The Great War: Evaluating the Treaty of Versailles
IntroductionAlthough at
the postwar peace talks President Woodrow Wilson wished above all to prevent future
wars, the Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I, is widely considered
to have contributed to the rise to power of the Nazi party in Germany. Was the
Treaty of Versailles a legitimate and justified attempt by the victorious powers
to ensure that Germany would never again pose a military threat? Or did the Treaty,
as the Nazis and many other politicians in Germany claimed, place an unfair and
unnecessarily punitive burden on Germany? Was the supposed unfairness of the Treaty
a significant contributor to the rise of the Nazi party in Germany—or was
it merely a convenient rhetorical tool for German politicians to exploit? If the
unfairness of the Treaty were indeed a cause of fascism in Germany, how do we
explain the rise of fascism in Italy (which fought on the side of the allies in
World War I) or the existence of fascist movements in Britain, the Netherlands,
and other Western democracies in the 1930s? By
studying a variety of primary sources, maps, and supporting documents concerning
the post-war peace process, students will develop a context for evaluating whether
the treaty was a viable, fair one, and for considering some of the complex questions
this issue raises about the historical causality and responsibility. The lesson
fits within a larger unit on World War I, and some prior knowledge of the causes
and events of the war is assumed. Guiding Questions:What
were the aims and motives of the victorious powers in drawing up the Treaty of
Versailles? Was the Treaty a fair one? Was the German response justfied? Learning
Objectives - To learn the motives and aims
of the Treaty of Versailles
- To learn the terms that the Treaty imposed
on Germany
- To consider how each country's unique wartime experience may
have shaped its aims at the Peace Conference; to examine the different motives
and aims of the United States and other allies such as France
- To learn
about Germany's reaction to the Treaty of Versailles
- To discuss
whether the terms of the Treaty were fair
- To discuss whether the Treaty contributed to the rise to power of the Nazi Party in Germany
Preparing
to Teach this Lesson- Review Hitler's
April 17, 1923 speech, available here as a downloadable PDF file, denouncing
the treaty.
- Review Articles 42-50 and 231-235, and skim Articles 159-213,
of the Treaty of Versailles;
the text is from the EDSITEment resource Great War Primary Documents Archive. Another webpage containing the text in its entirety,
The
Versailles Treaty, is available from the EDSITEment-reviewed from Internet
Public Library, which has a page specifically devoted to World
War I History.
- Review background information on the treaty and the
German reaction, available through two resources from the History Department at
Colby College, and reviewed by the Center
for the Liberal Arts, an EDSITEment resource: "Germany's
Responsibility for the War" and "The
Weimar Republic: the Treaty of Versailles".
- Read background information
on the treaty's place in the subsequent rise to power of the Nazis, available
at the EDSITEment resource U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum: "Treaty
of Versailles, 1919." The article points out that the Treaty was a useful
rhetorical device for the Nazis and other right-wing parties, which could brandish
it as evidence of the traitorous actions of democratic parties that had accepted
the terms of the treaty. The article also makes the point that in the years following
1921, the date the Treaty took effect, the Treaty was altered in Germany's favor,
and that "with the occupation of the Rhineland on March 7, 1936, all military
restrictions (which had already been violated before Hitler's accession to power)
became null and void."
- Maps of Europe before, during, and after World
War I are available from several sources listed on Internet
Public Library: General Reference/Maps. Produced by the Department of History
at the United States Military Academy, the Map
Library contains these contrasting maps: Europe
in 1914 and Europe
in 1919 ; The
World in 1914 and The
World in 1919. A series of maps can also be found at The
Versailles Treaty, such as Europe
and Asia Minor in 1914 and Germany
in 1919.
- Besides teaching students about the contents of the Treaty
of Versailles, this lesson raises challenging questions about historical causality
and responsibility. Students have an innate sense of what is and isn't fair and
may have strong feelings about the fairness (or not) of the Treaty. Provided in
the Introduction above, and in activity
5 below, are some questions for discussion that may help your students think
about—or rethink—the implications of the positions they take in activity
5.
Suggested Activities
1.
Motives for the Treaty: the Trauma of World War I 2.
Drawing Up the Treaty: France and the United States 3.
Optional activity: A Treaty of the Victors 4.
