Treaty of Versailles

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Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles began with a peace conference which opened in Paris in January of nineteen twelve at the end of World War I. There were great expectations of peace. France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States were present at the conference. Not only did these countries want peace from the war; they were also looking for eternal peace. This optimism and idealism was greatly strengthened by President Wilson’s peace proposal, the Fourteen Points. It was published in January of nineteen eighteen and the points stressed national self-determination and the rights of small countries. (1) The Treaty of Versailles was a failed attempt by the Big Four for peace.

The United States, Great Britain, and France were the real powers at the conference. Germany wasn’t allowed to participate, Russia was in the middle of a civil war and Italy was considered part of the Big Four but their involvement was limited. From the start the three big allies began to quarrel.

European crowds wildly cheered President Wilson. The people admired his ideas for idealistic and democratic international cooperation. President Wilson was convinced that they must create the League of Nations before doing anything else. He wanted individual nations to be protected from aggression and avert future wars. Lloyd George of Great Britain and Clemenceau of France were unenthusiastic. They were mostly concerned with punishing Germany. (1) Lloyd George was determined to punish Germany. He was also very determined to obtain German colonies in Africa and islands in the Pacific.

Clemenceau wanted old-fashioned revenge, but he was also concerned about the security of his own country. Clemenceau was concerned about his country’s long term security. He determined that France should not break from its allies because they could not afford to face Germany alone in the future. He agreed to give up his demand for a Rhineland as a buffer state in return for a formal defense alliance with Great Britain and the United States. President Wilson and Lloyd George promised to come to France’s aid in the event of a German attack. France accomplished their goal of security and the United States accomplished theirs of a permanent international organization. (1)

The Treaty of Versailles attempted to re-establish international order. Under its settlements Germany’s colonies were given to France, Britain, and Japan as the League of Nations mandated.

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