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Economic and political impact of the first world war
Economic and political impact of the first world war
Treaty of versailles and effects
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The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I, which was a war between the Central Powers (Germany, Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.) and the Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan, America, etc.). It ended the state of war between Germany (the Central Powers) and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the reason of starting World War I.
In the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to cede territory, to pay an indemnity, to control their army quantity under some harsh limit, and to give up all overseas colonies1. The other Allied Powers also were treated similarly, but with different levels of punishment. It seems like the Central Powers and the Allied Powers had an argument about solving the problem of war. However, in 1919, World War II broke out.
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Is the Treaty of Versailles good, or bad?
It led to twenty years of peace in Europe, but the conflict between the two parties still wasn’t resolved. On one hand, it was hard to solve the problem which involved the fiscal relationship between European countries (mainly Great Britain, Germany, and France) during the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Treaty of Versailles and its related treaty system affected Europe in culture, politics and economy. The Treaty of Versailles facilitates the dissemination of nationalism and liberalism. It definitely changed the political pattern in Europe and the Middle East. It also paid an indemnity and the money of the Allied Powers was split unevenly, a direct result of the economy change in Europe and mostly led to World War II in long-term
consequence. To talk about the Treaty of Versailles, it had both advantage and disadvantage. First, it helped the spread of nationalism and liberalism. Some of the defeated countries became liberal republics such as Germany became Weimar Republic. In some point, It helped Germany became more consociate. Many new countries were created by the principle of national self-determination. Citizen built up a mind of liberalism. Also, a lot of humanitarian organizations was created at that time. For example, Red Cross and International Labor Organization. After the war, a direct effect was the change in political pattern. The Treaty of Versailles changed the political pattern in Europe and the Middle East. Because of Germany’s surrender, the Central Powers had to pay for the loss of the war. In addition, they had to provide compensation to the Allied Powers, mainly for France. One of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to cede territory and give their colonies to the countries of the Allied Powers. Some territories went back to their original countries such as Italy, and some had national recovery such as Poland. The disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire also changed the political pattern in Europe a lot. As a result, France and Great Britain became stronger. On the other hand, the Versailles system (including the Treaty of Versailles and the related treaty signed at the same time) changed the political pattern in the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire lost most territory, leaving only the European Istanbul and Asia Minor. Those countries formed a single nation-state. Therefore, the Versailles system, which was in Britain and France, dominated, punishing the defeated countries led by Germany. The rest of the nation, which consisted of smaller countries, established a new order of imperialism in Europe, the Middle East and Africa domination. Every war would involve economic disputes. Germany had to pay several billion in reparations; this was a huge amount and almost impossible for Germany in their current economic state. The treaty was overall far too harsh but was also unable to prevent imminent retaliation. The Treaty of Versailles was in and of itself mocking Germany because it was signed in Versailles, where the King of Prussia had been declared German Emperor in 1871. On the other hand Germany deserved the harshest possible treatment. Didn’t they start a world war, causing millions of deaths and economic havoc worldwide? Didn’t they cost billions of dollars in damage to countries around the world? Surely they deserved to be punished and reduced to nothing? After all – had they not been foolish enough to attempt domination of Europe, none of this would have happened. They completely brought all the punishment they got on themselves and should have been treated more harshly. On the opposite side, France and Great Britain got the benefit from Germany and built their own economy. The conflicts between the countries in the victorious powers, and between victorious powers and defeated countries led to the uneven split. A certain extent led to World War II. David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain said, “make Germany pay.” because he knew that was what the British people wanted to hear. However, he also thought that it was too harsh for Germany, which would just cause another war in a few years’ time. The British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon, held the same view. He said, "It will not bring peace, it is only a 20-year truce.”2 However, the harsh punishment on Germany was unfair. They alone had to accept the war-guilt clause and were held fully responsible for the outbreak of the war. At that time, Germany was already weakened and humiliated by ceding land, abandoning colonies and accepting disarmament. The more serious blow was the large indemnity of several billion dollars imposed by the power upon themselves. In short, the Versailles Treaty brought about great destruction upon Germany in their economy and also lowered their international status. Naturally, the German people felt discontented. The huge indemnity further caused economic hardship in Germany. All these terms led to the rise of Hitler. Therefore Hitler could control the discontent of the people to come to power. He refused to observe the Versailles Treaty and later started World War II. G. M. Trevelyan says, "The rise of the Nazi regime and the unlimited rearmament of Germany have been the direct consequences of the insults and injuries heaped for the conquered at Versailles in 1919". On the other side, even the American people were discontented with the harsh treatment of Germany and showed opposition to the treaty. The U.S. didn’t approve of the Paris Peace Settlement in true. This attitude of the U.S. lowered the Versailles Treaty’s prestige. In addition, it did not arrange a solution to deal with the recovery of economic. The victorious countries only made the