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Impact of the Treaty of Versailles - Coggle Diagram
Impact of the Treaty of Versailles
German humiliation
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One impact of the Treaty of Versailles was German humiliation
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Germans were greatly angered at having to accept total blame for causing the war
It formed the basis of limitations, territorial reductions and reparations placed on Germany
Germans felt greatly humiliated and wronged as they did not feel that they deserved total blame for the war
However, the newly formed Weimar Government of Germany had no choice but to accept the treaty or resume fighting
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This caused many Germans to feel unhappy about the treaty of Versailles, but had no choice but to accept it
German territorial reductions
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Another impact of the Treaty of Versailles was German territorial reductions
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The loss of German territories greatly reduced Germany’s standing amongst the world powers
Germany not only lost its overseas colonies in Africa and the Asia Pacific, but also resource-rich regions such as parts of Poland
These territorial losses injured the pride of the German people and damaged Germany’s economy
The treaty also prevented further German expansion through merger like with Austria-Hungary
Germany and the Austria-Hungarian Empire had been allies in the war, and after the empire was dissolved, Austria became a separate republic
Many German nationalists thought it was reasonable for the German-speaking Austrians to be part of Germany
However, the treaty itself forbade German unification, as the Allies feared that this could strengthen Germany’s position in Europe
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This resulted in a decrease in German influence and power, causing German humiliation
German military weakness
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One impact of the Treaty of Versailles is the weakness of the German military
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The harsh limitations placed on Germany’s armed forces were meant to ensure that Germany would not be able to start another war
But this also meant that Germany was significantly less able to defend itself against the Allied powers in the event of a military attack from its neighbours
Demilitarisation of the Rhineland meant that Germany was not allowed to defend its bothers with France
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This resulted in a decrease in German power as Germany now couldn’t even defend itself from outside attacks, causing German humiliation
German economic weakness
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One impact of the Treaty of Versailles was German economic weakness
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Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies due to causing the war, as well as surrending coal and other resources
This worsened economic problems Germany was suffering due to the war. Germany lost 15% of its active male population and a severe shortage of able workers to rebuild its economy
The reparations only worsened Germany’s economic conditions, hampering Germany’s ability to make payments on time
In 1923, France sent its army to invade the Ruhr region as Germany did not pay the reparations on time
This resulted to s general strike of the German workers in the Ruhr region
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This caused many Germans to be extremely bitter over the issue of reparations and the impact it had on the German economy
Self-determination and the creation of new boundaries
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One impact of the Treaty of Versailles was the self-determination and creation of new boundaries
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After WW2, many different ethnicities wanted independence for their countries
This proved difficult as the Austrian-Hungarian Empiure was made up of different ethnic communities. The boundaries between these ethnic communities were not clear, however,
Many areas and towns contained many different ethnic communities, with some never having their own states or some being combinations of different ethnic communities.
The boundaries established by the peace treaties meant that many nationalities still found themselves outside of their nation-states
The Germans were angry because ‘self determination’ seemed to apply only to the winners of the war.
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This resulted in many Germans to feel humiliated as the Germans in other countries were not able to declare independence while other nationalities could