1.1.1 Define:
Imperialism: The policy of extending the authority of a nation over foreign countries through the acquisitions of colonies.
Nationalism: A sense of national consciousness that fosters loyalty to a country.
Colony: a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government.
Triple Alliance: The alliance of 1882 of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in an attempt to isolate France.
Triple Entente: The 1907 alliance of Britain, France and Russia in response to the rising powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy (the Triple Alliance)
Ultimatum: A final proposal of terms which, when rejected, may end negotiations and result in war.
1.1.2 Identify on a map the major world empires in 1900. (P.23)
1.1.3 Analyze reasons for expansion of the major imperial powers at the turn of the twentieth century.
|
Country |
Reasons for Imperialist Expansion |
|
Britain |
- The worlds leading power in 1900
- Colonial acquisitions provided Britain with an abundance of raw materials as well as markets for its finished products
- Supported by a large an powerful navy |
|
France |
- Rivaled Britain as an imperial power
- Did not need raw materials but desired prestige and power.
- Competition with Britain over colonial territories led to many conflicts and disputes |
|
Germany |
- New German Empire emerging as dominant power on European mainland
- Desire to increase German power beyond Europe to rival Britain and France
- Need to access a warm water port for the navy |
|
Russia |
- Need to access a warm water port for the navy
|
|
Japan |
- Need to secure raw materials for rapidly developing industrial base
- Part of new Japanese motto innovate by imitation
- Desire to keep Asia for Asians rather than for European imperialists. |
|
United States |
- Opposed European imperialism in Western Hemisphere
- Desire to expand commercial interests
- Vital interest in the Panama Canal |
1.1.4 Analyze the origins of WWI with reference to nationalism, economic rivalry (imperialism), arms race and military alliance.
Nationalism
At the settlement of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the principle of nationalism was ignored in favor of preserving the peace. Germany and Italy were left as divided states, but strong nationalist movements and revolutions led to the unification of Italy in 1861 and that of Germany in 1871. Another result of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was that France was left seething over the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany, and Revanche was a major goal of the French. Nationalism posed a problem for Austria-Hungary and the Balkans, areas comprised of many conflicting national groups. The ardent Pan Slavism of Serbia and Russia's willingness to support its Slavic brother conflicted with Austria-Hungary's Pan-Germanism.
Imperialism
Another factor which contributed to the increase in rivalry in Europe was imperialism. Great Britain, Germany and France needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. These countries competed for economic expansion in Africa. Although Britain and France resolved their differences in Africa, several crises foreshadowing the war involved the clash of Germany against Britain and France in North Africa. In the Middle East, the crumbling Ottoman Empire was alluring to Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia.
Bismarck and Alliances
World War I was caused in part by the two opposing alliances developed by Bismarckian diplomacy after the Franco-Prussian War. In order to diplomatically isolate France, Bismarck formed the Three Emperor's League in 1872, an alliance between Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. When the French occupied Tunisia, Bismarck took advantage of Italian resentment towards France and created the Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy and Austria- Hungary in 1882. In exchange for Italy's agreement to stay neutral if war broke out between Austria-Hungary and Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary would protect Italy from France. Russia and Austria-Hungary grew suspicious of each other over conflicts in the Balkans in 1887, but Bismarck repaired the damage to his alliances with a Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, allowing both powers to stay neutral if the other was at war.
Arms Race
The menace of the hostile division led to an arms race, another cause of World War I. Acknowledging that Germany was the leader in military organization and efficiency, the great powers of Europe copied the universal conscription, large reserves and detailed planning of the Prussian system. Technological and organizational developments led to the formation of general staffs with precise plans for mobilization and attack that often could not be reversed once they were begun. The German von Schlieffen Plan to attack France before Russia in the event of war with Russia was one such complicated plan that drew more countries into war than necessary.
Armies and navies were greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British had established the principle that in order to maintain naval superiority in the event of war they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy. This motivated the British to launch the Dreadnought, invented by Admiral Sir John Fisher, in 1906. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had demonstrated how effective these battleships were. As Britain increased their output of battleships, Germany correspondingly stepped up their naval production, including the Dreadnought. Although efforts for worldwide disarmament were made at the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907, international rivalry caused the arms race to continue to feed on itself.
