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The impact of the Treaty of Versailles
The impact of the Treaty of Versailles
The impact of the Treaty of Versailles
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After any major altercation between multiple nations comes to a conclusion a seemingly never ending amount of decisions needs to be made. After the First World War ended in November 1918 the leaders of the world needed to come together to determine how to restore European society. In June 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was finalized, outlining what was to take place in the post-war world. Because World War I was such an important event in world history a great deal of literature has been written about the events before, during and after the war. Margaret MacMillan’s book Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World describes how the Treaty of Versailles was developed and attempts to explain why it was not as successful as its creators would …show more content…
MacMillan points out that it always needs to be remembered that the conference took place in the aftermath of not only the worst world war, but at the time, the only one that had taken place. When the reader is able to learn the environment in which the treaty came to be, they are able to understand why it was unable to completely fix the problems in post-war Europe. Furthermore, MacMillan argues that the negotiators created the treaty within an atmosphere of fear. The negotiators had to deal with the possibility of being unable to return European civilization to its pre-war conditions. In addition, the negotiators had the fear that there was worse still to come. When looking at the background factors that went into creating the Treaty of Versailles by reading MacMillan’s work, the reader is able to have a better sense of the conditions in which the treaty was created. MacMillan’s perspective on the Paris Peace Conference allows the reader to view the negotiators as human, capable of making errors, instead of important political figures that could do no …show more content…
MacMillan argues that a majority of Germans never experienced their country’s defeat first hand because of the armistice terms. By stating this MacMillan is trying to show that, because the war came to an end with an armistice, and not with the Germans being defeated on the battlefield, the German people did not view their country as losing the war in the typical sense. MacMillan points out the German soldiers marched home in good order and were greeted by their new president, Friedrich Ebert, who said “No enemy has conquered you!” MacMillan successfully shows that the German people did not view their defeat in the war in the same that other countries did. Because the German people were told they did not lose the war, they would become opposed to signing harsh peace terms. Although this argument that MacMillan presents may not be completely the fault of the negotiators, specifically George Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George, it certainty contributed to the failure of the Treaty of Versailles because of the resistance from the German
There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. But one can get a better idea how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Treaty of Versailles was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States, to make peace. So how did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later? It was mainly because it was too hard on Germany’s territory, military, economy, and national pride.
During the Peace Conference there was two themes that was very critical. The first is that each victorious European ally had betrayed the new diplomacy of President Woodrow Wilson and therefore deprived the postwar international order of its moral
“Given these results, the Versailles treaty must be judged one of history’s greatest catastrophes”. The treaty of Versailles was one of the worst treaties or even agreement that the United States and their allies ever agreed to. The treaty of Versailles was the end result of WW1 between the Allies (England, France, Russia, United States) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire). WW1 was the first time in history that multiple nations all over the world fought against each other through alliances and because that caused major blood shed on a scale that was never seen before and is therefore called “The War to End All Wars”. The Allies eventually won the war on 11 November 1918 that was than preceded by the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June
Resnick p. 15. However, these events infuriated Hitler who refused to believe that the Germans had been defeated fairly on the battlefield.... ... middle of paper ... ...
The Treaty of Versailles is an example of how the neglect of principles proposed by the Catholic Church, namely social restoration, just accords, long-term security and physical reconstruction, can lead to lasting global repercussions and future wars. The sanctions were enforced in the hope of slowing German recovery and eliminating future conflict. However, the United States didn’t sign this treaty because we recognized that it didn’t give the Germans a fair deal or promote long-term security (Treaty).
However, when confronted with a strict policy of appeasement, by both the French and the English, the stage was set for a second World War. Taylor constructs a powerful and effective argument by expelling certain dogmas that painted Hitler as a madman, and by evaluating historical events as a body of actions and reactions, disagreeing with the common idea that the Axis had a specific program from the start. The book begins with the conclusion of the First World War, by exploring the idea that critical mistakes made then made a second war likely, yet not inevitable. Taylor points out that although Germany was defeated on the Western front, “Russia fell out of Europe and ceased to exist, for the time being, as a Great Power. The constellation of Europe was profoundly changed—and to Germany’s advantage.”
Throughout history, negotiation has been a powerful tool used by world leaders to avoid violence and resolve conflict. When negotiation succeeds, all parties can feel that they have achieved their goals and met their expectations, but when negotiations go awry, countries and relationships can be damaged beyond repair. The Munich Agreement of 1938 is a primary example of this type of failure, which was one of the catalysts to the start of World War II and Czechoslovakia’s loss of independence. The Czech people were greatly overlooked during this agreement process, which still in some instances affects the country today. The 1930s were a challenging time for Europe and the powers within it due to the aftermath of WWI and the worldwide economic depression.