The Terms of the Treaty 5. The
German Response 1. Motives
for the Treaty: the Trauma of World War I Begin
by sharing with your students the enormous and unprecedented human costs of the
Great War. This will give them a context for considering the motivations of the
allied powers in imposing the Treaty of Versailles, and for judging whether or
not the terms of the Treaty were justified. By comparing the numbers of casualties
and total troops mobilized, students will also have a basis for understanding
the differing positions taken by the countries that drew up the Treaty. Begin
by examining death and casualty tolls from France and the United States, respectively.
For a brief look, students may use the Diagram:
Deaths by Countries in Thousands at the Great War Primary Documents Archive. For a more in-depth look, with information not only
on deaths, but on total casualties and total mobilized men, have students look
at the diagram Casualties:
First World War, produced by the Spartacus
Educational Network in Great Britain, a link from Center
for the Liberal Arts. Have students note not only the total deaths and casualties,
but also particularly the percentage of casualties relative to total mobilized.
Also have students examine photographs of destruction along the western front
in France. The three sets of Before
and After photographs from the Great War Primary Documents Archive will probably suffice, although you may also wish to
have students include some or all of the following: Ruins
of Vaux, Ruins
of Cantigny, Ruins
of Arras Cathedral, and Ruins
of the Arras Hotel de Ville. What level of destruction do these pictures indicate?
What are some emotions evoked when viewing these images? What happened to the
originally charming and vibrant Village of Esnes? Why is it significant that major
civic buildings such as the Courthouse (Palace of Justice), cathedral, and City
Hall (Hotel de Ville) were destroyed? Can you envision what these buildings and
towns may have looked like before the war? How long do you think it would take
to rebuild these buildings and communities? How much do you think it would cost?
Can a community ever really recover from such destruction? Ask students to speculate,
based on this information, how France's goals for the postwar settlement might
differ from U.S. goals. What might France fear? What would France probably want
with respect to Germany? Why? Would those desires be reasonable? Why or why not?
Why might the U.S. be able to take a more idealistic perspective? 2.
Drawing Up the Treaty: France and the United States Next
have students read excerpts from President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen
Points speech to Congress from the Great War Primary Documents Archive. Specifically, first have students read the last two
paragraphs of Wilson's speech (the part before the actual enumeration of the points).
What does Wilson say are the goals of the United States? What is his hope for
the world and for the postwar talks? Then have students read the first paragraph
right after the enumeration of the Fourteen Points. What is Wilson's stated attitude
toward Germany? How would this attitude differ from France's? Again, in the context
of the information from activity #1 above, why might the U.S. be more inclined than France
to take an idealistic perspective? 3.
Optional activity: A Treaty of the Victors Have
students write out a list, based on their knowledge, of what they believe would
be the most important respective postwar goals for France, Germany, and the United
States. Each country should have at least 5 items, ranked from most important
to least important. (You may wish to start students out with one or two items,
such as have Germany pay for the war or establish a peace-keeping body.) Break
students into groups of three, each of whom represents one of these countries,
and have students spend approximately 20-30 minutes attempting to negotiate an
agreement centered around these goals. When time is up, discuss the process and
share the various results. Were there any common goals? Were compromises made?
Which country was most pleased with how the negotiations turned out? Most displeased?
On balance, did each country feel it had achieved its most important goal? Were
there any particular impasses or impediments to agreements? Be
sure to inform students that in reality, Germany was not represented at the settlement
talks. Later in the lesson, after considering the real treaty, ask how Germany's
presence might have altered the peace process. (An alternative activity would
be to do the above activity with only France and the United States represented;
this has the advantage of being closer to the historical reality.) 4.
The Terms of the Treaty - Now have
students begin to consider the actual terms of the peace treaty with respect to
Germany. First have students analyze before and after maps of Europe and the world.
(See Preparing
to Teach section above for several options for maps to use in this activity.)
How much European land did Germany lose? Which regions specifically? To which
countries did this land go? What land worldwide was lost by Germany? To which
countries did this land go?
- Students should then read Sections III and
IV (Articles 42-50) of the treaty for the terms pertaining to the Rhineland and
the Saar Basin; these articles are in the treaty section Political
Clauses For Europe. (Preparing
to Teach section above for links to the treaty.) Have students locate these
regions on a map. Why were these clauses probably inserted? What benefits did
these clauses give France? Was it reasonable to establish the demilitarized Rhineland
buffer zone? How would the terms regarding the Saar Basin affect the German economy?
How would Germany probably react to these terms?
- Next have students read
the treaty for the terms pertaining to Germany's military, in the treaty section
Military, Naval and
Air Clauses. What were the terms for Germany? What sovereign powers did Germany
lose? How might these clauses have satisfied France? How would Germany probably
react? Have students discuss whether it is reasonable to disarm a former enemy
belligerent.
