The Causes And The Impact Of The Treaty Of Versailles

Though the treaty of versailles created peace and harmony in many nations after the first world war it left Germany to be humiliated and dishonored and to be worthless as a result Germany revolted, plunging the world into a second world war.

One way the Versailles Treaty treated Germany harshly was by territorial losses. As a result of the proceeding of signing the Treaty of Versailles, numerous precious areas of German territory were taken away. Amongst these were the Polish Corridor and Alsace Lorraine (Doc A). All of which provided an abundance of natural resources. These resources included coal and the loss of these lands reduced German coal production by 40% (Doc A). Germans living in areas such as the Polish Corridor often resented their new nation and remained loyal to Germany. They were exasperated at their new leaders. Germany was also eager to take back the land they had

Ninety-eight years ago, after the fighting of World War I subsided, the Treaty of Versailles (“the Treaty”) was signed at the Palace of Versailles in France by the Allied powers and Germany. The compromise of the Treaty is that it ended World War I. The conflict of the Treaty is that it fed the German’s hate for the Allied Powers and, in turn, was the cause of World War II. “In their hearts was a stern resolution that the fiasco of November 11, 1918, would not be repeated for all serious people in America, as in all nations, remembered that much hailed Versailles Treaty was sown the very seeds of World War II” (Library Of Congress. Manzanar free press, November 12, 1942. 1942. Newspaper. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn84025948/1942-11-12/ed-1/. )

The Treaty of Versailles was a controversial treaty, not only because of what it embodied, but what it took to get the Treaty in motion. The Great War, or World War I, lasted between 1914 and 1918. This war occurred over a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, political alliances between nations, ethnic tensions in Europe, and most of all, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria-Hungary. With the bloody stalemate continuing without any end, the United States still held its position as a neutral world power, but events, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, caused the United States to recant its neutral position to a position in fighting against Germany. The end of World War I officially ended by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but wasn't signed by the U.S. Whether this was President Wilson's fault or the Senate's fault, has been questioned over the last decade.

On January 22, 1917, Woodrow Wilson addressed the United States Senate appealing for a settlement of conflict for ‘peace without victors’. Unfortunately the Treaty of Versailles was signed by participating nations and could not end the hostilities that terrorized to destroy European Civilization. The Treaty of Versailles is one of the most important social and physical agreement or disagreements that help shape the European 20th century. The treaty was very important because it violated Wilson’s ideals. The Treaty of Versailles was the official end of the World War I and was ultimately the main reason that led to World War II.

How does the result of one war lead to another? In 1918 WWI come to an end, the allies taking the roll of victors. 17 million people killed, civilians included and 10 million injured. After the war came to an end, leaders of the world came together to create the Treaty of Versailles in hope to avoid yet another war. Little did they know it would be the cause of the next. How did the Treaty of Versailles cause World War II? Reparations, loss of territory, reduction of military, war guilt, all consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, all which Germany had to pay for.

World War 1, fought from 1914 to 1918, ended with Germany on the losing side, and Britain, France, the U.S., and Russia on the winning side. Many countries were unhappy due to the fact they had lost so much money and resources from the war, and vowed never to go through the terribleness of a world war again. Little did they know around 20 years later the second world war would begin. So France, England, and the U.S. Presidents met in Versailles, France to figure out how to gain peace. France was angry they had suffered so much from the war, and proposed Germany pay big sums of gold, land, resources, and reduce their military. This was agreed upon, and became known as the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was a factor that helped cause WW2 due to crestfallen Germany’s loss of money, land and military.

The first World War had devastated the balance of the 20th century with effects still felt today. The war had obliterated once powerful imperial dynasties, birthed new states from the fallen imperial powers, supported the idea of independence in European colonies, and led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Yet, it brought hope to the newly independent territories and minority groups, while plunging a heavy recession to countries that were once world powers. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers (German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire) and the signage of the Versailles Treaty. This treaty along with the League of Nations was created to prevent another global crusade from happening again, but failed and led to World War II, which started only twenty years after the Treaty of Versailles was endorsed. And even with end of the Great War, it was evident that the world would never return to how it once was, four years earlier, in 1914. The destructive warfare brought out several unnerving and irreversible social and economic consequences that shook modern society for decades to come.

A treaty that was designed to end all wars actually ended up setting the stage for the worst one that the world has ever seen. The newly formed German democratic government saw the Versailles Treaty as a “dictated peace” (Diktat). The peace treaty did not ultimately help to settle the international disputes which had initiated World War I; on the contrary, the treaty exposed the underlying issues which had caused the war in the first place. Hitler was able to gain a foothold in German society and government in being able to capitalize on the resentment and frustration that the Treaty instilled in the German people. Hitler willingly became the outlet for the German people through which they could voice their discontent, so much of it at the

The Treaty of Versailles was penned during the Paris Peace Conference, mainly to decide upon Germany’s consequences for beginning World War One. When Germany signed the treaty, it lost a tenth of its land to surrounding countries. Not only did they lose part of their country, but they also lost their overseas territories, including Chinese ports, Pacific Islands, and African colonies. One of the actual causes of the war was that Germany wanted ‘a place in the sun’, and requested

Treaty of Versailles Before we talk about the short-term & long-term effects of the Treaty of Versailles, we should look into what Treaty of Versailles is and what historical facts are hidden in it. The Treaty of Versailles is a treaty signed between the German Empire and the Allied powers after World War 1. Afterwards, a treaty ceremony was held in the room of Versailles Mirror. This treaty, made in 1919, was a shameful and harsh treaty for the Germans. However, many countries say this treaty is a failed treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles was seen differently in mostly all of the countries. The treaty was one of many peace treaties that ended the war between Germany and the allied powers. Mostly everything on the document was made to cripple Germany for causing the war. It crippled Germany’s economy and the country in general. It also added more boundaries around Europe to fit the people’s needs. (History.com)

The Treaty of Versailles was effective because it made territorial changes and had strict military terms for Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was between Germany and the allied powers, however Germany had no control of it. It assigned the War Guilt Clause to Germany stating they were the ones who caused the damage in World War 1. It also caused Germany to lose all its colonies and weapons. Germany had reparations, to pay the allied powers’ losses.

The Successes and Failures of the Treaty of Versailles in Addressing the Causes of Conflict and Restoring Peace and Normality

November 11, 1918, Europe would be left in utter devastation from the effects of World War I. These effects which would have unprecedented effect on the development on European nations into modern nations. However, the immediate impact of the policies and treaties created by the “Big Four” (Great Britain, Italy, France and The United States) would leave devastating irreversible consequences on the Great War’s losers. The most important treaty that the allies would make would be The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28th, 1919. This treaty would have the most destructive consequences on Germany, whom would become bitter, nationalistic, and isolated from its effects. As Holborn puts it, “the treaty did not solve the problem of reparations, which was not settled for years to come in a fashion that would have stabilized the social and economic conditions of Europe. The struggle about the economic settlement of World War I kept alive and magnified the national hostilities which the political provinces of the peace produced.”1 The Treaty of Versailles would require Germany to surrender vast amounts of territory in Europe and oversea, diminish its military might significantly, impose insurmountable financial and economic demands, as well as making her accept the ‘War Guilt Clause;’ this in turn would make the Germans feel a national humiliation and cause tremendous resent, this in turn would lead to the rise of authoritarianism, expansionism and the public demand for redemption.