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Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles
America's diplomacy under Wilson
Treaty of versailles and effects
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In December of 1918, The Allies of Europe met in Versailles to Sign possibly one of the most changing documents in history. The document they signed nearly turned Europe upside down, broke down and put up many new social barriers, and definitely made history. The Document that the allied forces all gathered to sign was known as the Treaty of Versailles. Initially, the treaty intended to keep peace between the nations, however, forcing Germany to sign the treaty ended up as one of the worst decisions anybody could have made. The forced signing created tensions between Germany and other countries, let Germany rise back up to Power, Created an optimal situation for Germany to wage war, and ultimately caused World War II, resulting in one of the biggest failures in Debate and Diplomacy of all time.
After World War I, the treaty, supposedly the end of all the violence put Germany in a very tight spot. Either Germany could sign the treaty and have the protection of the allies, or they could crumble and taken over with ease. Obviously Germany had a bitter and reluctant attitude toward this because they felt it was more important to keep their dignity and not have set restrictions as to what they could do than put on a leash and tied up to a pole. However, they chose to sign the treaty and to their benefit, they slowly gained back their power under the wing of the allies, all the while holding a deeply rooted grudge. A look back to the end of the First World War and the start of the treaty would reveal the reasons behind why Germany wanted revenge. Germany actually had more than a good reason to have harsh feelings toward the allies, even if they did start the First World War. “In its final form, the treaty placed full blame for the war...
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...ribner's Sons, 2006. 2633-2639. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
Hickman, Kennedy. "Causes of World War II - Causes of World War II in Europe." Military History - Warfare through the Ages - Battles and Conflicts - Weapons of War - Military Leaders in History. Web. 22 Feb. 2011
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers."League of Nations." Teaching Eleanor Roosevelt, ed. by Allida Black, June Hopkins, et. al. (Hyde Park, New York: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, 2003). http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/league-of-nations.htm [Accessed March 23, 2011].
"Statistics and Numbers." Feldgrau.com - The German Armed Forces 1919-1945. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .
"The Seeds of Evil: The Rise of Hitler." Schools History. 4 June 2004. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .
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 United States and World War II. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Print. The. Feis, Herbert.
"World War II by the Numbers." National World War II Museum n. pag. Web. .
"World War Two - Causes." History on the Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
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.
Germany's treatment at Versailles led to the rise of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and the outbreak of W.W.2 because he promised to break the terms of the treaty. One of the main reasons why Germany resented the Treaty was because it said that Germany was responsible for causing the war, in Clause 231, the ''War Guilt'' Clause. The Poletisons knew that they would get support from other countries if they enforced hard policies on Germany, and they used the Breast-Litovsk (a Treaty Germany had with Russia) as further evidence to punish Germany. Germany believed that did not feel that they had started the war; instead they believed that it was the responsibility of all of the Major European Powers or that they had lost the war - they simply hadn't won Germany also believed that the Treaty was a ''D.I.C.K.T.A.T.', or a Dictated piece, on which they had to agree to or war would re-commence. Germany was in no position for the war to continue because it had a very bad economy and the German people were starving
After the Treaty of Versailles was forced upon the Germans, there were several challenges the Germans had to deal with. Some examples of the cost of the war to Germany was the forfeiting or giving back of land, its coal mines productions were given to France for a 15 year span, and Germany had to limit its army to 100,000 men with its forces not allowed around the French border. In addition to all of this, Germany was forced to accept war guilt as having been solely responsible for World War I. This had a crippling effect on Germany as they did not believe they had really caused or had lost the war. The bitterness from humiliation as well as the poverty this treaty bestowed upon the people was too much for Germany. This would lead to World War II in later years. Adolf Hitler had a plan to handle these problems that the Germans faced as a result of the war. It is probably best described as National Socialism.
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 the peace treaty signed at the Palace of Versailles in France on June 28, 1919 that brought an end to World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was between Germany and the Allied Powers. The terms of the Treaty were very harsh toward Germany, as it had taken responsibility for the war. The Treaty forced Germany to disarm and pay for repairs to certain countries, which required a massive amount of money.
This drove them to attack surrounding countries in order to restore its honor. It was embarrassing for Germany to be told the certain number of troops they could have in their military. The country also had to give up their land to enemy countries, take all the blame and guilt for the war, plus pay the reparations. Being told what they had to do made the Germans upset. Hitler used this time to point his finger at the treaty and announce that it was the reason everything was going wrong for the Germans.
The Justification of the Treaty of Versailles At the beginning of this week, after months of negotiation between the ‘Big Three’, two German representatives arrived in France to sign the treaty sign the Treaty of Versailles, stating that Germany is blame for the Great War. The question is why have the Germans given in and signed the treaty and can the treaty be justified? The Germans were in an impossible position and had to sign the treaty. They basically had no choice as they were incapable of restarting the war again.
After World War 1, the United States, France, and Great Britain got together to create the Treaty of Versailles, to create a punishment for the damage of war. At the meeting, the Allied powers blamed Germany for all the losses of the war. They were severely punished, they had to pay large reparations and decrease their military size. It also took the part of Poland that Germany had worked so hard to gain control of. The punishments ruined Germany’s economy for many years.
The terms of the treaty consisted of Germany only being allowed to have a small army of 100 000 men, loss of land, having to pay reparations of £6600 million and taking the blame for WWI (M.Anderson et al, 2014). Germany didn’t agree with this and didn’t want to succumb to The Allies. However, The Allies threatened to invade Germany if they didn’t sign the Treaty, they were forced to do so (UA, 2011). The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany on the 28th of June 1919 (UA, 2014). The Terms were Harsh but they didn’t seem harsh enough to render Germany useless to cause war.