1.1.5 Analyze the role of Germany in the formation of military alliances before WWI with reference to:
· Dual Alliance 1879
The Dual Alliance was created by the treaty of October 7th, 1879, by which Germany and Austria-Hungary undertook to support one another if either was attacked by Russia, and to offer each other benevolent neutrality in the event of attack by another power.
· Triple Alliance 1882
The Triple Alliance was the treaty by which Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy pledged (May 20, 1882) to support each other militarily in the event of an attack against any of them by two or more great powers. Germany and Italy additionally undertook to support one another in the event of attack by France.
· Reinsurance Treaty 1887
Germany persuaded Russia to sign a secret Reinsurance Treaty in which both countries agreed to remain neutral if the other were attacked by a third power.
1.1.6 Create a time line of the major steps to war between June 28 August 1914.
June 28: Archduke Ferdinand of Austria assassinated in Bosnian city of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb nationalist.
July 23: Austrian government gives Serbs 48 h ultimatum. Serbia does not agree to all terms and begins to mobilize.
July 28: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia; Serbia turns to Russia for help.
July 29: Czar Nicholas agrees to help Serbia and mobilizes army.
July 30: Germany sends Russia ultimatum to halt mobilization; Russia refuses.
August 1: Germany declares war on Russia; France mobilizes army.
August 2: Germany invades Belgium as part of Schleiffen Plan for attacking France.
August 3: Germany declares war on France; Britain gives Germany an ultimatum to halt invasion of Belgium.
August 4: No reply from Germany; Britain declares war on German; Canada automatically at war as part of British Empire; US declares neutrality.
1.1.7 Draw conclusions about the impact of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on the outbreak of WWI in terms of:
· Serbian nationalism
Many Serbians wanted to obtain Bosnian independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Serbs agreed to some of the Austrian demands, but considered others as violations of Serbian sovereignty.
· Austro-Hungarian/Serbian relations
The assassination gave Austria-Hungary an excuse to re-establish control in the region by blaming the Serbian government for the attack. On July 23rd Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with a forty-eight hour ultimatum.
· German governments response
Germany had promised to support Austria-Hungary. With this pledge and the belief that Russia would not intervene, on July 23rd Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with a forty-eight hour ultimatum. This set off a chain of events that directly involved the European powers.
· Russian mobilization
Russia intervened on behalf of Serbia, demanding that Austria Hungary guarantee Serbias independence. In keeping with the mutual defense agreement, France then declared its support for Russia.
1.1.8 Assess how German and British attitudes toward war on the eve of WWI contributed to rivalry and conflict.
Leaders of both alliances gradually came to believe that war was necessary, but that it would be over quickly. Germans thought it was a war to change the world, whereas the British thought it was a war to preserve a world. The Germans thought it was a test of spirit, vitality, culture and life. Each side came to see a need for war in order to settle their differences, since it appeared that diplomacy alone could not resolve competing and conflicting national goals. Germany wanted to break the powerful Triple Entente, which was blocking its emergence as a world power. Britain, as the strongest power, wanted to maintain the status quo, with no nation dominating European affairs. The hard choice for these competing nations was between going to war or accepting compromises that could be viewed as diplomatic defeat and humiliation. Given this choice, a short war seemed acceptable.
1.2.1 Define:
Schliffen Plan: Germanys military strategy in 1914 for attacking France through its unprotected Belgian border.
Battle of the Marne 1914: The allied line of defense was established along the River Marne north of Paris. The Germans advanced to within sight of the French capital. But in the critical Battle of the Marne that ensued, the Allied forces held and launched a counterattack. This surprised the German army and stalled their offensive. This was the first defeat that Germany hasnt expected.
Battle of the Marne 1918: The Germans came within 40 miles of Paris. The combined forces of the allies, including the United States pushed the German lines back over the Marne through their counter-offense. The day marked the turning point of the war. From then on the Allies would have the initiative.
