Transcript International Relations 1919-1939 Revision PPoint File

What were the main terms of the
Treaty against Germany?
• War Guilt Clause
• Reduction of Germany’s armed forces –
only 100,000 men in army
• Rhineland demilitarised
• Reparations bill set – £6.6 billion
• Germany lost land – e.g. Alsace and
Lorraine, and its foreign empire
Versailles – Good or Bad?
Bad
• Too harsh on Germany
• Left Germany resentful
• Lloyd George was worried
that it would fail to allow
economic revival in
Europe.
• Didn’t tie in with Fourteen
Points – especially selfdetermination
Good
• Best Treaty in
circumstances
• People in France and
Britain demanded
revenge
• Germany herself had
imposed harsh treaty
on Russia in 1917.
League of Nations – key detail
• What were the aims of the League?
• What did the Covenant of the League say?
• How did the League work?
[You do not need full details for the last
question – just make sure you know about
the Council and Assembly and their
different functions, and the voting system.]
The Structure of the League
Membership of the League of Nations
Some Successes for the League
1. Upper Silesia 1921
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Industrial area on border of Germany and Poland;
Contained both Polish and German people;
Rich in iron and steel, and claimed by both Germany and
Poland;
League organised plebiscite 1920 – policed by GB and
France
Vote was divided – rural areas for Poland, industrial areas
for Germany;
League successfully divided the region accordingly,
building in safeguards against future disputes.
2. The Aaland Islands 1921
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Sweden and Finland disputed ownership of the islands;
League arbitrated and awarded islands to Finland;
Sweden accepted decision
3. Corfu 1923
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Mussolini attacked and invaded Corfu in retaliation for the
murder of an Italian general, for which he blamed Greeks;
The League condemned Mussolini, but also demanded
compensation from the Greeks, to be paid to the League
until Mussolini withdrew from Corfu;
Mussolini had the Conference of Ambassadors change
the ruling, getting compensation paid direct to Italy, with
an apology;
Mussolini then withdrew from Corfu.
The settlement of the
dispute between Italy and
Greece, though not
strictly a League victory,
upheld the principles on
which it was based.
From J and G Stokes, Europe and the
Modern World, 1973.
The League’s Failure in the 1930s
Why did the League fail at this time?
Timetable of Hitler’s Foreign Policy
Appeasement and the
Outbreak of War
• Why was appeasement followed by Britain
and France in the 1930s?
• What were the consequences of each action
of appeasement?
• What do you think were the most important
events that lead to war?
Some Reasons for Appeasement
Some Consequences of Appeasement
Hitler has got away
with it. France is not
marching. No wonder
the faces of Göring and
Blomberg [Nazi leaders]
were all smiles.
Oh, the stupidity (or is
it the paralysis?) of the
French. I learnt today
that the German troops
had orders to beat a
hasty retreat if the
French army opposed
them in any way.
Written by William Shirer in
1936. He was an American
journalist in Germany during
the 1930s. He was a critic of
the Nazi regime and had to
flee from Germany in 1940.
Some reactions to appeasement