History - The Treaty of Versailles and The League of Nations

How did the League of Nations help to irradiate the drug crisis?

After more than ten years of work, 26 League nations signed an international convention to combat the drugs trade - a law that is still in force - In 1936

What were some of the main articles in the charter?

Animals Can Sing Clearly: "Pig Monsters" Set up the assembly - A meeting of all members of the League Set up the council - Britain, France, Italy, Japan and four other countries elected by assembly that four/five times a year and in crisis - Said that agreements of the assembly and council had to be unanimous. Set up the Secretariat: - Kept records, prepared reports, translated documents and general admin Set up commissions (committees that dealt with major economic or social issues, such as refugees and epidemics) - Promised to seek disarmament - Planned for arbitration of disputes Set up Permanent court of International Justice - Was intended to settle disputes between countries and provide advice to the Assembly and Council (The Hague, The Netherlands) - Planned for trade sanctions against any country that went to war Set up the Mandates Commission to look after the former colonies of Germany and Turkey - Promised to improve conditions for workers, stop drug trafficking, help trade and control disease

How did Hitler prepare?

April 1938 - Flew to meet with Mussolini - Mussolini told him to invade, giving support

What is the 'Arbitration of Disputes'?

Arbitration of disputes is a process by which a neutral third party, agreed upon by the parties to the dispute, will hear evidence and arguments, and decide the appropriate remedy. Generally, they are not required to follow all of the procedural rules associated with litigation, which is meant to streamline the process.

Why didn't Britain and France act?

Britain: - Not sure if navy could act - Worried that it won't be able to defend its East Asian colonies: India, Singapore and Hong Kong - Didn't want to lose trade links - Depression - Manchuria was not of any strategic interest France - Worried about Germany, so didn't want to commit foreign troops to a far away conflict - Manchuria was not of any strategic interest

Give a quote from Clemenceau, which reflects the French anxiety for a second world war

"History eternally repeats itself. We have not finished with Germany" - 1928

Give a quote from the French ambassador to Germany describing Hitler's peacemaking promises?

"Hitler smacked his enemy in the face, and as he did so he declared: 'I bring you proposals of peace!' - Francois Poncet (1949)

Give a quote from the Covenant of the League of Nations, which sums up the aims of the league

'The League shall... safeguard the peace of nations'

Give an account of the dismissal of Litvinov

- Spring 1939 ~ Looks like France and Britain vs German war may break out - In April, 1939, the Soviet Union suggested a three-power military alliance with Great Britain and France. - Took allied powers 6 weeks to respond - Stalin thinks they are not serious about helping USSR - Dismisses Litvino because he is too diplomatic

Give an account of the International Labour Organisation

- The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles - Wanted to improve working conditions - Persuaded countries to set up free job centres for unemployed - Banned dangerous white lead in paint - Tried to implement 48 hour week (failed because countries were worried about their industrial progress) - Convention established in 77 countries for minimum wage

What reasons did the German have to expect a nice treaty?

- The Kaiser had abdicated - Germany had a new democratic constitution and new leaders - The new government needed all the help it could get to stabilise and prevent a Communist revolution - Wilson (the most powerful of the allied leaders) wanted a fair treaty, that worked more on peace then revenge

As the conflict evolved, what did Chamberlain do?

- September 15th 1938 - Flew to Bad Godesberg, Germany - Met with Hitler - Hitler complained that Sudetan Germans were being mistreated - Chamberlain wants to annex Sudetanland to Germany

Give an account of the Slavery Commission

- Set out securing information from various governments since 1922 - The Slavery Convention of 25 September 1926 produced good results in many territories. - Freed 200,000 slaves from Sierra Leone

What did the League do?

- Set up Lytton Committee (led by Lord Lytton) - Took the committee months to report - The Japanese completed conquest at this point - Report says Japan should leave Manchuria - No threats - Matsuoka retiring speech: "Japan finds it impossible to accept the report" - Japan leave League Feb. 24, 1933

What happened next which shows the League badly too?

- Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 shows more distrust - Democratic Government were elected in Spain - Right wing vs elected left wing - Germany + Italy defeat LW - Left wing asked but the League did nothing - Ends on first of April with new nationalist republic

What were the main things benefiting Hitler at the moment?

- The anti German Stresa front collapsed - League were unlikely to stop German agression - Anti-Comintern pact - Rome-Berlin axis

Give an account of the Mandates Commission

- The commission of the League of Nations responsible for oversight of mandates - Established on December 1920 under Article 22 of the Covenant - Ensured that Britain and France were not acting in selfish interests with Germany's former colonies, that they were holding as mandates - Met in sessions once or twice a year - Held sessions from October 1921 to December 1939

What were some of the powers that were set out in the Covenant?

