The Treaty of Versailles

Aims of the League of Nations (LoN) Paper 1 Section B The Manchurian Crisis The Road to War
The league was idealist rather than Causes: Japan had an increasing population The Dollfuss Affair, 1934 – Dollfuss, the Austrian
France and Clemenceau: Wanted revenge and realistic.
Conflict and Tension
and needed extra raw materials. Manchuria Chancellor strongly opposed unification with
to cripple Germany so they wouldn’t be able to It aimed to: 1918-1939 was large resource rich. Japan had heavily Germany so with the backing of Hitler Austrian
attack France again. -Stop war from breaking out invested in Manchuria and controlled the Nazis assassinated him. The Austrian army restored
Britain and Lloyd George: Britain wanted -To encourage disarmament The league in the 1920s cont... South Manchuria Railway. The people of order and Italian troops moved to the border so Hitler
revenge on Germany for the British lives lost -To improve working conditions 1921: The Aland Islands. Japan looked to the army rather than the weak backed down.
however Lloyd George wanted to trade with -To tackle deadly diseases Finland and Sweden both politicians to help them. Rearmament,1935 – Hitler bought in conscription in
Germany in future. He was worried that treating It planned to give moral condemnation claimed the Aland Islands and Chronology: Germany, breaking the terms of ToV.
Germany harshly would make them want to aggressive countries and had no threatened to go to war over it. 1. The Mukden Incident, Sept 1931 – The Saar Plebiscite,1935 – when 90% of the
revenge. army. The LoN investigated and explosion on the South Manchurian Railway. population voted to join Germany again Hitler used
American and Wilson: Least damaged by the
decided the islands should go The Japanese blamed the Chinese. this to show that German speaking people wanted to
war as had only fought for 11 months.
to Finland of they promised not 2. The Chinese denied this and said their united with the Nazis.
American’s didn’t want to cripple Germany as Structure of the LoN to build forts on them – both soldiers had been asleep. Stresa Front, 1935 – Britain, France and Italy agreed
they wanted a stable Germany, and to stay out of Assembly – met yearly to discuss and sides agreed to this. The LoN 3. The Kwantung army used the events to take to guarantee Austrian independence.
European affairs (isolationism). Wilson wanted to vote on matters. It was in charge of avoided war with two small over Manchuria. Anglo – German Naval agreement, 1935 – Britain
help Europe recover and he came up with 14 new members, the Court and money. countries. 4. The people of Japan celebrated the invasion; agree that Hitler could build up the German navy,
points for an ideal world, one being the LoN. Every country had an equal vote but 1923: Corfu the govt wasn’t happy but had to go along Hitler saw this as Britain admitting ToV was unfair.
Terms of the Treaty: LAMB had to be unanimous in decisions. When Italian officials were with it.
Land – Germany lost 13% of their territory and 6 Council – Made up of the 4 permanent murdered in Greece Mussolini 5. In 1932 Japan named Manchuria
million people were lost. members (Britain, France, Italy and demanded that the murderers Manchukuo. German expansion - Lebensraum
Army – limited 100,000 and the Rhineland was Japan) met more frequently and they be executed and compensation Consequences: LoN commissioned the Lytton Reoccupation of the Rhineland, March 1935 – 22,000
demilitarised. could stop a ruling with a veto. be paid. Greece didn’t know inquiry which concluded Japan was in the troops sent to the Rhineland and were greeted with
Reparations – set at £6.6 billion Permanent Court of Justice: Could who the murderers were so wrong and should not have invaded. However flowers, they faced no resistance and this gave Hitler
Blame – War Guilt Clause (231) Germany must settle international disputes but it Mussolini invaded and the many in the LoN felt Japan had rights to confidence. Britain and France started to rearm.
accept complete blame for WWI. could only advise which made it occupied Corfu, killing 15 Manchuria and they didn’t want a fight with Anschluss, 1938 – The Nazis invaded Austria and were
Germany was also banned for joining the LoN. weak. people. The LoN said Greece powerful Japan. Japan left the league and by again greeted with flowers. Mussolini allowed it to
Aftermath of the ToV: Special commissions: these included should pay compensation and 1938 controlled most Chinese cites. happen this time.