Battle of Tannenberg: During this battle, the Germans outmaneuvered a much larger Russian force and won a major battle. The Russian supply system had failed, leaving the troops exhausted and half-starved after their long march. Russian communications had broken down, and the Russian high commander, unaware of German troop movements, made fatal mistakes regarding the deployment of Russian armies. As a result, the second Russian Army was surrounded and destroyed. The Germans killed at lease 30 000 Russian, took 100000 prisoners and captured a vast supply of guns at Tannenberg. The Russian commander General Samsonov shot himself.
Battle of the Somme (Beaumont-Hamel): The British-inspired Somme offensive in July 1916 was designed as a smashing breakthrough of German lines. Instead, it turned into a horrific killing field where hundreds of thousands of young soldiers were sacrificed for a few meters of mud.
Zimmerman Telegram: In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: The Russian Communist Party, the Bolsheviks established a revolutionary government and proceeded to negotiate an armistice with the Central Powers. The Treat of Brest-Liovsk, signed in March 1918, ended Russias involvement in the war. The terms were harsh and Russia had lost one third of its population and agricultural land and almost all of its coal reserves
Armistice: A temporary truce between two opposing parties.
1.2.2 Identify on a map the main members of the Allied Powers and Central Powers.
(p. 33)
Central Powers is a term used to refer to the Dual Alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria, during World War I.
The Allied Powers comprised of the empires of Russia, France and Britain.
1.2.3 Explain how trench warfare contributed to a stalemate on the Western Front.
By October 1914, both sides had dug a line of trenches from the North Sea to a Swiss frontier. The Allies and the central Powers now faced each other across mud and barbed wire and the tragic stalemate of trench warfare began. During the four brutal years that followed, the line of trenches remained virtually stationary in spite of the massive battles that were fought. Tremendous losses were suffered by both sides in this cruel war of attrition. When the war on the western front ended, the opposing lines were at almost the same position as they had been when they were first established.
1.2.4 Examine the impact of each military technology on the nature of war during WWI:
· Machine guns
Made the war longer and bloodier, but they changed the nature of war.
· Tanks
The primitive versions caused many problems because they broke down, petroleum would run out, tracks and engines would break, they would become stuck in the mud and the armor wasnt good. Eventually, new versions were invented and they were more effective.
· Submarines
Were used to cut Britain off from any outside support of weapons, food, fuel and raw materials. Germans had destroyed 8 million tones of shipping owned by the British. Eventually, the submarine war brought the United States into the conflict.
· Aircraft
Military planners saw little use for airplanes that were first available because they were unreliable and weak. Eventually improvements were made over the course of the war and they became more numerous, durable and powerful. Aerial reconnaissance gained importance in the static warfare. Aerial photographs of enemy defenses were carefully studied before battle. Planes were used for observation of enemy movements and artillery, but by 1915, they were taking a more offensive role. Strategic aerial bombing was carried out by both sides, although it had little serious impact on events. By the end of the war, there were dogfights in the air and regular bombing missions. Air power had become a significant military factor.
· Gas
Germans used gas in 1915, where chlorine was one of the first gases used. It was released when the wind was blowing towards the enemy, but caused many problems when wind direction changed. On calm days the gas would simply settle on the ground. Later in 1917, mustard gas was used and was hard to defend against since it was colorless and odorless. It burned the skin and caused blisters and caused foam on the lungs.
1.2.5 Compare and contrast the nature of the war on the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Western Front: On August 4, the Germans launched the Schliffen Plan, crossing the neutral frontier of Belgium without warning. Belgium fell swiftly. The German army pushed south into France, sending French and British troops into retreat. In early September, an Allied line of defense was established along the River Marne north of Paris. The Germans advanced within sight of the French capital. But in the critical Battle of the Marne that ensued, the Allied forces held and launched a counterattack. This surprised the German army and stalled their offensive. At Ypres in Belgium, British and Indian troops held back the Germans as they tried to seize control of ports on the English Channel.
