How Did The Treaty Of Versailles Cause Ww1

World War I was a period when countries faced economic, political, social, and cultural problems, which threatened the survival of democracy and freedom and needed a fast and effective resolution which was presented to the world by Woodrow Wilson called the Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points offered the world a democratic resolute, that was effective, reliable and a basis for long lasting peace, unlike the Treaty of Versailles which was a non democratic approach to the problem since it contained a war-guilt clause which forced Germany to admit sole responsibility for starting World War I, although other European nations had been guilty of provoking diplomatic crises before the war, also the treaty excluded Russia which was a major

In addition to territorial losses, Germany also suffered military restrictions from the Treaty of Versailles. According to Article 160 of the Versailles Treaty, the total number of German military troops allowed was one hundred thousand. Germany was surrounded by countries with large military troops. France had the largest army and were in control since Article 160 excluded Germany to attack any other nations. Germans felt scared and unsafe with such a small army. This worried many Germans and was another reason they were against the Treaty of

Though most historians consider the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary the most immediate cause of WWI, or the rise of Germany to be the main cause since they signed the Versailles Treaty (Doc 4), many agree that the war was not caused by just one thing. Instead, it was caused by a concept instead of specific people or countries. It seemed that everyone, during this time period, had started to increase their military power and defense systems. Therefore, World War I was caused by two things: the fear these countries had of losing their power, and the big toll that European Imperialism took international relations.

In 1914 America had an impossible decision to make. A decision whether to put their country through war or let our rights be violated and destroyed. There were many positive and negative effects of this war and whether or not they were justified was up to the opinions of others. Through the Treaty of Versailles and Woodrow Wilsons’ 14 Points, they show us how both of them affected the ending of WWI and how they are compare and contrast to each other.

President Wilson's Fourteen Points were a decent attempt at peace and repayment after World War I. Although it was cleat that there were many obvious problems with his plan. Many things, including Allied bias, American ambition, and Western European dominance, caused these problems. While trying to fix many problems in Europe, the Fourteen Points mainly concentrated on the things that were important to the Allied powers. France was bent on revenge, Great Britain was looking to further its power over the seas, and America was focused on becoming an even more powerful trade nation.

The final product of the Versailles Treaty’s terms was the humiliation of Germany and more importantly, its individuals. Supportingly, Document D reports that, “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.” (Document D) As the Treaty enforces blame, it singles out Germany. This attempt to prevent war only fueled the fire, creating bitterness that would be a massive contribution to World War II. In agreement, Document D continues the theme, relaying that, “What they knew of the treaty was etched

The first two factors that contributed to the longterm causes of WWI were Militarism and Alliances. The growing Europeans divide had led to an arms race between the main countries involved in the war The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. In addition, there was great competition between Britain and Germany for the rules of the sea. This led to the alliances that were signed between countries. Between the years 1879 and 1914 there were several alliances

The Treaty of Versailles addresses militarism by stating that the German army is reduced to no more than 100,00 soldiers and 4,000 officers. By reducing the size of Germany’s army, they will be weaker. Another penalty is that the Germany’s army must remain in the country to maintain order. With that being the case, they cannot trespass on foreign property.

The Allied Powers negotiated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles without the participation of Germany. Germany’s government was replaced and were forced to pay huge reparations. Also, the boundaries of Germany were reshaped and their armed forces were reduced to a very minimal level (Hobsbawm, 31). On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson created The Fourteen Points. He believed the principles over which World War I was fought was the basis of the Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points were democratic based and allowed countries to choose their own governments. Most importantly, Wilson wanted to create a League of Nations that was united which would seize all future wars. However, Congress did not allow the United States to become a member of the League of Nations and the Fourteen Points were not accepted as France seeked harsher punishments for Germany. Some of the aspects of the Fourteen Points were implemented such as, but not limited to, freedom of the seas, open diplomacy, free commerce and trade, and League of Nations). Therefore, the Fourteen Points served as the basis of the truce signed by the Allies and the Central Powers (Kishlansky, 253-255). In summary, the effects of World War I altered the interaction between

Around June 1914 a man named Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed by Sarajevo that is when many threats and mobilization incidents happened that caused the world to have the First World War. The Central Powers and Allied powers joined after 1917 by the United States by the end of the four-year Great War there were such things as machine guns and trench warfare. Countries blamed the Serbian government for what had happened. But Russia wanted to take Serbia's Side and Austria-Hungary didn't want to start the war until they were able to get insurance. But in the month, July Kaiser showed who he supported and he had given Austria-Hungary and blank check which was an unlimited freedom of action for the war. On July 28 Serbia was declared war by Austria-Hungary

Nationalist conflicts had much to do with bringing on World War I. After four years of World War I, an armistice based on United States’ President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points was agreed to by Germany and The Treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th June 1919.This peace treaty, however, was different from Wilson’s points, and Germany, who felt deceived, condemned the treaty as morally invalid. Under the ‘Article 231, Guilt Clause’ of the treaty, Germany endured severe financial penalties as they were blamed for the first world war. This treaty destabilized Germany economically, socially, and politically. It left them in financial ruins, humiliated, and caused them to develop greater hostility against allies. The harshness of the treaty

The Germans were forced to give up so much because of the treaty. For example, they were forced to pay $30 billion to the Allies (Grenville 59-71). “German shipyards would have to construct 200,000 tons of new shipping per year and hand it over to the Allies, free of charge.” (Hay 100). The problem though, was that Germany lost land, colonies, and coal fields, and by punishing Germany, the Allies also took away Germany's way for paying the reparations. The Germans were also not allowed to have warplanes, tanks, and submarines. Because of the treaty, Germany lost land in Africa, Asia, and also Alsace and Lorraine to France (Grenville 39). Germany lost all her colonies and was split by the Polish Corridor so Poland could have access to the sea. WWII was fought by Germany to gain back what was lost in WWI, so Versailles was to blame for WWII. “Germany fought specifically in the second war to reverse the verdict of the first and to destroy the settlement which followed it” (Taylor 41), so the two wars were linked. Woodrow Wilson, who signed the treaty, said, “No people must be forced under sovereignty under which it does not wish to live” (Spielvogel 745), and he believed in self-determination, but Poland was taken away from Germany so the Polish people would have Poland again, and yet Germany was not allowed an anschluss with Austria, even though Austrians spoke

When German leaders signed Woodrow Wilson 's "Fourteen Points" in 1918 many assumed it would provide the basis for the treaty to be signed at the end of the war. Unfortunately for Germany, and indeed eventually the rest of Europe this was not the case. France, Great Britain, Italy and the United States instead deemed Germany the nation which bore sole responsibility for the outbreak of the conflict. As stated in the Treaty of Versailles ' Article 231: "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."

The 14 points included proposals to ensure world peace in the future: open agreements, arms reductions, freedom of the seas, free trade, and self-determination for oppressed minorities. The 14 points served as a basis for the terms of German surrender negotiated at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, but most of Wilson’s 14 points were excluded in the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I. All of them were thinking only their own nation’s interests, and they did not put the whole nations and the world’s interest as a reason to enforce the treaty and to fight against Germany. There were often controversies occurred among the allied countries themselves during the discussion to make the treaty. Therefore, it showed that there were lacks of cooperation with one

this was called the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk. This treaty ended Russia’s involvement in WW1, and gave Germany the land that they did seek.