Students will learn of the difficulty nations faced when coming to terms
with their enemies and the expectations of their public. Because Germany
did not surrender unconditionally, it left its leaders with considerable
moral and diplomatic wiggle room in the treaty negotiations. Students will
be able to compare the nature of the German defeat in 1918 and use the
outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles as a beginning of the road to World War
Two. They should also be able to tie the lesson into the discussion of
their unit project. Through an analysis of the positions of the great
powers, students should gain a greater understanding of the expectations of
powerful countries and the moderating force of having multiple sides to any
argument.
