Treaty of Versailles GCSE Lesson: Why Germans Hated the 1919 Peace (Weimar & Nazi Germany)

A fully resourced, interactive GCSE lesson on why the Treaty of Versailles was so deeply unpopular in Germany. Students investigate whether the 1919 peace settlement was a fair attempt at stability or a calculated humiliation that fuelled resentment and future conflict. Through enquiry-led tasks and compelling primary cartoons, students uncover the anger, fear and bitterness felt across Germany in 1919.

The lesson includes:
• A visual register starter using a striking 1931 political poster to introduce German resentment
• A paired discussion on the 1918 armistice and why many Germans already felt betrayed
• A competitive cartoon-analysis quiz exploring eight contemporary reactions to the treaty
• A matching activity connecting nine key treaty terms to nine emotional responses
• A mini whiteboard word-cloud reflection prioritising how Germans felt
• A whole-class judgement plenary: Was the treaty a fair peace — or a calculated humiliation?
• Full teacher notes for every slide, including Purpose, Guidance, Insight and Differentiation

All worksheets, activity cards and detailed teacher notes are included.
Designed for Edexcel GCSE History (Weimar & Nazi Germany) but easily adaptable for AQA, OCR or Eduqas.

Ideal for developing inference, source analysis, judgement and evaluative writing skills while helping students understand how the Treaty of Versailles shaped German politics, instability and resentment in the early Weimar period — and why its fairness is still debated today.