The Treaty of Versailles: Victory or Compromise?

After the cease-fire of World War I brought the great war to its conclusion, all of the countries involved with the war got together to determine and to negotiate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The conditions of this treaty were decided by the “winners” of the war, but was initially planned to be an agreement structured along the lines of President Woodrow Wilson’s term peace without victory; however, the meeting to negotiate the terms of surrender after the ceasefire quickly turned into peace with total victory. The events that led up to the Treaty of Versailles into having such a high impact on all countries that were involved was. Because of the following events; The failure of Woodrow Wilson's fourteen points, Germany’s defeat,

The fourteen points that were originally introduced for the sole purpose of bringing the United States of America into the Leauge of Nations, and also to help Germany obtain their fair share of what the Treaty of Versailles should have been given to them. But despite Wilson’s best efforts the allies were determined to make Germany pay for causing the great war. Wilson’s fourteen points failed because of Britain and France’s unwillingness to accept that all countries were to blame for the Great War and because of Woodrow’s unwillingness to compromise anything just because he wanted the have the United States to be accepted into the Leauge of Nations. This was one of the reasons why Germany suddenly became the “bad guy” and was soon forced to assume the responsibility for causing the war. Due to the failure of Wilson’s fourteen points, Germany gradually began to feel like they were being abandoned by a democratic nation that had promised to take care of their needs at the Treaty of

Unfortunately for Germany, since they had barely any money left in their economy to pay reparations to Britain or, the U.S or even to France. France retaliated to the lack of payment by taking a train into Germany and then taking a German factory by dismantling it and placing it on a French train, then transporting it back to France, then re -assembling the factory as a form of payment for the reparations that Germany owed France. In contrast to the relationship of reparations between Germany and France and France and the United States, the United States were nowhere as keen on demanding reparation money from France since all the allied countries were virtually bankrupt from the war and the Great Depression is America which affected almost all European countries. This shows a picture of what looks to be France holding Germany in contempt due to war guilt that had been placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. As evidenced by the terms that the Treaty had on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles had an impact on all nations involved in the great war, but the Treaty had the heaviest impact on Germany because it did not allow Germany to build up and kind of army, destroyed the German economy and resulted in the loss of German colonies or territories. Because of the treatment that Germany was given, by the Treaty of Versailles