- The council could decide who was in the wrong (moral condemnation) - The council could tell member countries not to trade with 'guilty' countries - The league did not have an army but the Council could instruct its members to provide troops to fight together against the agressor - Relied on persuasion

Give an account of The Health Organisation

- This body focused on ending leprosy, malaria and yellow fever - Malaria and yellow fever by starting an international campaign to exterminate mosquitoes - Worked successfully with the government of the Soviet Union to prevent typhus epidemics including organising a large education campaign about the disease.

Describe Wilson's reaction to the treaty

Happy about: - Creation of League of Nations (10th Janurary 1920) Annoyed about: - Reparations - Failure to agree on disarmament (only Germany's military was reduced) - Failure to implement principle of self-determination (Only Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were given it)

Describe Clemenceau's reaction to the treaty

Happy about: - Military restrictions on Germany - Gaining of Alsace-Lorraine - Reparations Annoyed about: - League of Nations as he did not think that it would be strong enough to protect France from attack by Germany - he wanted to set up a Council of victorious countries to enforce the peace - Saar only gained for 15 years

What were some of the things missing from this treaty?

Nothing about Eastern borders in the agreement

When did WW2 begin?

1 September 1939

Give an account of the government in Japan leading up to the Manchurian crisis

1920s - Civillian/democratic government - Army held firm control though

What are Stresseman's main aims, which he believes the Locarno agreements are a step forward to?

- "Protection for the ten to twelve million Germans living under the foreign yoke" - A solution to the Rhine question - Getting back Danzig and the Polish corridor - Uniting with Austria in the distant future - Getting back the Sudetenland - Wanted it as a change to Versailles

What were the territorial effects of the treaty?

- 10% of land taken away - 12.5% of population - 16% of coal fields - Almost half of its coal and steel industry - Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France - Could not unite with Australia - Land of east Germany, including Polsen, Polish corridor between east Germany and East Prussia was given to Poland. - Saar was given to France for 15 years - All of Germany's colonies were given to France and Britain as mandates by rule of the League of Nations

Give an account of how war was approaching

- 100,000 gas masks issued in Britain - Anti-aircraft batteries put up in parks in London and Paris - In late September 1938, Chamberlain sent civil servant Horace Wilson to warn Hitler of the dangers of invading Czechoslovakia

What were the military effects of the treaty?

- 100,000 men - Conscription banned - No tanks, submarines or military aircraft - 6 battleships - No air force - Rhineland (border with France) was demilitarised ~ Germany couldn't have troops there

What did Hitler then do in defiance, and what were the responses?

- 15 March 1939 - German troops march into Czechoslovakia - Took over Bohemia, and established a protectorate over Slovakia - Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia was the end of appeasement - Proved that Hitler had been lying at Munich. - It showed that Hitler was not just interested in a 'Greater Germany' (the Czechs were not Germans). - On 17th March, Chamberlain gave a speech saying that he could not trust Hitler not to invade other countries. - On 31st March, Chamberlain guaranteed to defend Poland if Germany invaded.

Give an account of the Perry Expedition

- 1853 - Led by US Commodore Matthew C Perry - Leader of expedition that wanted Japan to open up to trade - Perry sailed four gun boats to Edo (Tokyo) - Threatened to open fire if they didn't open up trade

Give an account of the rise of Japan

- 1868: Meiji Restoration ~ Shōguns were kicked out and emperor was restored - Economy, industry and education bettered by a western model

Give an account of the first attempted invasion of Abyssinia by Italy

- 1896 - Italian forces defeated at battle of Adowa - Humiliation

What does he do next with Daladier?

- 18th September 1938 - Invites Daladier to London - He states that Hitler will not go to war if he gets the Sudetanland - Daladier agrees, so long as Britain promises to prevent further invasion along with France - Benes completely disagrees with statement - They argue that if Benes doesn't agree, he will have to fight Hitler alone

Give an account of the Locarno agreement

- 1925 - Agreement between Britain, France and Germany - 'Spirit of Locarno' ~ Idea that this was a new age of peace, to which the threat of war had been removed - Western borders of Germany agreed - Germany joined League of Nations

Give an account of the Italy dispute

- 1919 - Italian nationalists, angered that the "Big Three" had, in their opinion, broken promises to Italy at the Treaty of Versailles, captured the small port of Fiume - This port had been given to Yugoslavia by the Treaty of Versailles - For 15 months, Fiume was governed by an Italian nationalist called d'Annunzio - The newly created League did nothing. - The situation was solved by the Italian government who could not accept that d'Annunzio was seemingly more popular than they were - so they bombarded the port of Fiume and enforced a surrender - In all this the League played no part despite the fact that it had just been set up with the specific task of maintaining peace.

