REACTIONS TO THE TREATY OF

VERSAILLES

Today’s Lesson Objective:

1. To know what the immediate

reaction to the T of V was

2. To understand how to

analyse a historical cartoon

Opening Minds Competence focus

Diversity – Understand that different countries suffered in differing levels during WWI and

this has an impact on how they felt after the war and what they wanted to be achieved from

the Treaty of Versailles

Teamwork – pupils have to work as a team in order to find information on various websites

and written sources.

Reasoning – they need to be able to justify their decisions using evidence and/or reasoned

predictions of consequences of decisions made

Task: you need to find out how the world

reacted to the Terms of the Treaty of

Versailles

As a table you need to create a detailed

mind map on the sugar paper which

highlights the reactions in the following

countries:

Britain

France

USA

Germany

In order to find this information

you can use the following

website:

www.johndclare.net/peace_treati

es1.htm

www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/

FWWversailles.htm

Or your text books

Britain

USA

WAS THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES FAIR?

Discuss this as a table and come to an overall conclusion which you will be

able to justify

Higher level thinking Question:

Does the fact that no one was happy with the terms of the Treaty of

Versailles prove that it was fair?

Can the Treaty be justified at the time?

Which terms of the Treaty were the

harshest?We need to put the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in order of

harshness. In order t do this you need to think about what effect each

term was likely to have on Germany

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Historical Cartoon Workshop

A typical cartoon exam question would

be as follows:

a)What is the message of the cartoon?

(6)

b) Why did Georges Clemenceau want

Germany to pay reparations? (9)

A German Cartoon created in 1919. the

man in the picture is Clemenceau and

the woman represents Germany

Knowledge about the

events in that period

Thinking about the cartoonist, and

his motives

Seeing & understanding

different things in the

cartoon

What is involved...

When your teacher looks at a cartoon and interprets it, he’s really using three historians tools at once

HOW DO I INTERPRET THIS CARTOON?

1. Content – what

is happening in

the cartoon?

2. Context – what

was happening at the

time?

3. Comment – what

is the meaning of

the cartoon?

First: Think about the events in that period

Look at the date. Think what was happening at that time. Who was involved?

Second: See the different things in the cartoon

At first, just make a list of things you see. List the things that are in the cartoon, what they

are doing, and how they are presented. When I do this with pupils, they always choose

one or two things – and MISS lots, even big things! Often, in a cartoon, everything (even

little things) has a meaning. So study the details and jot them down (but don’t start to try

yet to say what they mean).

Third: Think about the cartoonist, and his motives

Look at WHO drew the cartoon, and where he came from. What would he have thought

about the topic he was drawing about? What would he have been wanting to say?

Fourth: Go back to the cartoon

Look at your list of things you saw. Can you see what/who they stand for – what they are

‘saying’ – what they mean? When you have thought about all the elements, think: ‘What is

the overall message of the cartoon?’

Last: Go back to the events

Now you have thought about the cartoon and its meaning, think: ‘What does all this help

you to understand about the time, and how people thought and felt?

Theory...

Do things in this order:

CONTEXT – WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT

THE TIME? • Germany had just been

defeated in WWI.

• The Treaty of Versailles was

signed in1919.

• It had been written by the

‘Big Three’ and imposed on

Germany.

• Clemenceau wanted to ruin

Germany

• The Treaty blamed Germany

for the war

• The Treaty made her pay

‘reparations’ for ALL the

damage.

• Germany lost lots of land.

• Germany lost her armed

forces.

• The Germans hated the

Treaty.

CONTENT – WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

THE PICTURE?• A young girl, beautiful

but poorly.

• An evil-looking

vampire...

• … which is sucking

the girl’s blood

• Weapons laid aside.

• Two bats outside the

window – more

vampires.

• The window is open –

the curtains are

blowing.

Comment – what is the meaning of the picture?

Germany

Clemenceau

Taking reparations

Germany’s army had

been disbanded by

the Treaty of

Versailles.

Britain and America

Germany is helpless to

defend herself.

Poorly

girl

Vampire

Sucking

blood

Window

open

Two more bats

Discarded

weapons

Punch was a

famous

British

magazine

Background shows

destruction of

war

Caption: makes it plain

what the

cartoonist thinks

Facial expression

(along with the

words of the caption)

suggests

he is sly and cunning

Although beaten,

Germany is

shown as solid and

potentially

dangerous – not as

weak

The aim of the terms

(in the

cartoonist’s view) is

clear from

the rope binding

Germany, which

reads ‘Armistice terms’

A pun. ‘Giving rope’

usually means

giving someone room.

This time it

means tying them up

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF THIS

CARTOON? (6)

Mark Scheme:

1. Answers need to state clearly two or three pieces of content of the picture

(1 -2 marks)

2. Answers need to explain the what was happening at the time of the

drawing (1 mark)

3. Answers need to state the agenda of the cartoonist based on their

knowledge of that person/countries opinions at the time (1 mark)

4. Answers need to explain what the content represents based on their

knowledge of the what was happening at the time (put it into context (1 - 2

marks)

Mark Scheme:

1. Answers need to state clearly two or three pieces of content of the

picture (1 -2 marks)

e.g there is a man being arrested by two policemen

2. Answers need to explain the what was happening at the time of the

drawing (1 mark)

e.g. the cartoon was produced in 1919, which was the time when the

Armistice had just been negotiated and the Peace Treaties were being

drafted

3. Answers need to state the agenda of the cartoonist based on their

knowledge of that person/countries opinions at the time (1 mark)

e.g the cartoonist is British and at this time the British public thought

Germany deserved a harsh punishment for starting the war

4. Answers need to explain what the content represents based on their

knowledge of the what was happening at the time (put it into context (1

- 2 marks)

e.g the man being arrested in the image is supposed to represent

Germany. In the picture Germany looks aggressive and although

restrained, looks potentially dangerous…..

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