They achieved this by penalizing France with indemnities; however, they didn’t embitter France to want to fight for revenge. Castlereagh approved of this because peace meant that trade could continue with one of Britain’s most important trading partners. It was also decided that France should take part in the future Congresses, consequently the Quadruple Alliance was transformed into the Quintuple Alliance; this was supported by Castlereagh which shows how he wanted to maintain peace with France. Castlereagh opposed harsh treatment towards France because of the consequences that would arise from a negative relationship. However, to maintain the peace with France and of course other powers, the congress balanced the powers by the introduction and reappointment of other states such as the grouping of Belgium and Holland to act as a buffer against France.
Churchill believed that in order to guarantee the security of Czechoslovakia, Europe should have held Germany back and Britain and France should have worked together as an alliance. George F. Kennan, an American Secretary of State during the cold war also disagreed with the Munich Agreement. Kennan thought that Chamberlain and Daladier only agreed with Germany’s proposal only because they didn’t want to participate in war. Chamberlain and Daladier wanted to maintain the peace in Europe. (Document 6) As written in The Origins of the Second World War, by A.J.P.
When Keynes rejected the scale of reparations placed on Germany and resigned from his post at the Treasury, he lead the way for what many leading politicians were to understand later on. Keynes supported the approach of Lloyd George that for economic and political reasons, Europe needed a successful Germany, which would be seriously difficult to achieve whilst the excessive reparations were placed on them. Furthermore, his book The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919), was successful in influencing the view of Britain that a weak Germany would only make the recovery of Europe after the war, a lot more difficult. On the other hand, from taking this view, politicians were criticised for being 'too lenient' towards Germany. Even Lloyd George, who took a much tougher political approach towards the reparations, received criticism.
He tried to find a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau. Germany had been expecting a treaty based on Wilson's 14 points and were not happy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, they had no choice but to sign the document. People supported Hitler because he promised them what they wanted and needed to hear. The Weimar Republic appeared to have no idea how to solve the problems of the Depression.
To what extent was Stresemann responsible for the increased stability in Germany in 1924-29? The increased stability in Germany during the years of 1924-1929 was due to Gustav Stresemann's policies. I will be reflecting on the reasons that suggest he was responsible for this. Before Stresemann came into power German enconomy was in the air. As the chancellor in 1923 he led Germany out of the hyperinflation crisis and as the foreign minister, he ended Germany's isolation amongst the international community and helped the country to become a magnet for foreign investment.
Firstly we will look at the role of which Bismarck played towards German unification. Bismarck would see an opportunity and exploit it for his own good. In the Danish War of which involved Schleswig and Holstein; Bismarck managed to intervene, even though it did not have any effect on him, so that people would see him as a defender of German nationalism and so he could turn the war around to benefit Prussia. By doing so the citizens of German states saw him as a leader and joined together to back him up and this was his first step to unifying Germany. Following this, Bismarck turned his attention to Austria as he wanted them out of the Bund so he could fulfil his vision of a unified Germany under Prussian leadership.
Explain why the Nazi Regime proclaimed “Total War” in February 1943. (12 Marks) One factor behind why the Nazi regime went ahead with total war was because it offered a chance to revive public morale following the defeat at Stalingrad. The public morale down at this point however going to war with allies seemed the perfect opportunity in regaining the trust of people in the regime. Josef Goebbels speech proved to be a great example in uplifting the people’s moods in regards to total war. His powerful speech was influential and enabled the German public to feel more optimistic within the war as well as regime.
This allowed the far right to exploit the Germans hate of the treaty of Versailles and connect the treaty to democracy, so the people wouldn’t blame the loss of ww1 on the army but the democratic politician’s. This led to an increase in public support for a more authoritarian dictatorial system the strengthening the far-right. The other main reason the loss
The motives behind the French action : the "Rhinegold" or the Rhine? Poincaré, who had been closely identified with the nationalist right-wing forces in France since his period in office as French President before the war, hoped that the occupation of the Ruhr would solve his government's domestic problems. At the very least it was anticipated that the increased pressure on Germany would increase the flow
The creation of the European Union in 1952 was due to the fact that Europeans wanted to create a better future and for another world war to never happen again. European integration and economic prosperity were key reasons why the EU was created. There are two main views on integration-the intergovernmentalist and the neo-functionalist discussions on how the EU functions. The quote “The history of the European Union shows that, at its heart, it is a Franco-German partnership…the EU is not a supranational organization”, is one prime example of how an intergovernmentlist views the EU. Based on the theory of intergovernmentalism, the Franco-German partnership is the most vital and important in regard to power and influence in the EU, because both France and Germany are the founding members of the European Union, having strong economies and both have strong influence upon EU legislation due to these factors.