The Treaty of Versailles

1
The Treaty of Versailles Interwar Germany

• How did WWI, the Treaty of Versailles, and the
  Great Depression affect the German people?

2
The Treaty of Versailles

• The Five Key Clauses
• The War Guilt Clause (Article 231)
• The Reparations Clause (Article 232)
• The Mandates Clause (Article 22)
• The Covenant Clause (Article 10)
• The Disarmament Clause (Article 160)
• The treaty effectively stripped Germany of all
  power and crippled the economy

3
The Covenant Clause

• Clause
• Article 10 of the Treaty of Versailles dealt with
  the establishment of a covenant of nations
  called the League of Nations
• Effects
• While the Leagues goals for world peace were
  lofty, it suffered from an inability to hold any
  members to its decisions and it lacked two key
  members the United States and Russia (except
  between 1934-1939 as the U.S.S.R.)

4

• The failure of the U.S. to enter the League of
  Nations contributed to its weakness.

5
The Mandates Clause

• Clause
• Article 22 of the Treaty of Versailles took away
  much of Germanys land and gave control of the
  German and the Austro-Hungarian colonies to the
  League of Nations
• Effects
• The loss of land hurt the national pride of
  Germans and contributed to the crippling of the
  German economy (the ceded regions were rich in
  natural resources).

6

• German land ceded to form new nations and to form
  a buffer zone for France

7
The War Guilt Clause

• Clause
• Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles forced
  Germany to admit responsibility for the war
• Effects
• As Germans continued to suffer due to the effects
  of the harsh terms of the treaty, increasing
  numbers of militants and leaders used the war
  guilt clause and the Treaty of Versailles as a
  scapegoat for the economic depression that
  devastated Germany after WWI

8
The War Guilt Clause

• The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and
  Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and
  her allies for causing all the loss and damage to
  which the Allied and Associated Governments and
  their nationals have been subjected as a
  consequence of the war imposed upon them by the
  aggression of Germany and her allies.

9
The Reparations Clause

• Clause
• Article 232 of the Treaty of Versailles required
  Germany to pay the Allied Nations sums equal to
  the damage done to the civilian population and
  their property during the war
• Effects
• Already crippled by war, so much money is
  funneled out of Germany as a result of war debts
  that the German economy descends into a deep
  depression.

10

• The German mark was so worthless that kids used
  stacks of it as building blocks

11
The Disarmament Clause

• Clause
• Article 160 of the Treaty of Versailles limited
  the German military
• Later articles also limited the munitions,
  armaments, and manufacturing capabilities of the
  German military
• Effects
• Germanys pride was bruised, but more importantly
  because one of the cornerstones of German
  industry was military armaments and weapons
  factories, the restrictions on production further
  weakened the German economy.

12
The Disarmament Clause

• the German Army must not comprisemore than
  seven divisions of infantry and three divisions
  ofcavalry.

13
The German Response

• Germany was forced to sign under threat of
  renewing war
• Punishment sowed seeds of bitterness
• Further divided Europe
• The discontent of the people and economic
  depression are used by Hitler and the Nazis to
  gain power

14
The Inflation Auction

• The dice dictate how much money you get per round
• There will be 3 rounds, roll before each
• You may keep your money between rounds (but must
  give it back at the end of the auctionplease do
  not write on or otherwise destroy the money)
• The items to be auctioned will be announced and
  bid upon as quickly as possible

15
German Hyperinflation

• Between 1919 and 1923 Germany experienced
  hyperinflationa devaluation of money by more
  than 50 a month
• As inflation spiraled out of control the German
  people increasingly looked to strong leaders and
  political parties that offered solutions to
  Germanys problems

16
The Great Depression

• Overproduction, increasing international
  protectionism, overextensions of consumer credit,
  and poor regulation of the money supply lead to a
  drastic drop in economic consumption and
  production
• As the economy faltered, people lost faith in
  banks, unemployment soared, and governments
  increasingly isolated themselves
• German unemployment reached over 25 nationwide,
  with much higher percentages in most major cities

17
The Weimar Republic

• At the end of WWI the German government
  collapsed. Kaiser Wilhelm II gave up the throne
  and the Weimar Republic was established
• The Weimar Republic lasted 14 years. In 1932 the
  Nazis gained control of the Reichstag, soon after
  Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the
  republiche was never elected to lead Germany
• The rise of the Nazis signaled the end of the
  Weimar Republic

18
Sources

• Google Images
• http//www.pbs.org/greatwar/
• http//www.firstworldwar.com