Give an account of the Teschen dispute

- 1919 - Teschen = small town between Poland and Czechoslovakia - Main importance was that it had valuable coal mines there which both the Poles and the Czechs wanted - As both were newly created nations, both wanted to make their respective economies as strong as possible and the acquisition of rich coal mines would certainly help in this respect. - January 1919 - Polish and Czech troops fought in the streets of Teschen - Many died - The League was called on to help and decided that the bulk of the town should go to Poland while Czechoslovakia should have one of Teschen's suburbs - This suburb contained the most valuable coal mines and the Poles refused to accept this decision - Though no more wholesale violence took place, the two countries continued to argue over the issue for the next twenty years.

Describe the dispute of Vilnia

- 1920 - Lithuania were re-established after WW1 - Large population of Vilnia was Polish - In 1920, a private Polish army took over Lithuania - League told them to leave - Polish troops refused ~ France didn't want to upset Poland as they saw them as a possible ally against Germany ~ Britain didn't want to act alone and send troops right to the other side of Europe - The league did nothing meaning the Polish kept Vilna

Describe the war between Russia and Poland

- 1920 - Poland invaded land held by the Russians - Poles quickly overwhelmed the Russian army and made a swift advance into Russia - By 1921, the Russians had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Riga which all but doubled the size of Poland. - The league did nothing - Russia by 1919 was communist and this "plague from the East" was greatly feared by the West - In fact, Britain, France and America sent troops to attack Russia after the League had been set up - Winston Churchill, the British War Minister, stated openly that the plan was to strangle Communist Russia at birth - Once again, to outsiders, it seemed as if League members were selecting which countries were acceptable and ones which were not - The Allied invasion of Russia was a failure and it only served to make Communist Russia even more antagonistic to the West.

Describe the dispute of Upper Silesia

- 1921 - Upper Silesia was a piece of territory in between Germany and Poland - Upper Silesia had the right to have a referendum on whether they wanted to be part of Germany or part of Poland (granted by the treaty of Versailles) - 700,000 voted for Germany and 500,000 for Poland - The League was asked to settle this dispute - After a six-week inquiry, the League decided to split Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland. The League's decision was accepted y both countries and by the people in Upper Silesia.

Describe the dispute of the Åland Islands

- 1921 - Åland Islands are located between South West Coast of Finland and East Coast Sweden - Sweden and Finland nearly went to war and asked League of Nations to step in - 90% of population was Swedish and had unanimous desire of being incorporated into Sweden - Sovereignty over islands was retained by Finland - No military hardware was allowed on island - League rejected the populations' desire for self-determination - International guarantees were given to allow the population to pursue its own culture, relieving the threat of forced assimilation by Finnish culture as perceived by the islanders - Sweden accepted

Give an account of the Washington conference

- 1921 to 1922 - USA was not a league member - Agreement outside of league - US: British: Japanese navies in ratio 5:5:3 - Aimed to stop potential arms race - Weakens league as it was an agreement outside of the League of Nations

Give an account of the treaty of Rapallo

- 1922 - At the time, the Geneva conference of 1922 was occurring - Germany and Soviet Union were not part of conference as they were not part of league ~ Germany = world war 1 ~ Soviet Union = suspicion of communism - Delegates from each country met in Italian town Rapallo and signed this treaty - Secretly planned to cooperate on military planning - This meant Germany could develop weapons technology inside Russia - This was a way of Germany getting around the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

Describe the dispute between Italy and Albania

- 1923 - Border between Italy and Albania was far from clear - Treaty of Versailles had never really addressed this issue - It was a constant source of irritation between both nations - 1923 - A mixed nationality survey team was sent out to settle the issue - Whilst travelling to the disputed area, the Italian section of the survey team, became separated from the main party - The five Italians were shot by gunmen who had been in hiding. - Italy accused Greece of planning the whole incident and demanded payment of a large fine - Greece refused to pay up - In response, the Italians sent its navy to the Greek island of Corfu and bombarded the coastline - Greece appealed to the League for help but Italy, lead by Benito Mussolini, persuaded the League via the Conference of Ambassadors, to fine Greece 50 million lire - Mussolini invited the Yugoslavian government to discuss ownership of Fiume - The Treaty of Versailles had given Fiume to Yugoslavia but with the evidence of a bombarded Corfu, the Yugoslavs handed over the port to Italy with little argument

