Build the peace · Paris 1919
He pātai: Can a peace settlement satisfy security, punishment, self-determination, trade and national interest at the same time?
Your group represents one of the Big Four delegations. First make a starting plan. Then negotiate. Your kaiako will interrupt the talks with new information. Revision is part of the task.
Round 1 · starting position
| Issue | Your points | What you want | What you could trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reparations / payment for damage | |||
| German military restrictions | |||
| Security guarantees | |||
| Borders / territory | |||
| Colonies / mandates | |||
| League of Nations |
Total: ______ / 100 · Two non-negotiables: __________________ / __________________
Round 2 · negotiation record
| Offer / demand | Who proposed it? | Our response | Evidence / reason |
|---|---|---|---|
Round 3 · new information
Your kaiako reveals a shock / constraint. Before continuing, write:
What changed? ______________________________________________
What part of our plan must we reconsider? ____________________________
What are we unwilling to change? _________________________________
Final settlement
Write four terms the delegations can live with. For each, name who benefits most and who may feel they lost.
| Term | Who gains? | Who loses / objects? | Why did the table accept it? |
|---|---|---|---|
After the reveal · compare, don’t score
Your treaty is not being marked on how closely it copies Versailles. Compare the historical settlement with your choices:
- Germany faced major military restrictions and territorial losses.
- Former German colonies were redistributed through mandate arrangements.
- Article 231 assigned Germany and its allies responsibility for Allied loss and damage as the legal basis for reparations; do not rewrite this as a simple confession of sole moral blame.
- The League of Nations Covenant formed part of the settlement.
- The final reparations total was determined later.
Power / representation
List people or communities whose futures were affected but who did not have equal control of the settlement. For each, state how the lack of power matters.
| Person / group | What was being decided? | What power did they lack? |
|---|---|---|
Aotearoa connection
In 1914 New Zealand’s international status meant ____________. By 1919, Massey’s separate signature suggests ____________. However, this does not prove ____________.
Naming reprise
Does “the war to end all wars” now sound like a description, a hope, propaganda, or something else? Use evidence from the negotiation and treaty.
Authorities: US Office of the Historian · NZHistory: Massey signs Treaty of Versailles.