The Treaty of Versailles was meant to promote peace for the future of America and European countries but because reparations were too harsh, change in political boundaries, and disagreeing with rules of the League of Nations the treaty failed.
The United States disagreed with rules of the League of Nations because the Irreconcilables, a bitter opponent for the Treaty of Versailles. This term specifically refers to about 12 to 18 United States Senators, both Republican and Democrats fought intently to defeat the ratification of the Treaty in 1919. Many feared the League of Nations might supersede, or to take the place of a person or thing previously in authority, the power of congress to declare war. The League of Nations was an intergovernmental
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organization founded on January 10, 1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. Many also feared the United States would be forced to fight numerous foreign conflicts. Reservationists, a larger group of senators, supported the League of Nations, but they would only ratify the treaty with an amendment that would preserve the nation’s freedom to act independently. Wilson wanted to join the league, due to the fact that it was one of his 14 points.
He went to the people of America, traveling 8,000 miles and making over 30 major speeches in three weeks. Wilson collapsed in Colorado and that cause him to return to the white house. He then had a stroke and determined not to comprise with the senate. The United States did not join the league. Another problem the world faced with the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles was that many countries were harmed or affected in a negative way. Germany had to pay reparations, lost land, and had to take blame for the war. France didn’t get any money, and they were afraid Germany would re-build. Italy and Japan felt denied just rewards. Russia lost more land than Germany. German colonies in Africa and Pacific Middle East Countries didn’t get independence they were promised. And the United States did not sign the treaty of join the League of Nations, and then they proceeded to go into isolationism. Because the US went into isolationism there were new laws that came out for immigration. Such as Quota Act of 1921, limiting immigration from each country to 3% of total number who had immigrated in 1910 and set a yearly limit of 350,000. Another example of isolationism was setting Tariffs on imports. …show more content…
The goverment raised prices for American consumers because cheaper foreign products were kept out of the United States market. It also took away an essential market from international factories because the United States stopped buying from them. This caused a market crash in foreign countries because America stopped buying their product, so jobs were lost. Harsh reparations and change in political boundaries caused many problems with the Treaty of Versailles and the countries involved.
Germany had to pay $33 Billion in reparations. They also had to take full guilt off the war and they were stripped of their military privileges. This put Germany in a weak state. They didn’t have much money, their cities were in ruins, and they had a lot of guilt. World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but when the Treaty of Paris ripped apart Germany with these harsh reparations, it was very easy for a new leader to come to power. This is how Hitler comes into the picture. He talks up the things he can do, and takes that opportunity to take control and that leads the world into World War II. Another thing that was changed due to harsh reparations was political boundaries. Russia and Germany lost land, while France, Britain, and Japan gained land. Italy gained some land, but not as much as they wanted. France gained land in Lebanon and Syria. Britain gained land in African colonies. Italy gained some land in Australia. Japan got control of German colonies in the Pacific. The war also caused destruction of four empires, the Ottoman, German, Russian, and Austria-Hungary empires. The Ottoman Empire lost territory in the war and fell to revolution in 1922. The German empires emperor got abducted and lost territory in the treaty. Austria-Hungary split into separate countries. One of the perks of the changing of territories there
were new independent nations created. Those were Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, and Hungary. Russia gave up land to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Poland. The Russian Revolution also led to communism. Bulgaria lost land, had to pay reparations, and had to reduce army size. Austria Hungary split into Austria and Hungary, had to reduce army size, lost land, and had to pay reparations. When the war ended, government agencies removed their controls from the American economy. People raced to buy goods that had been rationed and businesses rapidly raised prices they had been forced to keep low during the war. People were now buying fruits and vegetables instead of growing their own, and people were eating bread regularly and many started eating more meat. Due to the mad rush of people going to buy goods that used to rationed, businesses rapidly raised prices they had been forced to keep low during the war. Due to the government removing their controls of the economy there was rapid inflation. The cost of living increased tremendously, about 15%. The rapid inflation then led to strike. Many companies had been forced to raise wages during the war, but inflation now threatened to wipe out all the gains workers had made. While workers wanted higher wages to keep up with inflation, companies wanted to hold down wages because inflation