Station 1 German Territorial Losses 1919 1921 PostWorld

Station 1: German Territorial Losses 1919 -1921 (Post-World War 1) • 1. What territories did Germany lose due to the Versailles Treaty? • 2. East Prussia (on the map known as Allenstein) remained a part of Germany. Why might the loss of the Polish Corridor and Danzig have been especially difficult for the Germans? • 3. Why might life have been difficult for Germans who lived in the lost territories? • 4. Alsace-Lorraine was ceded (given) to France without a Plebescite (without a formal vote of its citizens). Do you think that it is fair to return a territory without a vote? Explain your answer. • 5. Consider the chart that states the “Principal German Losses”. Which of the losses: pre-war colonies, prewar fleet (ships), iron production, coal production, 1914 territory, or part of the population do you think is the most damaging loss to Germany? Explain your answer. • 6. How do you think the German people felt about the German losses as dictated in the Versailles Treaty?

Station 2: Political Cartoons of Post-World War 1 • 1. Look at the political cartoon titled, “Der Tag”, which means “The Day”. What countries have the man, “Germany”, in its grasp? • 2. What is the message that the political cartoon is trying to convey (tell)? • 3. Do you think that the political cartoon is pro-Germany or anti-Germany? Explain your answer. • 4. Look at the political cartoon with the six men. Each of the men represent a country at the beginning of World War 1. What country do you think is the smallest man at the head of the line? • 5. What is the message that the political cartoon is trying to convey? • 6. Look at the political cartoon titled, “Reparations”. What is the message that the political cartoon is trying to convey? • 7. Do you think that the illustrator is pro-Germany or anti-Germany? Explain your answer.

Treaty of Versailles, Article 160 (1919) By a date which must not be later than March 31, 1920, the German Army must not comprise more than seven divisions of infantry and three divisions of cavalry. After that date the total number of effectives in the Army of the States constituting Germany must not exceed one hundred thousand men, including officers and establishments of depots. The Army shall be devoted exclusively to the maintenance of order within the territory and to the control of the frontiers.

Treaty of Versailles, Article 232 (1919) The Allied and Associated Governments recognize that the resources of Germany are not adequate, after taking into account permanent diminutions of such resources which will result from other provisions of the present Treaty, to make complete reparation for all such loss and damage. The Allied and Associated Governments, however, require, and Germany undertakes that she will make compensation for all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied and Associated Powers and to their property during the period of the belligerency…

Treaty of Versailles, Article 233 (1919) The amount of the above damage for which compensation is to be made by Germany shall be determined by an Inter-Allied Commission, to be called the Reparation Commission and constituted in the form and with the powers set forth hereunder… Germany shall pay in such installments and in such manner (whether in gold, commodities, ships, securities or otherwise) as the Reparation Commission may fix, during 1919, 1920 and the first four months of 1921, the equivalent of 20, 000, 000 gold marks.

Station 3: Versailles Treaty, Articles 160, 232, & 233 • 1. Using Article (section) 160, what is the total number of German military troops allowed by the Versailles Treaty? • 2. Based on the Article 160, what is the role of the German military? • 3. Using Article 232, why was Germany required to pay reparations for World War 1? • 4. Using Article 233, when were the reparation payments set to begin and what was the year by which they were required to be fulfilled? • 5. How much money (German gold marks) was Germany required to pay? • 6. How might the German people react to Articles 160, 232, and 233? How would it make them feel?

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, known as the War Guilt Clause, was a statement that Germany was responsible for beginning World War I. It reads as follows: "The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies. " The War Guilt Clause was added in order to get the French and Belgians to agree to reduce the sum of money that Germany would have to pay to compensate for war damage. The article was seen as a concession to the Germans by the negotiators. It was bitterly resented, however, by virtually all Germans who did not believe they were responsible for the outbreak of the war.

Station 4: Versailles Treaty, Article 231 • 1. In your own words, what did Article 231 say? • 2. Why do you think that all Germans resented Article 231? • 3. Do you think that Germany should have had to take the blame for starting World War 1? Explain your answer. • 4. If you could rewrite history, which country would you have had take the blame for starting World War 1? Explain your answer.

Station 5: Inflation Station • 1. Look at the chart titled, “German Marks Needed To Buy One Ounce of Gold”. After the Versailles Treaty of 1919, Germany reacted by printing millions of German Marks to pay back the war reparations. As a result, the value of the German Mark _________. • 2. Explain how you were able to find your answer for #1. • 3. Inflation is when items cost more because the value of the country’s currency does down. Looking at the photographs, how can you tell that inflation was occurring in Germany after World War 1? • 4. How do you think that the German people were impacted by the inflation going on in their country? • 5. How might the inflation have led to World War 2?

Station 6: Unemployment & the Nazi Party • 1. Looking at the line graph titled, “Estimated German Unemployment, 1900 -1940”, how did unemployment (the % of people not working and seeking work) change overall after the Versailles Treaty? • 2. An economic depression is a long period during which the economy is poor and many people are unemployed. The Great Depression in the United States began in 1929 and lasted until 1939. How was Germany affected by the Great Depression in the United States? • 3. The line graph titled, “Nazi Surge Driven By…”, shows how Hitler’s Nazi party was affected by the German economic depression. What trend do you notice about the Nazi Party’s popularity during the economic depression? • 4. What is a similarity about the two line graphs at this station? • 5. By looking at the two line graphs, what is the correlation (cause & effect pattern) between unemployment and the popularity of the Nazi Party?

Station 7: Maps of World War 2 • 1. What areas did Germany annex (take over) in 1939? • 2. What additional areas did Germany annex in 1940? • 3. What additional areas did Germany annex in 1941? • 4. What do you notice occurring with Great Britain and the USSR in 1943? • 5. By looking at the map for 1944, how do the European Axis Powers (Germany & Italy) appear to be doing? Explain your answer.

“Nazis building up Germany” “The German Student”

“Hitler As A Knight”

Station 8: Propaganda of World War 2 • Propaganda advertising is a message in advertising that is sent out to try to persuade the audience to think or act in a certain manner. It is typically one-sided and false. The Axis & Allied Powers used a great amount of propaganda advertisements. The seven examples are all propaganda created by Nazi Germany. • 1. Looking at “Nazis Building Up Germany”, what you do think that advertisement was trying to convey (say)? • 2. Why do you think the advertisement was popular at the beginning of World War 2? • 3. Looking at “The German Student”, what do you think that the advertisement was trying to convey? • 4. Looking at “Hitler As Knight”, why do you think that the artist’s put Hitler in a suit of armor? What message is the artist trying to convey? • 5. Look at the propaganda piece to the right of “Hitler As Knight”. What do you notice about the picture? • 6. What do you think that the artist is trying to convey? • 7. Look at the page with three Nazi advertisements. What do you notice about the first picture with the German soldier? • 8. What do you notice about the second picture with the woman working? • 9. What do you notice about the third picture with Hitler and the children? • 10. What message or idea do you think that Nazi party is trying to promote with these three pictures?