Treaty of Versailles

What responsibility did each of the “Big Three” have for the failure of the Versailles Treaty to bring peace to Europe? Be sure to discuss what each wanted to accomplish.

President Woodrow Wilson had secured the political clout to establish foreign policy after World War I. However, the Europeans, especially the two major powers in Europe, England and France had the right to be circumspect of several aspects of Wilson’s plan. The German Delegation utilized President Wilson’s analogy that, “no single fact caused the war, but that in last analysis the whole European system is in a deeper sense responsible for the war…” (Comments of the German Delegation, 1919). European leaders could have taken offense to Wilson’s plan. President Wilson’s represented a nation that was protected by thousands of miles of oceans, and during the war the United States suffered no loss of infrastructure and economically their markets made money during the war. However, that was not the case for the European political leaders. They truly had an ax to grind against Germany. France with closer proximity to Germany than England elected to be protective and leery of Germany’s intentions after the war. Germany on the other hand was distraught over the terms laid before them by the Europeans at the Paris Peace Conference. The Germans believed they were being singled out, and that through the attrition of their sovereign territory they were losing vast economic resources and their ability to establish self-determination and self-preservation.

Thesis: The peace treaty that resulted from World War 1 was not too harsh of a punishment for the offenses committed.

The first World War had devastated the balance of the 20th century with effects still felt today. The war had obliterated once powerful imperial dynasties, birthed new states from the fallen imperial powers, supported the idea of independence in European colonies, and led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Yet, it brought hope to the newly independent territories and minority groups, while plunging a heavy recession to countries that were once world powers. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers (German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire) and the signage of the Versailles Treaty. This treaty along with the League of Nations was created to prevent another global crusade from happening again, but failed and led to World War II, which started only twenty years after the Treaty of Versailles was endorsed. And even with end of the Great War, it was evident that the world would never return to how it once was, four years earlier, in 1914. The destructive warfare brought out several unnerving and irreversible social and economic consequences that shook modern society for decades to come.

Germany surrendered because of the long term effects of the British naval blockade, and would have done so anyway at about the same time if the U.S had remained neutral. Wilson’s fourteen points consisted of many realistic and unrealistic goals. They were:

The Treaty of Versailles was imposed on Germany by the Triple Entente, France, Russia, and Great Britain, at the end of World War 1. France used the treaty to get revenge and security, while Britain wanted imperial gains and Italy and Japan wanted territorial gains. The treaty stated that Germany must: limit its army to 100,000 men, give up its colonial possessions, pay reparations to the winning state, accept full responsibility for the war, and allow the Rhineland to be occupied for 15 years. Germany was also forced to sign the treaty in order to remain a unified country. The United States wanted to gain world peace and continued world trade from the treaty. Due to this, Woodrow Wilson backed out of the treaty and withdrew the United States involvement. Wilson came to Versailles hoping that measures would be taken to restore peace with Europe. However, once he read the treaty he soon learned that the last thing that would be achieved was peace. He was appalled by the enormous weight put on Germany’s shoulders, and even said, “the exactions of this treaty are more than the German people can bear.” Wilson wanted an end to come to all the alliances that had started World War One. He thought the Treaty would achieve this, but in his opinion, it only increased the divide between Germany and other European countries. Wilson even offered a counter proposal stating that Germany offers to proceed with their own disarmament in advance, in order to show that they will help to

World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. After strict enforcement for five years, the French assented to the amendment of important comestibles. Germany agreed to pay reparations under the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan, but those plans were cancelled in 1932, and Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent actions rendered moot the remaining terms of the treaty. The Allies wrote the treaty, converted between January and June 1919 in Paris, with almost no participation by the Germans. The negotiations exposed a split between the French, who wanted to dismember Germany to make it impossible for it to renew war with France, and the British and Americans, who did not want to create excuses for a new war. The treaty included fifteen parts and 440

Treaty of Versailles Debate The great world war had essentially been won. All that was left was to iron out the terms of the Central Powers surrender. Thus a peace conference convened at the Palace of Versailles on January 18, 1919. It was there that the Allied powers, the Central Powers were excluded, laid blame upon the Germans for the start of the war and imposed stringent obligations upon them as retribution for the losses on each side.

