Extended Project Qualification

Presentation
To what extent did the Treaty of Versailles influence the economic
downturn in Germany, and did that have any influence on Hitlers rise
during post 1930s?
Details about the Project
The primary objective of my Extended Project qualification focuses on the topic
of the economic and therefore psychological effects that the Treaty of Versailles
had on German thinking towards France which inevitably led to the Second World
War.
My EPQ focuses on the huge effect that the Treaty of Versailles had on German
nationalism in the 1930s.
One of the main reasons I decided to research specifically about this is because I
have a profound interest about economic history between countries. Also I am
interested in how the consequences of certain policies, such as austerity
measures affect the personal views of people about other countries. (E.g. Greece
and the bailout measures).
Principal Analysis
As I first found out, research would be a main part of EPQ considering most of the
things I would be incorporating into my essay would be factual and so Id have to
research most of my work.
The Treaty of Versailles research was mainly found through; Websites and Books.
The effects of the Treaty on the economy and the living conditions were mainly
found through: Online Articles, Interviews and Videos.
I tried to vary the sources that I used on the internet, for instance, once I saw a
piece of information, I would try and find two different other sources that said
the exact same thing, e.g. If the War Guilt Clause was actually referred to as the
War Guilt Clause. Ive watched the movie Hitler: The rise to evil which also gave
me a more dramatized insight into Hitlers upbringing and why he had his views
on German Supremacy.
Cont.
One of my most successful resources was when I conducted a telephone
interview with a German Friends Grandmother (Greta Grobbels & Getrud
Grobbels) who gave me some insight into the impact that the Treaty of
Versailles(amplified through Hitlers regimes) had a direct effect on their family
life. One of the only weaknesses of conducting a telephone interview was the
language barrier that we encountered.
Also, as they were young children during the early 1930s, they couldnt recall the
direct impacts on the economy, they could only infer from what happened in
their village called Schmallenberg.
Investigation of Data from Principal Analysis
The main things that I taken away from the research are that:
It is clear to say that the Guilt War clause had a direct effect on the intensity of
the Treaty. The relations between France and Germany, considering that France
were pushing for the hardest sanctions, were very bad and meant that the
German economy suffered a hard loss because of the historical struggle of power
between Europes main two superpowers.
When reviewing the interviews, I realised the personal effect that it had between
families and how it managed to tear families apart as it let the rise of Hitler come
about.
Strengths & Weaknesses of my EPQ
Weaknesses
- I felt that I could have made a transcript after my interview with Greta and Getrud, therefore I
couldve directly quoted from them instead writing from notes I made as it seems that it would
have been much better to get a direct quote.
- Also I felt that it was very hard to accurately create a Bibliography because I cherry picked a lot
of my information from many different websites and so had to go through all my website history
and get all the different websites.
Strengths
- I think that the economic side of the project has really helped with my understanding of the
formulation of the Euro, and it really helped me understand how countries can have deep rooted
motivations for sanction imposed upon one another .
- Also I feel that improved my critical thinking, and to reflect on things that I have learnt from my
research
What have I learnt from my EPQ
I think I have managed to assimilate information concisely and put the information into a
short phrase. As the Treaty is a very long piece of evidence, I have had to absorb all the
information in it and had to paraphrase it so that all the facts are transferred over in a
short space of text.
Also, I have learned to note every piece of information as I go along, instead of having to
thoroughly search through all my internet history.
Also, I have learned to make a contingency plan to make sure that If I dont complete
tasks, I have a plan that I can quickly change to if something goes wrong. Having a
contingency plan has made me more aware of time keeping and knowing the value of
time, and how it doesnt wait for anybody!
Overall, all these things Ive learnt will contribute to making me a better university
student and better in life in general. The EPQ has made me realise the value of time
keeping and how important it is if you are to hand a project/work piece/ essay into
school/work.
Last thoughts on the Project
I feel as if doing the EPQ has helped me develop as a person as it has
helped me to be more punctual with deadlines.
Also it has given me a new insight on how countries with history work
against each other and how countries can directly influence other
countries economies.
Im very grateful to be handed the opportunity to undertake an EPQ
that has allowed me the chance to specifically look at an aspect of
European economics which has always interested me
Lastly, It has made me realise that writing a long essay requires a lot
of information and a lot of critical thinking so one can achieve a great
piece of work
Any Questions?
Id be happy to take questions and give answers about my Extended
Qualification Project.