The Trearty Of Versailles

​Module 25 WW1

Lesson 5: 

Topic: The Treaty of Versailles — “A Peace Built on Quicksand”

By Sajida Manzoor

Open Ended

• Why did you choose your answer?

• What do you already know about the Treaty’s terms that supports your view?

• Do you think “fair” means the same as “effective” in this case?

Poll

“If you were one of the ‘Big Three,’ what would your goal be at Versailles?”

• Punish Germany

• Rebuild Europe’s economy

• Create lasting peace

• Protect your own country’s interests

Learning Objectives

​I CAN

​ 1. Evaluate: Judge how fair and effective the Treaty of Versailles was.
2. Produce my own conclusion on whether the Treaty built peace or future conflict

Poll

“The Treaty of Versailles was a fair punishment for Germany after World War I.”

• Strongly Agree

• Agree

• Disagree

• Strongly Disagree

Multiple Choice

The Treaty of Versailles officially ended which major war?

• WWII

• WWI

• Cold War

• The Napoleonic War

Multiple Choice

How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany’s military power?

• It allowed Germany to rebuild a stronger navy

• It limited the German army to 100,000 soldiers

• It required Germany to form new alliances

• It expanded Germany’s control in Europe

Multiple Choice

Which statement best explains why the Treaty of Versailles caused resentment in Germany?

• It rewarded Germany for helping rebuild Europe

• It made Germany join the League of Nations

• It blamed Germany for the war and imposed harsh penalties

• It ignored Germany’s colonies and focused only on trade

​Background • WWI ended Nov 1918; 8.5 million dead, Europe in ruins. • Germany surrendered, expecting a peace based on Wilson’s “14 Points.” Leader Country Main Aims Georges Clemenceau France Revenge, security, weaken Germany permanently. Woodrow Wilson USA Fair peace, League of Nations, self-determination. David Lloyd George Britain Punish but keep Germany strong enough for trade and to stop communism.

​Key Terms of the Treaty :
1. War Guilt (Article 231): Germany accepted full blame for WWI.
2. Reparations: £6.6 billion to Allies.
3. Territorial Losses: Alsace-Lorraine to France; colonies to League; Polish Corridor created.
4. Military Restrictions: 100,000 men, no air force, 6 ships, no submarines.
5. League of Nations: Created to prevent future wars. Reactions
• Germany: Outrage, humiliation, called it a “Diktat.”
• France: Relief but thought it wasn’t harsh enough.
• USA: Thought it was too severe; Congress refused to join the League. Historians’ Debate
• John Maynard Keynes: “The treaty will ruin Europe.”
• Marshal Foch: “Not peace, but an armistice for twenty years.”
• Modern historians: “A flawed compromise—punishment disguised as peace.”

​Reactions to the Treaty

​• Germany: outrage, humiliation ('Diktat').
• France: relief, wanted harsher terms.
• Britain: mixed feelings.
• USA: thought it was too harsh.

​Extract A: 'Germany must accept full responsibility for the war.'
Extract B: German Newspaper (1919): 'The Fatherland is dishonored!'
Extract C: Lloyd George (1919): 'We want a peace which will last.'

Group 1 (Outstanding Students):	Write a mini argument: “The Treaty of Versailles achieved peace through punishment.” Use Extracts A, B, and C to support your points.
Group 2 (On-Level Students):	Write a short statement (6–8 sentences) from one of the Big Three’s perspectives using Extracts A & C. End with a 1–5 fairness rating.
Group 3 (Struggling Students):	Complete a “Fair or Unfair?” chart for each term using Extract A and pictures of territorial losses. Write one reason for each
Gifted & Talented Jasim Ebrahim Jasim Boausaibah Al Ali	Lead group discussion, time-keep, and prepare summary of class opinions to report at the end

​Task 1: Mini Argument Prompt: “The Treaty of Versailles achieved peace through punishment.” Use Extracts A, B, and C to support your points. Before writing: What do we already know about how the Treaty punished Germany? What does “peace through punishment” mean to you? Which extract gives the strongest evidence for or against this idea? While writing: 4. Are we using evidence from more than one extract? 5. Are we explaining why the Treaty might have been seen as fair or unfair? 6. Does our argument have both sides (peace and punishment), or just one? After writing: 7. Does our answer explain how peace was achieved or why punishment might have caused problems? 8. If we had more time, what part of our argument would we improve or check again?

​Task 2: Big Three Perspective Statement Prompt:
Write a short statement (6–8 sentences) from one of the Big Three’s perspectives using Extracts A & C. End with a fairness rating (1–5).
Before writing:
Which leader are we choosing — Wilson, Clemenceau, or Lloyd George? What did that leader want from the Treaty?

While writing:
3. Does our writing sound like what that leader would say?
4. Are we using words or ideas from the extracts to support their viewpoint?
After writing:
5. Why did we give that fairness rating?
6. Would the other leaders agree or disagree with our rating — why? 7. What helped us understand that leader’s feelings about fairness the most?

Open Ended

“The Treaty of Versailles was fair/unfair because…”