The way that these atrocities were remembered especially helped to create the legacy of the war that each nation took ahold of and used for their own means. In the case of the French, the hatred that had built up during the war towards the Germans manifested itself in the Treaty of Versailles. The destruction the Germans caused to the countryside along the fronts as they pushed into France and as they retreated left villages and farms in ruin. This, as well as the immense slaughter of French troops, left Germany taking nearly sole responsibility for the war. In a war where blame could ultimately have been pointed at any number of other nations, Germany was pointed to as the cause with the “War Guilt Clause” of the Treaty of Versailles. To a

World War 1 not only changed the landscape of Europe, but it also drastically impacted the future of the world and subsequently, international relations. The devastating loss as a result of the Great War urged world leaders to implement peace settlements and treaties to ensure that the World would not bear witness to such atrocities again. The Allied powers of World War 1 were usually at the forefront of these settlements- not only were they focused on the rebuilding of Europe and its future, but they were also concerned about their empires and colonies across the world. It was at the Paris Peace Conference that the attempts to restore “order” following World War 1 began, and although some of these settlements were successful, others were not.

¨Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” These wise words were once spoken by the great leader Ronald Reagan. Once thinking through the quote, it is seen that without having conflict, it does not mean that there is peace, but peace occurs when you can handle conflicts with restfulness. The commencement of WWI started an event that would change many countries. The Treaty of Versailles was created with the intent to have a continuous peace. It essentially blamed Germany for the cause of World War I, which angered Germany, for they did not believe they caused the War. No one finds joy in being at the hand of a punishment. The average human makes over 700,000 choices in their lifetimes, one of them is bound to be a bad one. The Treaty of Versailles did lead to World War I because Germany was resentful due to being blamed, Germany's economy and country was left in ruins, and Germany had to pay several repercussions.

Georges Clemenceau says “ Germany should be brought to its knees so she can never start war again.” The is his only view according to Chris Truman. Woodrow Wilson had been shocked by the devastation from the Great War. Wilson wanted to leave Europe to its on and to concentrate on U.S. instead of worrying about everyone else. He wanted to keep all input in and out of Russia to a minimum.

The Treaty of Versailles was drafted or created by the representatives of Great Britain, Japan, the United States, Italy, and France. The agreement was created without any discussion with the “conquered” powers which included Germany and Russia. Besides the countries that created the document, there was no input in any form from other powers. Due

Those who felt that a harsher treaty was better believed that Germany deserved it and could handle the terms that would come out of it. However, the majority of Germans thought of the Treaty as unfair. “The proposals exceeded the worst fears of the direst of pessimists.” Germany was to pay heavy reparations to the allied forces, military weapons such as tanks and aircrafts were set to a limited number, and the biggest blow to Germans; Germany had to take the blame for the war. These terms factored into changes in Germany and added to the already low morale of the German people.

The attitudes of key players of the WW1, including British politician David Lloyd George, American president Woodrow Wilson and French statesmen Georges Clemenceau towards ‘making Germany pay’ differed immensely. Before the signing of the Treaty, there were months of argument/negotiation as to what the treaty should include. Georges Clemenceau had one very simple belief; Germany should be ‘brought to its knees, so that she could never start a war again’. This mirrored the views of the French public, and was also what Clemenceau himself believed. American president Woodrow Wilson believed instead that while Germany should be punished, it should be in a way that would lead to European reconciliation; as opposed to revenge. This was because he was so genuinely shocked and devastated by the horror of the war. David Lloyd George wanted to reduce the implications of the treaty so as to maintain the long-standing trade relationship between Germany and Britain, but could not convince Clemenceau of this. Because the public of Britain also wanted to crush Germany, Lloyd-George was eventually swayed into siding with Clemenceau, so as to maintain his presidency. Each of these players had their own agendas and reasons for what they believed, but in the end, the majority ruled, and the country of Germany was reduced to