Give an account of the Memel dispute

- 1923 - Port in Lithuania - People who lived in Memel were Lithuanians and, therefore, the government of Lithuania believed that the port should be governed by it - ToV had put Memel and the land surrounding the port under the control of the League - A French general acted as governor of the port for 3 years - 1923 = Lithuanians invaded the port - The League intervened and gave area surrounding Memel to Lithuania but made the port an "international zone" - Lithuania agreed

Give an account of the Turkey crisis

- 1923 - The League failed to stop a bloody war in Turkey but it did respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by this war. - 1,400,000 refugees were created by war - 80% = women/children - Typhoid and cholera were rampant - The League sent doctors from the Health Organisation to check the spread of disease - Spent £10 million on building farms, homes etc for the refugees - Money was also invested in seeds, wells and digging tools and by 1926, work was found for 600,000 people.

Give an account of the Greece and Bulgaria dispute

- 1925 - Both these nations have a common border - In 1925, sentries patrolling this border fired on one another - Greek soldier was killed - The Greek army invaded Bulgaria as a result - The Bulgarians asked the League for help and the League ordered both armies to stop fighting and that the Greeks should pull out of Bulgaria - The League then sent experts to the area and decided that Greece was to blame and fined her £45,000 - Both nations accepted the decision

Describe the Kellog-Briand Pact

- 1928 - 15 countries involved - Agreement never to go to war - Just a 'piece of paper' - No obligations - Japan and Italy undertook military invasions (even though they signed it)

Give an account of the effects of the depression on Germany

- 1932 production fell down 60% from 1928 - In 1932, 1 in 3 of the employable workforce were unemployed - Factory workers were affected due to mass unemployment - Farmers were affected because the price of agricultural produce fell greatly

How did the 'War Guilt Clause' come about?

- 29 March 1919, - The War Guilt Commission reported, stating formally that Germany was guilty of starting the war - On the next day, George sent Jan Smuts, the Prime Minister of South Africa and a firm appeaser, to talk to Wilson about the clause - Wilsoncame under pressure from Lloyd George and, on April, Wilson agreed to a German 'War Guilt' - Stated that Germany was responsible for 'all the loss and damage of the war' - Since he accepted that Germany was responsible for all the damage, Wilson would also have to accept that Germany ought to pay for it

Who was involved in the League of Nations?

- 42 countries were members (rising to 58 in 1934) - These were all countries who fought for or supported the allies in the war - US congress voted not to join because they did not want the congress 'dragged into European disputes' ~ US in the 1920s was the most powerful and wealthy country by far - Germany was admitted to join in September 9th 1926 - The USSR was not allowed to join until 1934, due to fear of communism - Some members later withdrew, such as Japan and Germany in 1933

Give six specific territorial changes

- A section of East Prussia was given to Lithuania - Danzig was run by League of Nations ~ Gave Poland a sea port - West Prussia and Polsen to Poland - Upper Silesia to Poland - Alsace-Lorraine to France - North Schleswig given to Denmark after plebiscite

What does Stalin do after this?

- Appoints Vyacheslav Molotov on 3rd May 1939 - Sent secretly to Germany - USSR are talking to both sides - Germany say if you're neutral, you can get more land in Eastern Europe

Give an account of the Stresa front

- April 1935 - Anti-German grouping - Between France, Britain and Italy - All three were worried by Hitler and German rearmament - They wanted to ensure Germany's commitment to ToV ~ No unification with Austria - Mussolini left the conference with the impression that it is okay to invade Abyssinia

Describe the talks in Leningrad

- August 1939 - British, French & Soviets meet in Leningrad ~ St. Petersburg now - USSR states that in order to get to Germany, they must send troops through Poland - Poland are against it - Britain and France are against it - Voroshilov (leader of Soviet delegation) - No senior ministers/top generals sent ~ They don't have power to sign treaty

What effects did this have?

- Britain and France were more cautious as they knew they could no longer rely on the US for help and support - Hitler did not have to worry about potential interference from America ~ In the 1930s, Italy invaded Abysinnia, the league should have put forward trade sanctions, but didn't as the US was still trading oil to Italy

What were the main strengths of the treaty?

- Brought peace to Europe after four years of fighting - International peacekeeping organisation was set up to prevent future conflict - The terms of the treaty were not as harsh as they might have been - Some had wanted to split Germany into seperable countires but Germany was preserved as a large democratic country of 60 million people as a barrier against possible communist expansion from Russia

Describe the state of Czechoslovakia before the crisis

- Created at end of WW1 out of Austro-Hungarian empire - Czechoslovakia bordered the East of Germany - Populated mainly by Czechs and Slovaks - 3 milllion german speakers lived in the western part (called the Sudeten Germans) - Konrad Henlein was the leader of the Sudeten German party - Said that the Sudeten Germans were not being treated fairly - The party was secretly funded by Adolf Hitler - Hitler and Henlein wanted to make crisis in Czechoslovakia - When the Czech government declares martial law, Hitler threatens war ~ Excuse to invade

Describe the Hoare-Laval Pact

- December 1935 - Secret deal outside League with Mussolini - Samuel Hoare and Pierre Laval (British and French politicians respectively) - Promised that if Mussolini would stop fighting, he would receive best bits of Abyssinia - Leaked to press - Outrage! - Hoare resigned

What are Mussolini's main concerns during this period?

