The Versailles Treaty
The Versailles treaty had an amazing affect on the future of all the countries in Europe that were a part of World War One. However, the treaty had the most devastating affect on the future of Germany. The treaty of Versailles essentially made the German people entirely responsible for the First World War. This blame that was put on Germany was one of the main factors responsible for Germany's economic and political future, leading up to World War Two.
Because France blamed Germany for the First World War, they forced them to pay for all of the damages that was considered their fault. This was extremely demoralizing to the economics in the country, because Germany had to basically pay for the entire war, which caused Germany to plunge deeply into debt. According to articles 159-187, Germany not only had to pay off their debt, but also had to pay off the debt that Belgium had to the allies. The article also stated that Germany was expected to pay reparations for casualties, that were to be paid to the families of the deceased, they had to pay for all non-military damages, and all the ship that were destroyed at the hands of the Germans. The French also took total control over the Saan Busin, and controlled all of the coal deposits and the railroad systems. This was devastating to the future of Germany because there was no feasible way that the Germans could repay this debt entirely.
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.
The Versailles treaty was also responsible for the political problems the country faced after World War One. The treaty stated, in articles 42-44 that Germany was not allowed to have any armed forces and if this rule were not followed, it would be considered a hostile action.
Germany and her allies were blamed for the war. The Treaty of Versailles said that they had to pay for the cost of the war. The Treaty of Versailles is what caused World War II. If it had been less harsh on Germany, the Weimar Republic would have been stronger and would not have faced as much economic and social turmoil. Had the treaty been harsher, Germany would not have had the power to make war.
What started with an assassination of an Austrian prince unpopular in with royalty in Vienna and plotters in Belgrade ended in war. Four years of artillery, machine guns, and poison gas had ruined the countryside of Europe. Woodrow Wilson put the blame for dead millions at the feet of secret diplomacy, excessive armament, imperialism, and the lack of international cooperation. His plan for a lasting peace was presented to the world in the form of the Fourteen Points, some of which were present in the final plan for peace, the Treaty of Versailles, which faced internal opposition at home. It was the strength of this opposition, from self or fawning-historian labeled "progressives" to conservatives and isolationists, in conjunction with the intractability and incompetence of President Wilson that encouraged the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.
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 (...
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 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.
Germany's embarrassment after losing World War I was one of the major reasons for the cause of the Holocaust. After Germany's defeat in World War I, Germans found it hard to believe they had lost the war. The Treaty of Versailles was a document that officially ended military actions against Germany. Germans did not like this treaty because their government would have to pay other countries for their economic losses. Germany also lost all of its colonies overseas. It had to give back provinces to France, Belgium, and Denmark. France got German coal mines and Gdansk, now a city in Poland, became a "free city." Poland gained most of Western Prussia and Germany's Rhineland was demilitarized, although allied troops occupied it for fifteen years
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 Treaty of Versailles, which was signed after World War I, was supposed to ensure peace by imposing harsh conditions on Germany in the form of reparations. Canadian, American, and other delegates warned that the reparations were too severe. In the end, the Treaty ended up crippling Germany and Austria with war debts that guaranteed another war: World War II. Although the Treaty of Versailles, in itself, did not impact Canadian economy that much, World War II
Treaty of Versailles was a treaty between the Allies and Germany. Allied leaders considered it the most important of the five agreements. While the Allies believed it was the most important the Germans thought I was unfair. The treaty forced Germany to pay money to the winners and to give up land and weapons. Many treaties were made. Although they tried to make treaties, it still didn't help later
Even though Germany asked for a reduction, it was rejected by France because she had to pay war debts to the USA. This deprived Germany from a lot of its income and with no Gold reserves Germany was in the worst Bankruptcy it had ever experienced. Due to the fact that Germany was unable to pay reparations, because it was bankrupt, France sent troops into the German industrial area of the Ruhr- they confiscated raw materials, manufactured goods and industrial machinery. This led to workers going on strike and the French replied by arresting those who obstructed them and bringing in their own workers, causing many German workers to become unemployed and the German economy to drastically drop.
Despite the treaty’s financial burden on Germany, the country’s war-fatigued economy would have eventually led to World War II. Even before the Treaty of Versailles was in place, Germany had just faced a war loss; the country had spent 170 billion marks (the equivalent to about 593 billion modern U.S. dollars) on the war. This removed Germany from first place in the world’s greatest economies, as Germany was the top spendthrift of World War I. With or without the Treaty of Versailles, the overall cost of the war was still a major blow to the Germans’ financial situation.
When the Treaty Of Versailles was created it was sent to Germany to sign it. Germany did not want to sign it but they were forced to by french victors. Signing the treaty came with a lot of bad side effects one of reason is that they can barely defend themselves against unwanted visitors. The amount of military soldiers they came carry is
The treaty also led Germany into humiliation. They lost their land, military, respect, and a say in world affairs. Germany became isolated, and to the German people, Hitler was their ultimate saviour. In a matter of years, Hitler quickly rose to power and boosted the economy. He had satisfied Germany, in the early years, and came to power in a legal manner.
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the end results of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson came up with a large portion of the treaty such as the League of Nations and his famous 14 points. The overall purpose of the treaty was to repair the damages caused by World War I, return everything as close to normal as possible, and lastly to keep peace in hopes of preventing future devastating wars.