By October 1914, both sides had dug a line of trenches from the North Sea to a Swiss frontier. The Allies and the central Powers now faced each other across mud and barbed wire and the tragic stalemate of trench warfare began. During the four brutal years that followed, the line of trenches remained virtually stationary in spite of the massive battles that were fought. Tremendous losses were suffered by both sides in this cruel war of attrition. When the war on the western front ended, the opposing lines were at almost the same position as they had been when they were first established.
Eastern Front: After some early success against the Germans in August 1914, the Russians were forced back after the Battle of Tannenberg. A second major defeat for the Russians at the Masurian Lakes in September meant that they would have to fight war on Russian, rather than German soil. The German commanders, Generals Hindenberg and Ludendorff, became national heroes.
Nonethe lss, despite these defeats the Russian contribution to the war was vital. The Germans were forced to withdraw troops from the Western Front to deal with the Russians. This helped the French t defeat the German Schlieffen Plan. The Russians did better against the Austrians but the Germans quickly came to the aid of their allies. By the end of 1915 the Russian army had retreated 500 kilometers with one million men killed. But the Russians were far from finished. In June 1916 General Brusilov launched a massive, surprise offensive against the Austrians and made some striking advances. Within a week the Russians advanced 60 kilometers and took 70 000 prisoners. Brusilov, though, found it difficult to keep his troops supplied and the Germans and Austrians withdrew troops from other fronts to prop up the Austrian Eastern Front army. The attacks came to a halt in October.
Despite the eventual failure of the campaign, the Russians had again come to the aid of their allies. The British and French were relieved to see German troops withdrawn during the Battles of the Somme and Verdun. The Italians were helped for the same reason. The Austrians lost 740 000 men, killed, wounded, or taken prisoner and it was at this point that the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost their will to fight. Austria only fought on because the Germans sent troops to help it. However, the Russians could scarcely afford their one million casualties either. The Emperor of Russia was to pay the price for this military failure in 1917 with the loss of his throne and then his life and the lives of his family.
There was a real breakthrough on the Eastern Front in 1917 but it was a German one: Russias withdrawal from the war. The Tsar was overthrown in March 1917 by the people fed up with the loss of life, and the hardships which the war caused. However, the new government led by Kerensky made the mistake of carrying on with the unpopular war. In November 1917 Lenin and his Bolshevik or communist party forced Kerensky from power in a revolution. They agreed a ceasefire with Germany within five weeks. The Germans were now able to move huge numbers of troops over to the Western Front for their final offensive of the war in March 1918.
1.2.6 Describe two reasons the United States joined the Allied Powers in 1917.
One reason why the United States joined the Allied Powers in 1917 was the Zimmerman Telegram. In frustration over the effective British naval blockade, in February Germany broke its pledge to limit submarine warfare. In response to the breaking of the Sussex pledge, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Germany. In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history.
Another reason for the American entry into war was the sinking of the Lusitania. The German sinking of RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915, with its consequent loss of U.S. life provoked great public and diplomatic anger within the U.S. Already concerned at Germany's policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, many in the U.S. believed the sinking of the Lusitania to be a calculated provocation of the U.S. on Germany's part.
1.2.7 Analyze how the American entry into WWI and the Russian withdrawal from WWI affected the Allied war effort and the wars outcome.
Significance of US joining war:
a) Fresh supply of soldiers
b) Morale booster for Allies, but lowered morale for German soldiers.
c) More money, equipment, munitions
d) Stopped the flow of American arms into Germany
e) Second battle of the Marne was the turning point of the war.
Affect of Russian withdrawal:
The Russian armistice was a devastating blow to the Allies. It meant that Germany could relieve food shortages caused by the naval blockade by utilizing the agricultural products of Ukraine. It also allowed Germany to concentrate its forces on the western front against France and Britain.
1.2.8 Analyze the social, economic and political impact WWI had on Canada.
· Social (change in the status of women)
During the war women played a major role on the home front. They replace male workers in industry, taking over jobs that had traditionally been for men. Women contributed to the war effort through volunteer activities. They worked in munitions factories and craft manufacturing. Oversea, they served as nurses and ambulance drivers, ran canteens and performed various administrative tasks. By the end of the war opposition to womens suffrage had dissolved. Women won the right to vote in federal elections in 1918.