- Depression - Rise of Hitler

What were the French and Britain reactions?

- Edvard Beneš was worried - Asked France and Britain - Chamberlain said that since there was no treaty, he couldn't help + armed forces were not worried - Couldn't get troops out - Daladier had treaty ( Treaty of Alliance and Friendship between France and Czechoslovakia on 25 January 1924) - Didn't want to go to war though

What is France's reaction to the Locarno treaty?

- Forbade French invasion of Germany - Began to construct Maginot line - Series of fortifications - Military defence line - Along border of Rhineland - Very expensive - Underground railway systems - Could withstand both land and air attacks

What were the main weaknesses of the treaty?

- Germans felt bitter about unfair treatment - Extremist parties thrived on this - Reparations crippled German economy - Treaty punished Germany enough to want revenge but not enough to stop it from recovering and acting against the allies in the future - Woodrow Wilson placed too much faith in the LoN

What did the British do to help prevent this?

- Sent out Lord Runciman to Czechoslovakia - Arrived in summer of 1938 - Listen and research - German speaker - Heavily biased towards German Sudetens - He says Sudetenland should be seperated

Give an account on the effects of the depression on France

- Goebells said that the French prime minister should have said that Hitler could not be tolerated, but they didn't. He said that they "let us slip through the danger zone" - French economy was more agricultural but they were still hit by an industrial crisis - Trying to pay out in war pensions to WW1 veterans - Defence spending cut (apart from Maginot line) - Extreme left and right wing conflicted goverment - The political parties were not united against Hitler when he came to power

Give an account of the invasion

- Haile Selassie was emperor - Abyssinia is upper northern half of present-day Ethiopia - Independent nation - A dispute about the border between Abyssinia and the Italian Somaliland flared into fighting in December 1934 On October 3rd 1935 war started because the League's committee suggested that Italy should have some land in Abyssinia. IN RESPONSE: - Bombing Adowa - 100,000 men - Poison gas used - Attacked red cross hospitals - Both nations were in the League - By the end of the conflict = 383,000 civilian deaths and 387,500 combatant deaths

Give an account of the Dollfuss affair

- Hitler's intentions for Anschluss were apparent - Dollfuss (Austrian chancellor) banned Nazi Party in Austria - In 1934, Hitler told Nazis to create havoc - They murdered Dollfuss - Austrian army supported the government - Mussolini moved his troops onto Austrian border, promising to forbid Anschluss - Hitler realised his army was not yet strong enough - Backed down and claimed that the Austrian Nazi Party were completely responsible

What were some of the main affects of the depression on the USA?

- In 1929, price of motor car exports was $541 million - In 1932, it fell to $76 million - Exports of wheat = $200m to $5m - Export of wheat declining coincided with climate crisis in the mid west

Why did Stalin decide to sign with Hitler?

- In his eyes, there was no particular difference between fascism and western democracies - Communist theory said that World War was inevitable due to greedy capitalist countries - He wanted to make sure that they didn't join together against Russia He says: - "...we will be the last to take part so that we may throw the decisive weight on the scales, a weight that should prove the determining factor" - In 1925

Who were the sympathetic powers?

- Italy (Benito Mussolini) and Germany - They wanted to see if Japan could get away with it - This would set precedent for Italian invasion to grow their empire and Germany to defy the Treaty of Versailles

Give an account of the Anglo German Naval Agreement

- June 1935 - Britain allowed German navy to be 35% of British navy - Germany were allowed submarines (45% the number of Britain's) ~ Defied ToV - - France and Italy were not consulted

Give an account of The Refugees Comission

- Leader was Fridtjof Nansen - Half a million prisoners of war in Russia were repatriated - Poverty and chaos in Turkey after collapse of Ottoman empire on November 1922 - Camps were set up to help Turkish refugees - In Autumn 1922 Fridtjof Nansen was given Nobel Peace Prize - Established 'Nansen Passport' as a means of identification of stateless people

Describe the Brest-Litovsk treaty

- March 1918 - In Brest-Litovsk, located in modern-day Belarus near the Polish border, Russia signed a treaty with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria) ending its participation in World War I These were the terms: - Ukraine, Georgia and Finland were now independent - The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were given to Germany and Austria-Hungary - Kars, Ardahan and Batum were ceded to Turkey - A third of its population were lost - A majority of its coal, oil and iron stores were lost - Much of its industry was lost too - Vladmir Lenin bitterly called the settlement "that abyss of defeat"

How did the economic crisis in America affect other countries?

