How did the peace settlement of 1919 and the rise of new ideologies leave the world's tensions unresolved?
Topic 7.5 Unresolved Tensions After World War I: the political and social tensions left by the peace settlement, including the Treaty of Versailles, the mandate system, anticolonial movements, and the rise of fascism and authoritarianism.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 7.5, explaining the tensions left after the First World War: the harsh Treaty of Versailles and German resentment, the mandate system and broken promises to colonized peoples, the rise of fascism and authoritarianism, and the weakness of the League of Nations.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 7.5 covers the tensions left unresolved after the First World War. It asks you to explain how the peace settlement - especially the Treaty of Versailles - and the postwar order left dangerous tensions: German resentment, the mandate system that denied self-rule to colonized peoples, the rise of fascism and authoritarianism, and the weakness of the League of Nations, all of which helped set the stage for the Second World War.
What "unresolved tensions" means
The Treaty of Versailles and German resentment
The peace with Germany sowed bitterness.
Broken promises to colonized peoples
The settlement disappointed the colonized world.
Wartime rhetoric, including the language of self-determination, raised hopes among colonized peoples that they might win self-rule after contributing to the war. Instead, the former Ottoman Arab provinces and German colonies were placed under European control as League of Nations mandates - colonialism by another name. This betrayal fuelled anticolonial movements and nationalism across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, planting tensions that would drive decolonization (Topic 8.5).
Weak peace and rising extremism
The new order could not hold.
- A weak League of Nations. The League was meant to prevent war through collective security, but the United States never joined, key powers ignored it, and it had no real power to enforce its decisions.
- The rise of fascism and authoritarianism. Economic crisis and resentment helped fascist and authoritarian movements gain power in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere, promising national renewal and rejecting the postwar order.
- The road to war. Together, German grievance, colonial anger, a toothless League, and aggressive new regimes left the world's tensions unresolved and pointed toward another global conflict.
Try this
Q1. Name the 1919 treaty that imposed war guilt and reparations on Germany. [Recall]
- Cue. The Treaty of Versailles.
Q2. Explain one way the postwar settlement disappointed colonized peoples. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Wartime rhetoric of self-determination raised hopes of self-rule, but former Ottoman and German territories were placed under European control as League of Nations mandates, betraying those hopes and fuelling anticolonial movements.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2020 (style)3 marksBriefly describe ONE term of the postwar peace settlement. Briefly explain ONE tension it left unresolved. Briefly explain ONE way the settlement disappointed colonized peoples.Show worked answer →
A Short Answer Question (SAQ), 3 points, one per bullet.
A. Describe: the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept blame for the war, pay heavy reparations, lose territory, and disarm.
B. Tension: the harsh treaty bred deep resentment in Germany, which fascists later exploited to gain power and justify aggression.
C. Colonized peoples: instead of self-rule, former Ottoman and German colonies were placed under European control as League of Nations mandates, betraying hopes raised by wartime rhetoric of self-determination.
Each bullet must be concrete.
AP 2022 (style)6 marksEvaluate the most significant unresolved tension left by the peace settlement after the First World War.Show worked answer →
A Long Essay Question (LEQ), scored on the 6-point causation rubric.
Thesis (1): "The most significant unresolved tension was the resentment the harsh Treaty of Versailles bred in Germany, which fascism exploited to drive renewed aggression, though the betrayal of colonized peoples through the mandate system left lasting tensions too."
Contextualization (1): situate the settlement in the aftermath of total war and the collapse of empires.
Evidence (2): the Treaty of Versailles and German grievance; the mandate system and broken self-determination promises; the rise of fascism; the weak League of Nations.
Analysis (2): explain HOW these tensions fed renewed conflict, then add complexity by weighing German resentment against the long-term anticolonial tensions the settlement created.
Related dot points
- Topic 7.3 Conducting World War I: the new technologies and the practice of total war that made the First World War uniquely destructive and global, including trench warfare, the mobilization of home fronts, and the global reach of the conflict.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 7.3, explaining how the First World War was fought: trench warfare and new technology like machine guns and poison gas, the practice of total war and home-front mobilization, the use of colonial troops, and the global reach of the conflict.
- Topic 7.6 Causes of World War II: the causes of the Second World War, including the legacy of the First World War, the Great Depression, fascist and militarist expansion, and the failure of appeasement and collective security.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 7.6, explaining the causes of the Second World War: the legacy of Versailles and the Great Depression, fascist and militarist expansion by Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the failure of appeasement and the League of Nations.
- Topic 7.4 Economy in the Interwar Period: the economic crises between the wars, especially the Great Depression, and the varied government responses, including increased state intervention and the rise of authoritarian regimes.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 7.4, explaining the interwar economy: the Great Depression and its global spread, the varied government responses from the New Deal and Keynesian intervention to Soviet command planning and fascist autarky, and the political consequences.
- Topic 8.5 Decolonization After 1900: the processes and methods of decolonization after the Second World War, including negotiated and armed independence, partition, and the role of nationalism.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 8.5, explaining decolonization after 1900: the negotiated independence of India under Gandhi, armed struggles in Algeria and Vietnam, the role of nationalism, partition and its violence, and how methods of decolonization differed.
- Topic 7.1 Shifting Power after 1900: the collapse or transformation of land-based empires and the rise of new political ideologies and movements at the start of the twentieth century.
A focused answer to AP World History Topic 7.1, explaining the shift in global power after 1900: the collapse of the Qing, Ottoman, and Russian empires, the Russian and Chinese revolutions, and the rise of new ideologies like communism and the end of dynastic rule.
Sources & how we know this
- AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)