was also driving up operation costs. All these problems led the United States into the great depression. Many people lost jobs, and went hungry because the price of living was so expensive. Another thing that came out of World War I was the Platt Amendment. Cuba cannon make any treaties to limit its own independence. Cuba couldn’t allow any foreign power to control any part of its territory. The United States could interfere in Cuban affairs. Cuba couldn’t go into debt. The United States could sell or lease Cuban land. However, World War I did help change america. Movies now had sound, and the radio started to become very popular. The radio was the most important communications medium from the 1920’s. News got delivered faster and to a larger audience. American Hero’s also started to come about. Americans spent $4.5 Billion on entertainment. Baseball’s hero was Babe Ruth. As well as Charles Lindbergh, he made the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight. He flew from New York to Paris in 33 hours. The name of his plane was the Spirit of St. Louis. Music and art became more prominent during and post-World War I. The composer George Gershwin merged traditional elements with American Jazz. The painter Edward Hopper depicted the loneliness of city life while Georgia O’Keeffe captured the grandeur of New York with intensely colored canvases. News coverage greatly increased as well. Due to news now being more in the form of writing, literacy increased. By the end of the 20’s, ten American magazines boasted circulations of over 2 million. Tin Pan Alley also became a big deal for New York City. It was located at 28th Avenue between 5th and 6th Avenues. It was famous for being a place where music was written, published, recorded, and distributed all in one place. Some writers in the 20’s were Sinclair Lewis who wrote the Babbit, F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote Paradise Lost and the Great Gatsby, Edith Wharton who wrote about the clash between traditional and modern values, Willa Cather who wrote about the simple, dignified lives of immigrant farmers in Nebraska, and Ernest Hemmingway who wrote The Sun Also Rises and A Farwell to Arms. One more big push in the 1920’s was the Harlem Renaissance. This was the migration of thousands of African Americans leaving the south and coming more to the North for better jobs, to escape Jim Crow Laws, and to go back to their culture. Their goals during the renaissance were to push NAACP and pass the Anti-Lynching legislation in 1922. America had good intentions for the interwar years, but many things went against that and really tested their plan. For example, inflation messed up their economy, leading America in the Great Depression. The League of Nations also had a large effect on the problems Post World War I because there were many problems with the Treaty of Versailles. Harsh reparations also caused many problems, because it put Germany in a very bad spot. They had a lot of guilt and a lot of debt to pay off.
... to be President afterwards. His unwillingness to compromise with the Senate caused the Treaty of Versailles along with the League of Nations never to be ratified by the United States. The notion of the League of Nations that won Wilson a Noble Peace Prize in 1920 was never joined his own country.
Woodrow Wilson, our 23rd president, became involved in a war that he did not want any part of. Wilson wanted to remain neutral and have peace as in his first term of office. During World War I Wilson’s roles in the war became well known in all countries. Wilson wanted peace more than anything else. In seeking for peace Wilson asked Congress for the U.S. to enter World War I. which may not sound like a peace strategy but Wilson felt it was the only way to stop Germany and gain peace. Wilson wrote his speech for world peace, Fourteen Points, that he was probably most famous for. He attended and played an integral part in The Treaty of Versailles. He was the founder of the League of Nations, which he talked about in his Fourteen Points speech. .
The war reached an end on Nov. 11, 1918. The German proposition for peace came amidst the Congressional races. Against the guidance of those near him, the president chose to go to the peace gathering in Paris and battle for his beliefs face to face. Wilson not being present during congressional races shows how determined he was to keep peace in the World and finish what he started. “On December 13 he arrived in Europe. Probably no man has ever been given such an ovation. Wherever he went enormous crowds gathered, sobbing, cheering, shouting his name. (World War One Woodrow Wilson)” When the treaty of Versailles was created in 1919 many of his ideas were implemented in the treaty. However getting the Senate to agree with the Treaty was a whole nother can of worms. In search for support to overwhelm the senate WIlson started campaigning around the United States. Wilson was working extremely hard until late september in Colorado where Wilson suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed. Wilsons hard work and dedication is an example for everybody, his will to make the world a better place is unmatched and will be remembered in
World War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of humanity. It crippled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forced Germans to admit full responsibility for starting the war. Furthermore, to gain the support of the German populace, Adolf Hitler adopted an effective propaganda campaign. Adolf Hitler employed a successful propaganda campaign to gain the support of the German people combined with the Treaty of Versailles harsh economic and political sanctions ignited World War Two.