- Much less silk was bought from Japan as America could not afford it - Because Americans needed less rubber and tin, the price of rubber and tin fell in Burma, Thailand and Malaysia - Australia depended heavily on exports of wool; America was buying less wool so wool prices went down - Less export of beef was bought by American consumer - Less coffee was bought from Brazil - Less raw materials from Africa - American banks stopped making loans to businesses in Europe

What were the German reactions to the treaty?

- Needed someone to blame, so turned to Friederich Ebert and the new government - Felt unjustly treated - Did not feel as if they started the war (Clause 231) - Did not feel they were responsible for damage of other countries - Did not feel as if they had lost the war - Annoyed that they were not invited to negotiations - Couldn't actually afford reparations - Very proud martial nation so resented the loss to army, navy and air force - Lots of Germans were not living under foreign rule due to territorial changes, - Coal from Saarland was given to France ~ Those that worked there were annoyed by this - Insulted as they were left out of League of Nations

Give an account of the armistice

- November 11th 1918 - Drafted in three days in Allied war zone in France's Compiegne Forest - The main terms cited that: ~ German soldiers would withdraw from enemy territories, ~ Disarmament and demobilization of the German military would occur ~ Allied prisoners would be released - The terms of this were later solidified in the Paris conference

How did the allied powers meet?

- Paris Peace Conference 1919 - First met in January 1919 - Delegates from 32 countries met

How did America go on to adopt isolationism?

- President Roosevelt was elected in 1929 - He proposed 'New Deal' - Was going to spend a lot of money on government projects to get the economy going again - He could only get the US government to agree with this if he sided with the isolationists in the US government

What were Hitler's peacemaking proposals after this?

- Proposed a 25 year agreement between Germany, France and Belgium - Proposed that Germany rejoin League of Nations

What were the economical effects of the treaty?

- Reparations = 132 billion gold marks - Later fixed at 6.6 billion pounds (in 1921) - Germany would pay them until 1984 - Germany could not join league of nations - War guilt for Germany (Clause 231)

What were Hitler's aims for foreign policy?

- Restoring Germany's greatness - Defeating the USSR - Removing Jews from Germany - Stopping Jews from being influential in Germany - Working in defiance of Treaty of Versailles ~ Particularly on land and territorial limitations - Expanding in East - Providing more living space for 'master race'

Describe the events of the invasion of the Ruhr

- ToV ordered Germany to pay reparations for war damages - Could be paid in money or in kind - In 1922, the Germans failed to pay an installment. ~ They claimed that they could not, not didn't want to - The Allies refused to accept this and the anti-German feeling at this time was still strong - Both the French and the Belgium's believed that some form of strong action was needed to 'teach Germany a lesson'. - 1923, contrary to League rules, the French and the Belgium's invaded the Ruhr - Within Europe, France was seen as a senior League member - like Britain - and the anti-German feeling that was felt throughout Europe allowed both France and Belgium to break their own rules as were introduced by the League - Here were two League members clearly breaking League rules and nothing was done about it. - For the League to enforce its will, it needed the support of its major backers in Europe, Britain and France. Yet France was one of the invaders and Britain was a major supporter of her. - To other nations, it seemed that if you wanted to break League rules, you could - Few countries criticised what France and Belgium did - They set an example for others in future years - The League clearly failed on this occasion, primarily because it was seen to be involved in breaking its own rules.

Why was the League so weak in dealing with this?

- USSR wasn't league member (they would have opposed as Russia had claim to Manchuria and it is very close to Russian strategic interest) - USA was not a member (isolationism) - No economic sanctions would work because USA could fill trade gap - Ban on trade of Japan would hurt due to depression

Give an account of the effects of the depression in Britain

- Wrecked British industry - Worried about Empire - Government was worried because it didn't have resources and military to fight Germany and Japan - Spent less - Early 1930s = defence spending reduced ~ German military spending was increasing at the same time

How did Hitler start to build up Germany's military again?

1933 - Hitler began rearming Germany in secret - An air ministry (Ministry of Aviation), that trained pilots and started building hundreds of aircrafts, was set up in April 1933, which he started taking more action on in 1935 - Responsible for formation and armament of Luftwaffe, who proved instrumental in the German victories across Poland and Western Europe March 1935 - Started a policy of conscription 1935 - Held large rearmament rally (March 16th) - Showed his defiance to the Treaty - Withdrew from League of Nations 1935 - Announced he had a peacetime army of 550,000

When did the USSR join the League of Nations, and what made the League change their mind?

