The Treaty Of Versailles: The Formation Of The Treaty Of Versailles

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Paris spring 1919, Europe has just lived through the desolation of the First World War, and the French people embraced the men who had helped them win victory. At the peace conference, that lead to the formation of the treaty of Versailles, the most puissant of the triumphant nations, were represented by the big three: Woodrow Wilson President of the United States of America, Clemenceau the President of France and Lloyd George the Prime Minister of Britain. Europe was “racked by hatred, fear, nationalism and hunger,” (Nicolson 1945, pgx) and it was their mission to recover her stability. Their task was to “reorganize a shattered world” (Ross, 2003), reallocate colonies, and inhibit a war like that from ever happening again. Although arriving …show more content…

The Germans thought it unfair, as they persuaded themselves and others that they had not lost. It came as a shock that the conclusion of the reparations clause, under the terms of article 231, demanded that Germany was legally subjected to pay up and accept the “financial burden of putting Europe back together again” (merriment, 1996). The conditions of the treaty given as an ultimatum, to the German democratic parties whom, later were addressed as the November criminals for ‘stabbing Germany in the back’, had no choice but to accept the terms or face invasion. They had to Acquiesce the proposals that “curtailed the power of the nation, deprived it of its prestige, attacked its transitions, and impaired its integrity. (Abel 1938). Consequently, irritated German leaders, wanting to arouse international sympathy, deliberately lead to the mistranslation of article 231, making it refer to Germany’s sole guilt, as opposed to the joint guilt of Germany and her allies, setting off an increasing wave of righteous indignation about the war guilt lie and so with the acrid debate that was arising, the article turned into a war guilt clause enhancing the impression of a charge of German moral

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