The peace treaties were both fair and unfair as the losing side suffered greatly due to the treaties yet it made up for the deaths and destruction caused by the losing nations. The Big 3, USA, Britain, and France, came together in 1919 to discuss how they would prevent another war. The only way they thought this could happen was by punishing Germany and the other losing countries, as Germany was very strong before the war and the Big 3 did not want Germany to be strong enough to start another war. To enforce this the Big 3 wrote up the Treaty of Versailles, which included a loss of Germany’s land and a huge loss of 2/3’s of Hungarian land. Germany, Austria and Hungary were no longer allowed to be alliances, which weakened each empire significantly. Austria-Hungary was no longer an empire and their militaries were greatly decreased. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that Germany forced Russia to sign in order for Russia to leave the war was much harsher than the Treaty of Versailles,even though it was cancelled, and many believed that Germany …show more content…
The cruelest part of the treaty was the War Guilt Clause, which forced Germany to take full blame for the entire war. The War Guilt Clause angered and humiliated many of the German people. The main cause of the harshness of the peace treaties was Georges Clemenceau as he wanted revenge and wished for Germany to be punished severely. Germany was also greatly angered that they were not invited to the League of Nations, and were not given the right to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles. This was unjust, but what made the situation worse was France’s invasion of the Ruhr area that took all most of Germany’s resources when she was already bankrupt and falling
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.
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.
The Treaty of Versailles was supposed to end in peace but instead it ended in disaster . The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28,1919 (exactly 5 years after Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated), the treaty was created in hope that it would stabilize Europe and ensure that another catastrophic war like World War 1 would never happen again. Although the Versailles Treaty didn’t cause World War 2 it did have a great affect on it, by taking away land, limiting Germany’s military, and making Germany pay for all the damages done after World War 1.
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 (...
At the end of World War One, Germany was required to pay a large sum of money to the Allies consequently resulting in the German Depression. The sum Germany had to pay was set after the Treaty of Versailles was enacted at approximately six billion, six hundred million – twenty-two billion pounds, (World War Two – Causes, Alan Hall, 2010). The large amount of reparations that Germany had to pay resulted in a depression and angered the Germans because they thought it was an excessive amount of money to pay, (World War Two – Causes) The Germans hatred of the Treaty of Versailles was of significant importance in propelling the Nazis to power. Germany could not pay their reparations and was forced into a depression, (World War II – Causes). The Treaty of Versailles deprived Germany of its economic production and its available employments, (World War II – Causes). The German Depr...
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. World War II was not only started by Adolf Hitler and Germany, but had a lot to do with the humiliation that Germany felt when the terms for the Treaty of Versailles were laid down. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles may be indirectly related to the cause of World War II, but nonetheless was a huge factor in starting the war.
“The British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, recognized the feelings of the British people when he said ‘the Germans are going to pay every penny: they are going to be squeezed … until the pips squeak” (. This was the general conscious the British and the French people had because they felt they were owed for all of the wartime damages that occurred, the civilian and Soldiers lives that were lost, and because of the recourses the allies used to fight central powers. Ultimately the British and the French wanted revenge on Germany and for the first time they were in the power to do it. “Germany was not invited; as the defeated party, it was only required to sign the treaty once the cost of defeat had been established”2. The German s had no say at the negotiating table at the treaty of Versailles and because of this the “Big Four” ultimately and the power to punish Germany however they sought fit. This was a long shot from “Wilson’s proposed, “peace among equals,”2 and created much resentment from the German people. “Acceptance of blame appeared in Clause 231 of the treaty, later known as the ‘War Guilt clause’. Once Germany was made to acknowledge that it was responsible for the
...ial elements.” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”) Many problems were raised because of this treaty, but Germany having to pay reparations for all wrong doings had to be one of the bigger ones (History.com Staff). “When asked about ultimate reasons for the failure of the Weimar Republic, German Politician replied: ‘Versailles and Moscow’.” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”) Moscow because of communist activity and Versailles because of the harsh effects it had on “the viability and domestic authority of the German democracy” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”).
Not only was Germany forced to pay ridiculous debts, but the treaty of Versailles was also caused Germany to lose large portions of their land. According to articles 31 - 50, Germany was forced to give back all of the land they took from Belgium. They were also required to return Luxenberg and Alsace Lorain. This was devastating to the future of Germany because without their land, they could not expand their empire. Germany's economic future was put into danger because they could no longer trade with members of the allied party.
An armistice was finally signed on November 11, 1918 and Allied nations didn’t hesitate to swing the arm of justice into motion for Germany. By January 1919, hundreds of Allied leaders and their staff assembled in Paris, forming committees to which every aspect of the war would be overlooked. The mass gathering of worldwide leadership entered the history books as the Paris Peace Conference, from which, the Treaty of Versailles was created. These meeting were unusual in nature; being the first for such vast and numerous collections of world leaders gathered to discuss and with hopes, produce a treaty that would prevent forthcoming war, along with addressing the pressing and long standing future economic ...
The Treaty of Versailles was fair to Germany because, the primary starter of the war was Germany. Several factors ?conflicts with Serbia- Germany declared wars-invasion of Belgium-Germanys attacking plans, all led to the justification of T of V which proved it was fair. Following the assassination of Archduke Francis, of Austria-Hungry. Germany gave Austria a ?blank check in other terms, an assurance of support no matter the costs. This simple action ties to one factor ...
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.
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.