- Students should then read the treaty for the terms pertaining
to Germany's war guilt and reparations, in the treaty section Reparations.
First discuss the infamous "war guilt clause," Article 231. Why does it single
out Germany and not the other Central Powers? Based on their knowledge (again,
it is assumed that students will have already spent time learning the causes of
the war), is this clause accurate? Does Germany warrant more responsibility than
other countries? Do the Allies bear any responsibility? As preparation, for this
discussion, you may wish to have students read the aforementioned background essays
that discuss the extent of German guilt. (See Preparing
to Teach section above for links to these essays.) Then discuss the sections
on reparations, especially Articles 232-235. How much was Germany to pay? How
might this affect the German economy?
5.
The German Response - Have students
read the German Reply Memorandum
to the treaty, written by the German Foreign Minister Count Brockdorff-Rantzau,
available here as a downloadable PDF file. Explain that Germany was allowed to
fashion a reply to the treaty draft, but its terms were summarily rejected by
the Allies. What objections does Germany raise to the treaty? Are these objections
valid? Should the Allies have modified the treaty in any way to address these
points?
- Now have students read Hitler's
April 17, 1923 speech, available here as a downloadable PDF file, denouncing
the treaty. (Ideally students will already be familiar with the circumstances
behind the Weimar Republic. If not, explain to students that the German Kaiser
abdicated at the close of World War I, to be succeeded by a democratic republic
known as the Weimar Republic. It was representatives of the Weimar Republic who
signed the Versailles Treaty.) Discuss his speech. Why is Hitler so vitriolic
concerning the Weimar Republic? What does he blame the Weimar Republic for? What
other goals does he link to the elimination of the treaty? What imagery does he
use? What actions is he alluding to at the end? How might this speech appeal to
the emotions of the listener? Consider how the treaty may have contributed to
the rise of Nazism, and by extension, World War II. Would Hitler have been able
to give such a powerful speech or to find a receptive audience if the treaty had
been different?
- Was the German
response to the Treaty of Versailles justified? Have students take a stand on
whether the treaty was fair or unfair, with specific evidence to justify their
ideas. This may be done through discussion, debate, or a written assignment.
Once
students have had a chance to consider their positions on this question, discuss
with your class some of the larger issues of causality and responsibility that
are raised by this exercise. Some questions are: What are our sources for gauging
the German response? Can we trust them? Might German politicians in the 1930s
have had something to gain by exploiting the bitterness of defeat? If we believe
that the terms of the treaty were unfair, does this mean that the allies bear
responsibility in some fashion for subsequent developments in Germany? That the
German response was justified? You may also
want to discuss questions raised in the Introduction, above,
about other explanations for the appeal of fascism in Germany. Antisemitism was
sometimes framed in terms of the supposed "unfair" advantages that Jewish bankers
and merchants had taken of hardworking Germans (you can read more about antisemitism
and the rise of fascism in Germany at the Holocaust Learning Center, a resource
from the U.S. Holocaust Museum).
Extending
the Lesson- Have students research other postwar
settlements, such as the peace terms of the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic
Wars, and compare them to the Treaty of Versailles. Some sample questions to consider:
What were the victors' goals at the Congress of Vienna? Were they different than
the goals of the victors in 1919? Was the 1815 settlement a harsh one toward France?
What happened to the government of France after the Napoleonic Wars, and how did
this compare to what happened to the government of Germany? What territorial adjustments
were made after the Napoleonic Wars, and how did these adjustments compare to
the 1919 adjustments? The Congress of Vienna settlement is widely credited with
keeping Europe out of a continent-wide war for 100 years (in fact, until World
War I!). Why might it have been so successful at keeping the peace, whereas the
Versailles settlement collapsed after only two decades? Students should conduct
their own research for this expansion activity, but following are some basic background
sites for students to begin with (all are linked to the EDSITEment resource, Internet
Public Library): "Europe
in Retrospect: International Order and Domestic Strife," produced by Britannia
Encyclopedia Online; "Congress
of Vienna," produced by Bartleby Encyclopedia Online; and "Congress
of Vienna," a student essay from Chico High School in Chico, California.
- Hold
a discussion/debate or give a written assignment exploring what, if any, are the
victor's obligations after a war is over. To what extent should a defeated wartime
enemy be punished? Is harsh punishment practical? Worthwhile? legitimate?
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