France and Clemenceau: Thought the treaty the Commission for Refugee, the Mussolini should withdraw his Sudeten Crisis, 1938:
should have been harsher, in a subsequent Slavery Commission, the Health troops. Mussolini wasn’t Cause: 3 million Germans lived in the Sudetenland;
election Clemenceau was voted out. Organisation and the International The Abyssinian Crisis
satisfied so he complained to some claimed they were being persecuted. The area
Britain and Lloyd George: The public Labour Organisation. Causes: Italy had tried and failed to conquer
Britain, France and Japan. They was rich in resources and was a perfect base to launch
supported the treaty, Lloyd George was treated as Abyssinia in 1896 and Mussolini wanted to
undermined the league, forced a full scale invasion of Czechoslovakia.
a hero, and he felt that the treaty was too harsh. restore national pride and rebuild the Ancient
Greece to pay compensation Events: Hitler stirred up trouble and caused mass
American and Wilson: The public felt the treaty Roman Empire. Mussolini also believed the
The league in the 1920s and apologise while Mussolini demonstrations. He promised to invade to protect
was too harsh and the US voted to stay out of the invasion would be easy and the LoN wouldn’t
1920: Vilna kept his troops in Corfu. German speaking people. Chamberlain (British PM)
LoN, Wilson was devastated. stop him.
Lithuania and Poland were two of the 1925: Bulgaria met with Hitler and appeased him by agreeing to let
Germany: The public felt with the Kaiser gone Chronology:
new countries created after WWI. When Greek soldiers were him have the Sudeten land if he promised to keep
there was no need for punishment, they were 1. Dec 1934 – Italian and Abyssinian soldiers
Vilna was supposed to be the capital killed in the Bulgarian border peace in Europe. With this policy of appeasement
shocked with the terms of the treaty and branded fought at Wal Wal, 150 were killed.
of Lithuania however the Polish army Greece invaded. The LoN Chamberlain said he secured ‘peace in our time’. Hitler
the govt who were forced to sign it November 2. Oct 1935 – Italy entered Abyssinia despite
took control of it. The LoN asked condemned Greece and told invaded the Sudetenland in Oct 1938.
Criminals. moral condemnation from the league. Italy
them to leave and they refused. Poland them to withdraw. Greece felt Consequences: Invasion of Czechoslovakia in March
used chemical weapons.
took Vilna and the LoN did nothing. that after Mussolini the LoN 1939 – this was different as no German speaking
3. The Abyssinian Emperor pleaded for help
1921-1925: Upper Silesia were being hypocritical; people lived there. Chamberlain had to admit
4. The Hoare Laval Pact, Dec 1935 – Britain
On the border between Germany and however as a small nation they appeasement failed and Britain had isolated Russia.
Questions… and France met with Mussolini in secret and
Poland, both claimed Upper Silesia. did not want poor relations Chamberlain guaranteed Poland’s independence but
1. How do you know Source A opposes..... (4 agreed that it could keep parts of Abyssinia.
The League oversaw the partitioning with the LoN so they obeyed. Hitler did not take this seriously.
marks) Details were leaked to the press and there was
2. How useful are sources B and C……? (12 of the area, part to Germany and part
outrage, but it was too late.
marks) to Poland. Germany and Poland The Nazi Soviet Pact
The Wall St Crash 1929 4. May 1936 – Italian troops marched into the
agreed to this but neither was happy In August 1939 Germany and Russia signed a pact that
3. Write an account of how X led to a crisis. (8 When economies around the capital..
with that they received. This led to stated that if Hitler invaded Poland Russia would not
marks) world crashed the league was Consequences: May 1936 Italy left the
poor relations between the two attack Germany.
4. The main reason for X was.......How far do you powerless to help as people League. This left Britain France and USSR
countries.
agree with this statement? (16+4 marks) turned to extremist parties who (joined in 1934) to run the LoN. From this
time on the LoN lost respect and its days as an The invasion of Poland
promised to help people.
international police force were over. On the 1st September Germany invaded Poland. On the
3rd September Britain declared war on Germany.