Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair?

Today’s Objective – To consider the German

reactions to the Treaty of Versailles and consider if

the treaty was fair or unfair

Today’s Outcome – By the end of today’s lesson, I will

have made my own judgement on the treaty

and be prepared to answer an assessment

Starter: Self Review on Haig Assessments

• In your books, you will find your Haig Assessments marked and a sheet that allows you to comment on what you think you did well in your assessment and what you think you need to set as a target for your next assessment.

• Fill in the Assessment Title: Haig – Butcher of the Somme?• Fill in what you think you did well (use my comments to

help). • Using my comments and the Haig Assessment Sheet

(which you coloured in with the level you were aiming for) set yourself a target for your next assessment.

• Finally, did you show any of the 4 R learning skills, for example, if you did your own research, you can tick and add a comment to the resourcefulness box.

It’s December 1919 and tonight we welcome to the programme Frederick Ebert, leader of the new Weimar

Germany. You will have a chance to pose your questions to him.

My Name is Friedrich Ebert and I am the new leader of the Republic of Germany. I promise to give the people of Germany freedom of speech, freedom of worship

and better working conditions. I am facing difficult times. I face opposition from both

the left and right. The Kaiser’s former advisors have remained in their positions

in the army, judiciary, civil service and industry. This is restricting what my

government can do. I also face opposition from many communists, who believe that Germany needs a communist revolution.

I also have the impossible task of signing the Treaty of Versailles, which I am not

looking forward to.

Any Questions?

A German cartoon published in 1919. The German mother is saying to her starving child: ‘When we have paid one hundred

billion marks then I can give you something to eat.’

German reactions

to the Treaty

Fair Unfair The Treaty of Versailles only

provided the same type of punishment as the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, therefore, the German’s

deserved harsh treatment.

The war guilt clause psychologically damaged the

people of Germany and placed the blame on them, not just the

politicians who helped start the war.

You have been provided with an A4 sheet, addressing the question, ‘Was the Treaty of Versailles fair?’ You need to read

through the sheet and draw up a simple table recording evidence that suggests the treaty was both fair and unfair. You can also use your own knowledge to add further points to your table.

Year 9 (GCSE Style) Assessment

• Explain what Clemenceau wanted to achieve in the Treaty of Versailles (Paris Peace Conference). (4)

• What is the message of this cartoon? Use details of the cartoon and your own knowledge to explain your answer. (6)

• How fair was the Treaty of Versailles? (10)

Question 1

• Explain what Clemenceau wanted to achieve in the Treaty of Versailles (Paris Peace Conference). (4)

A British cartoon from 1921. The Big

Four are shown in the cartoon,

leaving the Paris Peace Conference

Question 2

What is the message of this cartoon? Use details of the

cartoon and your own knowledge to explain your

answer. (6)

Question 3: How fair was the Treaty of Versailles?

Lets ask an expert…

PROF TOMALIN

To begin with, to answer this

question, you need a very short

introduction, which shows that you will answer

the question in a balanced way.

The Treaty of Versailles can be viewed as being unfair due to the harsh

reparation demands, the war guilt clause and

stripping Germany of her military and empire, which

made her feel weak and vulnerable. However, it can also be argued that the treaty was fair, as Germany had treated

Russia in a similar way in the Treaty of Brest Litovsk

and there is evidence to suggest that Germany’s

economy recovered quickly in the 1920’s.

Introduction• Have a go at writing a short introduction of

your own. You only have 5 minutes to complete this task.

• Now swap your introduction with the person sitting next to you and mark their work. Does it:

1.Present a balanced answer

2.Provide brief examples to support the points made

3.Directly answer the question

I think the Treaty was unfair and stored up trouble for the future

because...

You now need an opening paragraph which addresses one side of the

argument.

On the other hand, I think the Treaty was

quite fair and the peacemakers did

the best they could because……………

You now need to write an opposing

paragraph addressing the other side of the argument.

To be a professional

historian, you need to add

depth to your work. You will need to add evidence to

support your points. This evidence will

come from your knowledge and the sources.

Example – PEA: Using a source as evidence

The Treaty of Versailles can be seen as unfair as it was unreasonable to place the entire blame onto one country. John Maynard Keynes argued this in 1920, stating, “In my own opinion, it is not possible to lay the entire responsibility for the war on any single nation….it leaves Europe more unsettled than it found it.” Thus Clemenceau’s demands of war guilt can be viewed as too harsh, as it was a variety of countries rivalry and competition that resulted in the outbreak of the First World War.

The Treaty of Versailles was unfair as the reparation demands harmed the citizens of Germany as opposed to the rulers who had taken Germany into the First World War. This meant that the German people suffered badly and consequently became very bitter. It was these feelings of resentment that groups like the Nazis harnessed in later years and resulted in feelings of revenge. The Treaty left Germany feeling very unsettled. This therefore demonstrates that the Treaty was unfair because it punished the people not the politicians and left Europe unsettled.

Example – PEA: Using knowledge as evidence

In conclusion I believe that...

Your conclusion needs to be well explained. You cannot just say, In

conclusion I believe that the Treaty was fair.

You must support your final judgement with well explained evidence.