1934 - Initially the western democracies did not like the communist ideologies - However, at this point they wanted another potential ally against Germany Japan had already left at this point on Feb. 24, 1933 Germany had left too

Give an account of the Axis & Anti Comintern Pact

1936 - Hitler followed up his intervention in the Spanish civil war with a warm invitation to the Italian foreign minister to come to Berlin, where on 21 October 1936, Germany and Italy signed a formal alliance which came to be known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. This alliance contained a protocol committing Germany and Italy to follow a common foreign policy. Thereafter, Germany and her partners in military aggression would be known as the Axis powers. Anti Comintern pact was signed (November 25th 1936) - Comintern was set up after WW1 by Soviet Russia - International communist organisation that advocated world communism - German, Italy and Japan signed - In case of an attack by the Soviet Union against Germany or Japan, the two countries agreed to consult on what measures to take "to safeguard their common interests". They also agreed that neither of them would make any political treaties with the Soviet Union, and Germany also agreed to recognise Manchukuo

Describe the Anschluss

1938 - Austrian Nazis - Wanted unification of Germany and Austria - This caused lots of problems for chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg - These Nazis acted without consulting Nazi bosses in Germany - There was a plot to kill German ambassador (Marich Jr) - Plan was kill him, prompt German takeover of Austria - Schuschnigg met Hitler to discuss problem (Feb) - Set a list of demands, to Schuschnigg's suprise - Ranted, raved, screamed for two hours - Nazis should ahve more control (ie. police) - Threatened him

Give an account of the Saar returning to Germany

1st March 1935 - Following the referendum, the Council of the League of Nations decided that the Saar should return to Germany. - Josef Bürckel as Reichskommissar

When was the Nazi-Soviet pact signed?

23 August 1939

What initial document held the League of Nations together? Give details

Covenant of the League of Nations - The charter for the league - Signed on 28 June 1919

How was this new power displayed?

Defeat of Russia - 1905: 2/3 of Russian fleet were sunk at battle of Tsushima - Japanese had modern steamships which they communicated between using wireless technology - Japan expected equality to western countries after this - Japan wanted empire - Needed raw materials (coal, oil and iron) ~ Therefore wanted to colonise Japan were now seen as threat

What was Haile Sellassie's reaction?

Delivered speech to the League - "God and history will remember your judgement" - "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow"

Compare the two offers that were put towards the USSR at this point

French and British offer: - If Germany attacked Poland, USSR would join F + B fighting Germany - Soviet troops can't pass through Poland - Involves war soon - Support from B + F if Germany attacks USSR - No extra land German offer: - Non aggression pact - No immediate prospect of war - Stalin would get some of Poland as well as Baltic state, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

Describe George's reaction to the treaty

Happy about: - Punishment of Germany - Mandates for ex-German colonies - Naval restriction Annoyed about: - Not enough recognition that Britain and Germany needed to re-establish trade links - He did not want Britain being told what to do by a League of Nations, and he certainly did not want the countries of the British Empire deciding that they wanted to rule themselves.

How did the French people react to George Clemenceau?

He was heavily criticised, particularly by those in the denser city areas that had fallen victim of the war more, and was voted out of office in 1920

How did Lloyd George's political position affect his judgement on the treaty?

He was part of a Liberal-Conservative coalition government - Most Liberals were internationalist and wanted the mild peace proposed by Wilson (the 'Appeasers' - eg Nicolson, Cecil and Keynes), - The Conservatives were anti-German and wanted a harsh peace along Clemenceau's lines (eg Cunliffe, Sumner and Balfour - the 'Realists'). - Lloyd George had to achieve a good balance of the two to secure his position

How did the British people react to Lloyd George?

He was treated as a hero, and reflected as a better politician as he seemed to be the dominant speaker at the conference

What happens on the 20th August 1939?

Hitler sends a letter directly to Stalin, saying: - Tension between Poland and Germany is strong - Our two countries should make an alliance - My foreign minister in Moscow will sign pact ~ Von Ribbentrop Stalin replies a day after, saying: - I hope that this pact will better the political relations between our countries

Describe how the treaty was signed

It was shown to Germany with no negotiations - 28th June 1919, Delegates met at the hall of mirrors in the Versailles palace and forced two German representatives to sign

Give an account of the march into the Rhineland

March 1936 - Risky due to French resistance - Hitler started rearmament by army was not big enough - German generals opposed Hitler's view - First few days many asksed to pull out - Retreat if met resistance - Occupation was complete

What did Austria do in response?