defeated countries pay indemnities, because the victorious countries can directly get profit. So, these countries were facing economic hardship just after the war, and those become weak and unstable in the economy. It led the defeated countries to hardly survive in the Great Depression in several years later. The Treaty of Versailles was meaningful in Europe; it changed Europe in several aspects such as culture, politics and economy. And it was one of the main reasons for World War II. However, nothing is absolutely fair or unfair. In true, the Treaty of Versailles solved some problems in World War I. At lease it was represented the end of World War I. However, the Treaty of Versailles caused more problems and led to the World War II. Therefore, some victorious countries who had gained some profit such as France and Great Britain, they would think the Versailles Treaty was a fair treatment, or at least agree most of the terms in the Treaty of Versailles and willing to follow it. On the other hand, the defeated countries and Russia were dissatisfied with this treatment because they felt it was unfair. Besides, even some victorious countries like China dissatisfied with this treatment because those countries didn’t gain much profit in The Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was just a small moment in history, but it marked a changing point in Europe.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, marks the day that WWI descended into armistice. However, the involved countries reached an agreement as to the events following the war on the 28th of June, 1919. The famous Treaty of Versailles was known for its role in ending war. But it was not known for being a double-edged sword, as the ending of war came with the consequence of causing future war. The Treaty consisted of uncontested biases due to Germany's unconditional surrender. The Allies held a gun to Germany's head, with their trigger finger tense. Each article of the Versailles Treaty only made Germany more restless, until 1933 when Hitler produced his own gun and pointed it at the Allies. The Treaty had a series of unproportional effects upon Germany and its people. It caused a rift between the two sides because of the alliances that it formed, brewing tension. The punishments enforced upon Germany were unrealistically huge and it increased the wish among the Germans for the nullification of the Treaty. Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to potential for a revolution. The Treaty of Versailles is, therefore, an indirect cause to World War II, because of the alliances it caused, the punishments it enforced, and the hatred it developed.
The Treaty of versailles contributed to World War 2 by severely weakening Germany economically through
Many had the opinion that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and unfair on Germany because as well as collective security there should is an aspect of collective responsibility. The treaty of Versailles was meant to rebuild European trade and wealth, these hopes. where destroyed because Germany could not afford to pay the reparations. The sand is a sand. The reparations Germany were forced to pay caused major problems and led Germany into a spiral of economic disaster.
The harshness of the Treaty and the way in which it blamed Germany for World War I crippled Germany. Much of its territory was taken away from it, including West Prussia that went to form a new Polish Corridor to the sea. Plus the Treaty forced Germany to reduce its army, demilitarise the Rhineland and get rid of its navy. The Treaty also forced harsh reparations for the War resulting in a great deal of the German people resenting the Allies. And it was later that Hitler used the bitter memories of Versailles to gain public support for his actions.
The Treaty of Versailles is a cause of World War II because of the restrictions it placed on Germany as the alleged sole aggressor of the war. The war reparation totaled $98 billion, and under Clause 231 Germany was forced to take the entire load onto her ruined economy and attempt to repay the debt starting with an initial $5 billion payment. In terms of military, Germany was limited to a 100,000 man army, with her navy stripped to the level of a coast guard, she was allowed no heavy artillery, no weapons of mass destruction and the border with France became a demilitarized zone for 15 years following the signing of the treaty on June 28 1919. Germany also lost all her territories in Africa and became a mandate of the Allied Forces, those living in mandated zones could participate in “self-determination” after the Allies taught them how to be a democracy (...
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.
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
...ace, jus ad bellum lists multiple criteria for ending a war in a way that would facilitate a stable truce between nations. At the end of World War I in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles placed complete responsibility for the war on the German people (Treaty). The tension formed by this treaty eventually led to Hitler’s rise to power and the initiation of World War II.
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.
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.
The Treaty of Versailles was initiated by the meeting that was held in 1919. In this meeting Clemenceau of France, Woodrow Wilson from the U.S, Orlando from Italy, and Lloyd George of England met to converse how they would have Germany pay for the impairment that World war I had caused. Woodrow Wilson from the U.S had a 14-point plan that was aimed for bringing peace to Europe. Clemenceau desired revenge, and he wanted to be certain that Germany would never start another war again. Lloyd George agreed with Wilson although he was aware that the British public agreed with Clemenceau. A compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau was what he wanted. Germany was not happy with the positions of the Treaty of Versailles. On the other hand they were expecting the 14 point treaty Wilson had in mind. Although they were not happy with these conditions they did not have a choice but to sign the document.
Harold Nicolson, a British Delegate at Versailles, declared the treaties ‘neither just nor wise,’ and called the delegates ‘very stupid men.’ The treaty of Versailles that was signed in 1919 was between Germany and the Allied powers following World War 1 that officially ended the war. The treaty was drafted in the Paris Peace conference, and was made to settle the arguments between Germany and many other European countries. However, many historians blame the treaty for helping to create conditions that would later lead to another war. Germany did not attend the meeting to settle the terms because all the countries blamed Germany for the beginning of the war, so they prevented Germany from coming to the conference.