Introduction The one that has an indisputable locus that would have created major alterations in history is Europe if the continent had only consolidated peace and order from 1914 to 1929. The conflict that started in 1914 between Austria-Hungary and Serbia was the inception of a nexus of events that marked nowadays as the First World War. In this connection, this paper seeks to discuss the impact of fighting on all fronts in Europe and the devastation of its industrial and agricultural aspects. The toll of trench warfare which was apparent during that time will also be explained together with the propaganda that attracted nations to form allies and revolted against Germany. The protests, revolutions, and the end of World War 1 will also be depicted and a concluding remark will summarize the content of the whole sections of the paper. The Impact of War in Europe The collapse of four empires, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman, was the total impact of fighting on all fronts in Europe. Because of the war, the Treaty of Versailles was laid to settle potential problems and conflicts for the twentieth century. The treaty’s primary purpose was to establish and maintain peace and order, political and economic stability, and to ensure justice for all concerned. Also, the League of Nations was formed to promote global cooperation and attain international peace and order. However, Germany was unsatisfied with the treaty. The whole war was blamed to Germans and they were expected to pay for all the damage they caused. It must be noted that Germany lost a maximum amount of territory and its military declined along with the formation of new independent countries (Strachan 228-238). Moreover, because of the various allies t... ... middle of paper ... ... Manning, Martin J., and Herbert Romerstein. Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda. United States of America: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2004. Print. Self, Peter, and Herbert J. Storing. The State and the Farmer: British Agricultural Policies and Politics. California: University of California Press, 1962. Print. Sheffield, Gary. “The First Battle of the Atlantic.” BBC News. BBC, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. . Sowder, Christine. World War 1: Analyzing Visual Primary Sources,World History Series. United States of America: Social Studies School Service, 2007. Print. Strachan, Hew. The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print. Webster, Jerry A. What Brings A Soldier to His Knees. USA: WestBow Press, 2012. Print.
"Everywhere in the world was heard the sound of things breaking." Advanced European societies could not support long wars or so many thought prior to World War I. They were right in a way. The societies could not support a long war unchanged. The First World War left no aspect of European civilization untouched as pre-war governments were transformed to fight total war. The war metamorphed Europe socially, politicaly, economically, and intellectualy.
In the morning of March 9, 1916, a number of Villista’s armed to the teeth crossed the border attacking the small town of Columbus, New Mexico. The United States suffered its first attack on its soil since the War of 1812. General Francisco “Poncho” Villa raided and torched the city.1 Washington responded by sending Brigadier General John “Black Jack” Pershing, which lead the “Punitive Expedition” into Mexico.2
Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles reads: "The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."(1) These words fueled the Nazi Party's rise to power and ignition of a Second World War. After World War I, the Allies dissected, punished, and disarmed Germany to prevent the outbreak of another brutal war. Consequently, German lands, acquired by Nazi force, were given back to their original countries, and Germany's army was reduced to 100,000 men. In addition, Germany was responsible for paying immense retribution to all of the Allied Forces, causing German money to lose its value. The result of the Treaty of Versailles was a weakened Germany, both martially and economically. The Weimar Republic, a liberal government set up after Germany's defeat, was inefficient in handling Germany's massive problems. Germany's ill state was the curtain call for a change in the Weimar administration, and Adolf Hitler led the push for a transformation. Once in power, Hitler designed laws that redefined the responsibilities of the citizen. The citizens' duties would allow the Germany to regain her autonomy in the eyes of the world. Although the citizens worked to increase Germany's overrall welfare, the State did not attempt to improve individual well-being. The State held one responsibility. It must protect the lives of its people, so that the people can, in turn, carry out their duties for the S...
On the 28th of June 1919, a peace treaty, also known as the treaty of Versailles, was signed, ending the First World War. The treaty had a humiliating effect causing great resentment. Germany had no choice but to accept the terms of the treaty, which later had a considerable impact on the countries running. The negotiations for this treaty took six months, at the Paris peace conference. Germany was forced to accept all responsibility for causing the war, making substantial territorial concessions along with disarming, which reduced their army to 100,000 men, no tanks or U-boats and the Rhineland, which previously belonged to Germany, was to be demilitarised. They also had reperations of £6.6 billion to pay back.Germany then lost all conections with it’s overseas colonies and could never again unite with Austria. They lost a large area of teritory to Belgium, France and Poland, this was a significant loss to Germany as these areas were rich in mineral wealth. This would put a strain on Germany’s ability to re pay the allies.
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, marked the end of WW1 and the beginning of severe depression in Germany. The treaty mandated disarmament, heavy reparations, a loss of 15% of German territory, which in turn took 7 million of her citizens, 75% of its iron-ore, its entire Navy, and all merchant men (Siegel 3). The effects of the treaty were devastating, causing severe unemployment (nearly 6 million in Germany) and devaluation of the German mark. Millions lost their life savings and became destitute. Other requirements included "the surrender of goods in vast quantities and the requirement to sign over future commercial opportunities" (Seigel 3). Germany's economy was devastated and Hitler was waiting, hovering in the darkness, to take full advantage of thi...