...er that same vote, and finally Wilson’s plan of ratification without any reservations. All of the votes failed, with Wilson’s losing the worst by a 55-35 margin. The treaty with Lodge’s reservations was only defeated 50-41, so if Wilson had been the least bit flexible he may have been able to sway 20 or so senators to vote his way, which would at the very least set the stage for some sort of peace. Instead, Wilson’s self-righteousness buried his cause.
middle of paper ... ... The Treaty of Versailles, initially created to keep peace in Europe and ensure that another war like World War I wouldn’t happen again, had in fact, backfired and spiraled the world down into a deeper, bloodier battle. The treaty discriminated strongly against Germany, with the loss of territories, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the War Guilt Clause. It caused humiliation and anger within Germany, and led to Hitler and the Nazi Party coming to power.
“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
As an Austrian born soldier-turned-politician, Hitler was fascinated with the concept of the racial supremacy of the German people. He was also a very bitter, very evil little man. In addition, having lost the war, the humiliated Germans were forced by the Allies to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 that officially ended World War I. According to the harsh terms of the treaty, Germany had to hand over many of its richest industrial territories to the victors, and was made to pay reparations to the Allied countries it devastated during the war. Germany lost its pride, prestige, wealth, power, and the status of being one of Europe's greatest nations.
The Treaty of Versailles did not just end World War I, but it also changed the world. From it changing every countries view on Germany, to changing Germany itself. It contained many conditions, which led to the countless numbers of results. This treaty created a completely different outlook on the world.
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.
But let’s take things from the beginning in our attempt to demonstrate the reasons that led the Versailles Treaty, to be considered a failure. The goal following World War I was to restore European stability and maintain everlasting peace. However, these goals were recognized by all of the leaders as not easily achievable. French Prime Minister Clemenceau commented on the day the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, “We have won the war: now we have to win the peace, and it may be more difficult3. The French politician Marshal Foch, as the Versailles Treaty was being signed, stated rather prophetically, “This is not peace; it is an armistice for 20 years4.”
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the factors that led to the inevitability of World War Two. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that occurred as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that was held after Germany was defeated in World War One. The Treaty was put into action and required that Germany should accept responsibility for the war; of course Germany was humiliated by this. They were required to pay colossal war reparation payments. This was one of the main reasons the treaty had a severe impact on Germany; it crippled the German economy and critically reduced the living standards of the people. This made it virtually impossible for the German economy to function productively. The effects that the treaty had on Germany directly led to the rise of Hitler who he capitalised on German resentment at their treatment. He provided a focus for the German people and their desire to take back what they once had, and to restore their pride once again becoming a glorious nation.
The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty created at the end of World War I, in hopes of establishing peace among nations. Although it sought after harmony, the United States’ Senate refused to ratify the treaty due to the distasteful idea of the United States’ involvement in the League of Nations, and Woodrow Wilson’s unwillingness to compromise with Henry Cabot Lodge’s revisions of The Treaty of Versailles.
Ferdinand Foch said, "This is not a peace treaty, it is an armistice for twenty years," and I strongly agree with him. The Treaty of Versailles was definitely a failure, because it didn't help assure people that leaves was forever in Europe. 1933, is when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime had the opportunity to start another war.
In the United States the league was met with fierce opposition from those who thought it unwise to enter America into a collective organization, which would restrict its power and influence. Congress especially concerned with Article X, which morally bound the U.S. to aid any member of the League of Nations that was victimized by aggression, and revoke...