
     • Class equality
     • Racial equality
     • Loss of lives and homes

3. Paris Peace Conference

   • Held in 1919  Germany NOT invited Gathering of the victors (Britain, Italy, France
   • What the Treaty meant for Germany
     • War Guilt Clause and humiliation
     • Territorial Reduction
     • Demilitarization and reparations
     • Self-determination and new boundaries
     • Formation of the LON

4. IMPACT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

   • GERMAN HUMILIATION
     • 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)
     • Germany was already weakened by the war
       • Continued war would be disastrous
   • GERMAN TERRITORIAL REDUCTIONS
     • - 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
     • Treaty forbade German-unification
       • Germans in Germany wanted to be able to join forces with German-speaking Austrians in Austria-Hungary
       • A;llies feared that it could strengthen Germany's position in Europe
   • GERMAN MILITARY WEAKNESS
     • -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
   • ECONOMIC WEAKNESS
     • -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
   • SELF-DETERMINATION AND CREATION OF NEW BOUNDARIES
     • -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