Was the Versailles Treaty peace settlement a success or failure?
To know if the Versailles Treaty was a failure, you need to understand what lead to the Treaty in the first place. Before the Treaty of Versailles happened, World War I took place. The war started by Serbian nationalists killing the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne(World War I). Then, Austrians wanted to punish Serbia for the killing that was committed. When that happened, the allies of each from each side jumped in to help. Also new alliances formed as the war broke out. The war soon became global after this. After the war broke out, the United States announced a proclamation of neutrality(World War I). The however did not last very long. The Germans first attacked a British passenger liner. The attack killed 128 Americans. Later, then United States intercepted a telegram from the Germans. Which was proposing an alliance with Mexico, causing the United Stated to get involved with the war. Then on November 11, 1918 Germany signed an armistice. Due to the Western Front Collapsing, and shortages to its military and citizens and 10 million people dying(World War I). All of this, lead up to the Treaty of Versailles signed on June 8, 1919.
There are many different views on the Treaty of Versailles, this is the view point of Carole Fink. At first she mentions the impact the treaty had on the world, and how it has created such a big difference. Then the ending of the war, and starting of the peace agreement. She states that holding the signing in Paris would cause tension. The treaty was then made, and only after it was made, was Germany aloud to see it. There was some last minute changes, The treaty was signed, but left colonial questions unanswered(Dilemma:Pers...
... middle of paper ...
...y of Versailles did not create the issue. On the other hand, Germany was already broke, then the treaty asked for more money. Thus, creating more economical issues with Germany. If Germany wasn't in a bad financial state, then maybe Hitler wouldn't have been in charge.
Everything goes back to the Treaty of Versailles. There are some positives that came put of the situation, but things could have been handles better. I feel as if the Treaty was a failure due to the war only 30 years later. The treaty has direct correlations, with the overall issues starting the war. If Germany had gone to the negotiations, then maybe the war would not had happened. The economic issue with Germany, was not helped by the treaty, and even the makers saw that. They thought it would push Germany Bolshevism. Over all, I see the Treaty of Versailles as a fail due to the research I found.
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.
World War one started with the assassination of the Austrian emperor's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on June 18, 1914, while they were visiting Sarajevo, part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, the province of Bosnia Herzegovina. The assassination by a Serbian Nationalist caused the Austria Hungary Empire to plan to start war against Serbia. Instead of reacting quickly to the incident, Austria Hungary made sure to have a treaty with Germany. This allowed Serbia to create a treaty with Russia. Russia also had a treaty with France and Britain. Austria Hungary declared war on the July 28, 1914, over a month after the assassination. By then most of Europe was involved. The two main sides of this war were the allied forces, and the central powers. The allied forces consisted of France, UK, and Russia, and the central powers were Germany and Austria Hungary. WW1 was from 1914 to 1919, resulting in 10 million military deaths, and 20 million injured. Originally, the allied forces wanted the United States to join the war, but the US was neutral. However, two events changed this opinion. In 1915, a German U-boat sunk the British Ocean liner RMS Lusitania. This was a neutral passenger ship, and the Americans were furious when it was sunk, as 159 of the passengers were American. Also, in 1917, Mexico was sent a coded message from Germany, which was intercepted by the British and shown to the US. The message promised sections of US land in return for entering the war on the German side. On April 6, 1917, the US entered the war. Russia, during this time, was planning on getting out of the war. In 1917, a revolution happened, removing the czar from power. The new communist government wanted to focus on intern...
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 First World War and Why It Wasn't The War to End All Wars The allies, following great losses especially Britan and France, were keen to prevent such a tragedy from re-occuring, they did this by not preventing Germany from rearmaring, they also didn't stick to what they planned to in the treaty of Versailes. Britan and France seemed more concerned with the spread of communism then what Hitlar was doing. Both Britan and France remembered the horrific experences of the first world war. Hitlar believed that Germany would become a great nation again under his rule. People thought that the treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany, once a proud nation, now under the control of a foreign nation, helpless to do anything to stop.
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.
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 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
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.
Indisputably the Treaty of Versailles is justified through all the motives that Germany had. The treaty provisions all tie to the start of the new war, World War II. The treaty helped create a cruel regime in Germany and eventually the start of the Nazi party. One fascist leader Adolph Hitler , portrayed such regime. He didn?t want to accept any of the revisions and started to fortify Germany, and went against some T of V provisions, he sent troops to into the Rhineland. Short time after Hitler invaded Poland, which eventually started WWII.
The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty created at the end of World War I, in hopes of establishing peace among nations. Although it sought after harmony, the United States’ Senate refused to ratify the treaty due to the distasteful idea of the United States’ involvement in the League of Nations, and Woodrow Wilson’s unwillingness to compromise with Henry Cabot Lodge’s revisions of The Treaty of Versailles.
Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to the 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 coalitions brought by the Versailles Treaty contributed greatly to starting WWII. The Treaty was responsible for the formation of the Allies. However, when made, these alliances were based on promises from the superpowers, particularly France.
The treaty of versailles contributed to world war 2 by making the Germans feel embarrassed and humiliated that they wanted to destroy the treaty. Some evidence I acquired from the article was that Hitler took over and he knocked some sense into the Germans. Also in Doc. D it states that hitler grew the nazi party bigger and they started to limit rights. It also says in Doc. D that Germany and Austria-Hungary joined together to defeat all the many conciliatory proposals made by the allied powers.
...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”).
The Germans view that the clause that destroys Germany's global power and economy is justified. However, the term was vital to prevent Germany from becoming a global power and danger to everyone. In conclusion, Germany had many complaints about the Treaty of Versailles. The. Most of the complaints made are justified such as the 'reparations' being ridiculously too much and 'war guilt clause' being too much.