· Economic (stimulation of Canadian Industry)
Factories produced guns, ammunition, ships, airplane parts, trucks, and uniforms. The Canadian economy now relied on industry as well as agriculture, lumbering, fishing and mining. By the end of the war, Canada had been transformed from an agricultural economy into a growing industrial nation. A stronger and more prosperous Canada had emerged.
· Political (Greater Canadian role in International relations)
Politically, Canada was no longer isolated from the rest of the world, as it had been prior to 1914. Canada took its place at the Paris Peace Conference in 19191 and was given representation in the League of Nations, the predecessor to the United Nations, which was formed after the war to promote world peace. This recognition of Canadas war effort contributed to national pride. Canada was no longer a colony of Britain, but a nation.
1.2.9 Assess the issue of responsibility for the outbreak of WWI.
I agree with the idea that all of Europe was responsible for the war. This is because all countries did certain things that lead to mobilization and declarations of war, or failed to do certain things, which might have prevented them. Nationalism, militarism, imperialism and the system of alliances further escalated the tension contributing to the outbreak of war.
Nationalism was one of the primary causes of the war. In the ninetieth and twentieth centuries, especially after the French Revolution nationalism was becoming a powerful force in Europe so people that had the same culture, language wanted their own country. And that was the problem for the government of Austria-Hungary that did not want to lose their power and control. The Slavs in the southern part of the empire were their main concern since they wanted to join up to Serbia.
Militarism is a second cause. At the beginning of the century, Britain was the largest empire in the world, and it also had the largest navy. The navy was so big and strong because the Brits needed to protect their empire and maintain the sea routes between the different colonies. The Germans hated and envied Britain for having a stronger navy than them. They increased the German navy and built many warships. Britain responded with building more ships and increasing its navy too. This started a race for building more and better warships and it created tension and competition between those two countries.
Imperialism and the system of alliances are the last two major causes of the War. There was a quarrel between France and Germany about controlling the colonies, and especially Morocco, which leads to a greater conflict, the Great War. Europe at that time was divided into two rival alliance systems: Triple Entente that included Great Britain, France, and Russia and the Triple Alliance, which included the Central Powers of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and eventually the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
1.3.1 Summarize Wilsons Fourteen Points.
1. No Secret Treaties: Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understanding of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view.
2. Free access to seas: Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war.
3. Free trade between countries: The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the establishment of an equality of trade conditions among all the nations consenting to the peace and associating themselves for its maintenance.
4. Disarmament: Adequate guarantees given and taken that national armaments will be reduced to the lowest points consistent with domestic safety.
5. Colonies to have a say in own future: A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based on the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty, the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.
6. German troops to leave Russia: The evacuation of all Russian territory andassistance of every kind that she may need and vary herself desire.
7. Independence of Belgium: Belgiummust be evacuated [by the Germans] and restored.
8. France to regain Alsace-Lorraine: All French territory should be freed and the invaded portions restored, the wrong done to France in the matterof Alsace-Lorraineshould be righted.
9. Frontier between Austria and Italy adjusted: A readjustment of frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines and nationality.
10. Self-determinations for peoples of Eastern Europe: The people of Austria-Hungary, whose peace among nations we wish to see safe-guarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity of autonomous development.
11. Turkey to have access to sea: Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro should be evacuatedSerbia accorded free access to the sea.
12. Self-determination for peoples of Turkish Empire: The Turkish portion of the present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, but the other nationalities which are now under Turkish rule[should be allowed] autonomous development.
13. Poland to be independent and have access to sea: An independent Polish stateshould include territories inhabited by indisputable Polish populations[and should be assured a free and secure access to the sea.
14. League of Nations to be set up: A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantee of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike. The world must be made safe for democracy.
1.3.2 Analyze French and British objectives at the Paris Peace Conference.
The French wanted national security and financial reparations. To ensure national security, they wanted to remove the threat from the German military. France demanded the return of Alsace-Lorraine, which had been taken by Germany following the Franco-Prussian war. France also demanded the German Rhineland to serve as a buffer zone between the two countries. The other French goal was to gain financial compensation for losses during the war. The German army had destroyed railways, fields and mines. The French premier demanded that the Germans pay reparations for the damages caused.