March 1938 - Schuschnigg announced Plebiscite - Voting age 24 (wants to exclude youts) - Hitler doesnt want risk - 11th March - Germans invade - No resistance from armed forces - Vienna, 76,000 oppositions were arrested - Austria did nothing because they didn't want to "shed German blood"

What did Lloyd George later propose/do that changed Clemenceau's mind?

On 25 March 1919, he issued the Fontainebleau Memorandum, and persuaded Clemençeau to agree to the League of Nations and a more lenient peace treaty that would not destroy Germany. - Then, at Lloyd George's suggestion, Britain and America offered France an alliance, promising to guarantee French security in the event of attack. In return, Clemenceau not only dropped his claims for a Rhine frontier and an independent Rhineland, but he agreed to the League of Nations, and agreed that Danzig should be - not given to Poland - but made a 'free city' under League of Nations control.

What event lead up to the invasion of Manchuria

September 1931: Mukden incident - Staged event engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the invasion - Japanese army claimed that its railways and possessions in Manchuria were under threat, so they should go there and take control - Japan already had mining rights and controlled railways there - Excuse to invade Manchuria - Established its puppet state of Manchukuo six months later JAPAN AND CHINA WERE LEAGUE MEMBERS

Why did Stalin begin to become suspicious?

Since France and Britain were being nice to Germany in the Munich agreement (Early hours of 30th September 1939), Stalin thought there was a secret war being organised to destroy USSR and Germany

Who was Maxim Litvinov?

Soviet foreign minister, who had an initiative to build links with Britain and France with the aim of standing against future German aggression

What was the 'secret protocol'?

Stalin would get some of Poland as well as Baltic state, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

How did the French and Britain react to the re militarisation?

The French government was horrified to find German troops on their border but were unwilling to take action without the support of the British. The British government argued against going to war over the issue and justified its position by claiming that "Germany was only marching into its own back yard."

What was Germany's opposition like to the treaty?

The Germans published a rebuttal, arguing that the treaty was unfair, but they were ignored.

What did the League of Nations do in response?

The League banned arms sales to both sides - this disadvantaged Abyssinia since Italy already had a well equipped army with tanks and bombers. Other trade sanctions were imposed on Italy - mainly rubber and metal, but not oil and most significantly the Suez Canal remained open, making it much easier for Mussolini to continue his invasion.

Give an account of the Munich agreement?

The Munich Agreement was a settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of portions of Czechoslovakia along the country's borders mainly inhabited by German speakers, for which a new territorial designation, the "Sudetenland", was coined. The agreement was signed in the early hours of 30 September 1938 (but dated 29 September) after being negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe, excluding the Soviet Union. - AS LONG AS YOU MAKE A PROMISE YOU WILL NOT TRY TO INVADE THE REST OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

What changes were made to the Saarland and how did this change?

The Saarland was run by League of Nations, but the people were told to decide what should happen after 15 years. The vote was held and after much Nazi propaganda, 98% of the population voted that it be given back to Germany.

Why did Japan leave the league of nations? (February 24th 1933)

They left after the assembly had adopted a report blaming Japan for events in Manchuria

How did the American people react to Woodrow Wilson?

They lost faith in him as he didn't seem to contribute and even where he did, in the creation of the League of Nations, he made contradictory actions (the US congress voted not to join)

What did each of the big three want for the treaty and why?

Woodrow Wilson: - Was not as harsh as the USA were not involved within the war for as long as UK and France and so had not received as much damage - The US had only received 116k deaths as a result of the war, while France received 1.3 million and the UK receiving 800k - Wanted to prevent another World War by setting up league of nations - Germany should not be blamed for the war - Fourteen points included: ~ Self-determination: the principal that nationalities should be able to rule themselves and not be in another country's empire ~ Disarmament for all countries ~ League of Nations ~ Freedom of the seas George Clemenceau - The harshest of the three - Twice in his life had he seen France invaded by Germany (1870 and 1914) - Wanted revenge for the damage on French economy and people - Wanted to get rid of Germany's threatening proximity - Wanted to return Alsace-Lorraine to France - No league of nations - Reparations - The disbandment of the German army so they could not attack France again - His views reflected French oppinion Lloyd George - In the middle because he didn't take much land damage but only lost troops - Had just won general election promising to 'make Germany pay' - Wanted to satisfy the French's thirst for revenge - Land for Britain's empire - Wanted to keep as trade partner - Prospering German industries would provide jobs for those involved with British trade - Safeguard Britain's naval supremacy