The Treaty of Versailles, one of the most controversial international agreements(“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles."), had been negotiated between January and June of 1919 (History. Staff). Although it was negotiated between January and June, the Treaty of Versailles was officially signed on June 28, 1919 (Hashall) at Versailles, a suburb of Paris (Benson). This treaty involved Germany and all allies of World War I (Benson). The peace agreement was established to aid in the termination of World War I.
The Treaty of Versailles was a violation of Wilson’s ideals. The Treaty is one of the most important agreements (or disagreements) that shaped 20th century Europe socially and physically. Woodrow Wilson on January 22, 1917 in an address to the United States Senate called for a peace without victors, but the Treaty signed by the participating nations was everything but that. The blame for the war was placed on Germany and justified the reparations that were outlined by the treaty for the war. The terms of the treaty were very harsh to the Germans and they took on great resentment. It was a fragile peace agreement that would be used as fuel to keep hostilities going 20 years later.
...ountries that already have possession of nuclear power plant. There are two choices to improve this Treaty, one is to let everyone be able to obtain nuclear energy and the other is to ban it from everyone. It’s clear that all countries should not be able to obtain this highly dangerous weapon therefore the better choice is to ban it from all countries including the ones that already have the technology. Having one country be able to have the most powerful weapon and banning it from the other will not only cause a bad relationship between those countries but it might even be a cause for world War Three. Furthermore the purpose of learning history is not to make the same mistakes, in this case we don’t want to make the same mistake that we made in the Treaty of Versailles. After all as George Santayana said “those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
World War I was ultimately ended in 1918 after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Peace settlements were signed on June 28, 1918 at the Hall of Mirror in Versailles, Paris. The Treaty was an agreement among the United States, Great Britain, and France. Woodrow Wilson, George Clemenceau, and David Lloyd, who represented the "Big Three" countries, collaborated in negotiating the Treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was designed to weaken Germany and give Germany full blame for causing the war. The Treaty implemented massive reparations to Germany which would obliterate Germany's economy, notwithstanding the millions of dead allied soldiers. The settlement strictly limited the German's military. Germans were additionally forced to depart from their homes in Russia, Poland, and Alsace-Lorraine and return to Germany or Austria. Furthermore Germany had to give back any land belonging to other countries. With no alternative, Germany signed the peace settlements. The Treaty of Versailles was undoubtedly justified, Germany was positively the main instigator of the war and its excessive brutality of fighting provoked the war more particularly. Thus, making the amends to Germany was rational because of all the destruction Germany had triggered.
It has been almost a century since the first Paris Peace Conference was hold, but even until now, it is a popular yet also controversial event in the history of the world. The Paris Peace Conference took place in 1919 involving more than 1,000 representatives from over 30 nations. The results of the Conference are five treaties regarding terms that, according to the Conference, shall prevent any upcoming conflicts among nations. Although World War II started only after 15 years, nonetheless, the treaties did function as a buffer between countries. Although many resolutions were discussed, the negotiation of the Conference revolves around four main topics, reparation from the previous war losses or limitations on the main Central Power, Germany, self-recognition, President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the annexation of land.
The Spark that Ignited World War II The treaty of Versailles was the spark that ignited one of the most devastating wars ever fought. It led to an unprecedented event that will mark humanity for the rest of its existence, World War II. The way that the treaty was designed and the intentions of the people who signed it was what led the treaty to its destructive result. To understand the effect of the Treaty of Versailles, we have to first look into what led to its signing.
The year is 1919. The world is trying to reach peace after the Great War which only ended last November. Great nations like the United States of America, Great Britain, France, and Russia have been meeting to deal punishment to Germany and the other Central Powers. World leaders at this time had many questions that civilians wanted answers immediately. How would we rebuild? How do we prevent another Great War? Is it time for a change? These questions and more needed to be answered. Countries needed to figure out how to organize and govern in this new interdependent world.
How do the terms or implementation of treaties determine peace or conflict decades later? Efforts to build a just and lasting peace are complicated not only because past grievances must be addressed, but future interests must be anticipated-even when such future interests were not identified as the cause of war in the first place. Edward Teller, discussing the Manhattan Project, observed, "No endeavor which is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect."2 Only if a nation perceives that continuing observance of the treaty will sustain the state over a long period of time and in changing circumstances, the peace and security promised by the treaty will endure. Machiavelli observed that ". . . fear of loss of the State by a prince or republic will overcome both gratitude and treaties."3