The key objective proposed by the British was to ensure the security of the sea-lanes to its empire. This meant that German sea power had to be depleted.
I feel that the country that was most successful in achieving its objectives were the French. The French were able to get back Alsace-Lorraine, as well as coming to a compromise with the Rhineland. The French could not have the Rhineland, but the Germans were prohibited from placing troops or fortifications within 50 km of the east bank of the Rhine River. The French were also reassured with the idea of other military restrictions and a pledge of immediate military assistance from the Britain and the United states if the Germans attacked. The French were also awarded coal rights in Germanys Saar Valley until 1935 as compensations for the German destruction of French coal mines. When the Germans were presented with their reparation bill, the French share was 52 percent.
The British also achieved their main objective of ensuring security of the sea- lanes to its empire. It was achieved by reducing the German navy to a force of six warships, prohibiting submarines and redistributing German colonies to the Allies. Although they did achieve their goal, they did not achieve as many important things as the French.
1.3.3 Summarize the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
1.3.4 Draw conclusions about whether or not the Treaty of Versailles was a just peace treaty.
The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 forced unjust conditions upon Germany. John Maynard Keynes was a delegate at the peace conference who believed that the demands set were harsh and unreasonable. Keynes believed that it was impossible to place complete responsibility for the war on any single nation. The allies had thrown a tremendous burden upon Germany, forcing them alone to pay complete reparations for the war. Along with this, Germany was forced to limit its arms and the size of its army. This led to increasing resentment in Germany. The treatys aim to destroy the economic life in Germany would surely have negative effects on the health and prosperity of the allies as well. Keynes felt that the treaty, though supposedly creating peace, actually settled nothing because the limits of accomplishable conditions had been crossed. It would have been impossible for Germany to meet the terms placed upon them. By creating such conditions, Germany began to resent the allies more and more and this would only lead to more conflict. The blame should not have been placed solely upon the Germans simply for the sake of blaming someone. The belief that the Germans alone brought about the war is unacceptable and quite unreasonable.
1.3.5 Explain the purpose for creating the League of Nations.
The League was a step towards the establishment of an international arbitrator of disputes. It was also established to try and maintain peace. It lobbied for an agreement among countries that would serve as a basis for permanent peace by providing for settlement of disputes, mutual defense, and the observance of international treaties.
1.3.6 Predict what impact the Versailles Treaty might have on Germany and European stability during the post-war period.
The Treaty of Versailles was received very badly within Germany. The nation had been blamed entirely for the First World War and had been forced to pay compensation to the allies under the war guilt clause of the treaty. The war guilt clause not only made the Germans accept responsibility for the war but also cost them dearly. 10% of German lands were lost as a result, all of Germany's overseas colonies were taken away and shared between the allies and a massive 12.5% of the German population found itself living outside of the new German borders. These terms had several very dramatic consequences on Germany.
· Initially they refused to sign the treaty and opted to scuttle the fleet in protest.
· The economy was ruined as much of the produce and profit had to be sent to the allies as reparations payments. This meant that the German economy was unable to recover itself.
· The disarmament of the armed forces was viewed as an embarrassment and the Germans felt very insecure about their inability to defend themselves: it also meant a loss of status as military power means that a nation has political clout.
· The German people felt bitter that they were excluded from the League of Nations and enforced to live by other peoples rules.
These problems resulted in disillusionment and animosity entering German politics. In 1922 they fell behind with reparations repayments and had to suffer the humiliation of French troops entering the Ruhr to secure payments. The Weimar government was unable to reasons, it hadn't the means to react in any feasible way: a government endorsed strike led to the deaths of 100 workers, shot by the French.
The treaty led, either directly or indirectly, to a situation in Germany where the people felt let down, they wanted to blame someone. It led to economic problems and a lack of food or jobs. These in turn lead to further economic problems, and eventually to the German hyperinflation of the mid twenties.