The mistakes made from World War I were well-defined in the Treaty of Versailles when this “peace pact” required Germany to pay billions in war reparations that ultimately drove Germany into economic shambles, creating the perfect conditions for Hitler to rise and take over with his totalitarian regime. The treaty of Versailles reduced the Germany army to 100,000 men and allotted Saarland, an industrial region of Germany rich in coal and iron, to France. The treaty left Germany handicapped not only physically, but also emotionally after World War I. Furthermore, the T...
After any major altercation between multiple nations comes to a conclusion a seemingly never ending amount of decisions needs to be made. After the First World War ended in November 1918 the leaders of the world needed to come together to determine how to restore European society. In June 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was finalized, outlining what was to take place in the post-war world. Because World War I was such an important event in world history a great deal of literature has been written about the events before, during and after the war. Margaret MacMillan’s book Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World describes how the Treaty of Versailles was developed and attempts to explain why it was not as successful as its creators would
One reason the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II was because it destroyed the German economy. Germany lost a large amount of territories and resources and they were forced to pay for reparations. Germany had a large deduction of land (Document A, German Territorial Losses, Versailles Treaty, 1919). The loss of land lead to a 40% reduction in coal production. In addition to losing land and resources, Germany had to pay reparations. Document C shows how the $367 billion in reparations destroy the German economic system. The stock market crash of 1929 places Germany in an economic Depression, their economy greatly suffered.
Analyze the spirit of promise that gave way to disillusionment in Europe during the years 1914-1918.
On June 28th 1919, in the Versailles Palace of France, the treaty of Versailles officially ended World war one. The signers of this treaty implemented certain restrictions on Germany that were to guarantee Germany would never start another world war. This begs the question, “what did the end of one war have to do with the start of World War Two?”. The evidence shows that it was this treaty’s influence on Adolf Hitler that led to the Versailles Treaty’s ultimate failure and provoked the start of the next world war. Because of this treaty Adolf Hitler’s economic plan, proposed while he was seeking political election, was focused on rebuilding and reclaiming Germany. This went hand in hand with the nationalist ideas of the Nazi party. Also, while in power, Hitler spoke many times, justifying violence against both Poland and France with rousing reference to reclaiming Germany’s lost lands and heritage taken by the treaty. Finally, Hitler was clearly angered on a personal level by the treaty, and sought his own reparations from the countries that signed the document. Evidence supports that this anger did influence some of his decisions during the War.
World War I was the most destructive and deadly war for its time the world has ever experienced. There was a great amount of effort put into insuring that it would not happen again. At the Paris Peace Conference the ground work was laid for a new safer, and more organized Europe. In doing so it was necessary to instruct new laws, and to reestablish boundaries of countries. This meant that the losers of the war, mostly Germany, would have to suffer the most. The resulting laws agreed on by all the attending countries were known as The Treaty of Versailles. The treaty of Versailles failed to ensure permanent global peace because Germany resented the terms of the treaty. Feeling as if the treaty were unfair, Germany became increasingly set on
In addition, having lost the war, the humiliated Germans were forced by the Allies to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 that officially ended World War I. According to the harsh terms of the treaty, Germany had to hand over many of its richest industrial territories to the victors, and was made to pay reparations to the Allied countries it devastated during the war. Germany lost its pride, prestige, wealth, power, and the status of being one of Europe's greatest nations. (Resnick p. 15)
...eaknesses to win their loyalty. Finally, the written agreement of Versailles was purported to represent the peaceful ending to warfare I, however, it became the prelude to a different war. it had been originally an attempt to revive order and supply a peaceful conclusion to warfare I. The sick feelings and economic upheaval that resulted provided the proper climate for Hitler's dominance, in post-war FRG. The contributor’s participants of Versailles had alternative motives behind the peace agreement apart from a peace settlement. Their stingy actions resulted in not solely the economic hardship of FRG, however inflation and state altogether of Europe. The severity of the reparations contained during this document set the stage for history to repeat itself. Therefore the terribly method within which the written agreement of Versailles was forced on the German people.
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 first World War is recorded down as one of the “deadliest conflict in human history”. With over 16 million dead, it was one of the first wars with a high amount of casualties. However, the one that tops the list with around 60 million deaths was World War II. What caused such a large scale war to happen in the first place? Seven and a half months after World War I, a treaty was signed between the victorious countries, Great Britain, France, United States, and Germany (Overview). It was created with the intention to create peace Europe and ensure that another war like World War I doesn’t happen again. However, the peace was short lived before the second World War engulfed Europe and the rest of the world in a brutal bloodshed. Instead of lasting peace, the Treaty of Versailles contributed greatly to the cause of World War II as it caused humiliation and anger within Germany. The pent up emotions eventually led to the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler, who were angered by their loss in territory, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the war guilt clause.