The Treaty Of Versailles And The End Of The War

The Big Four was a group comprised of Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of the United States. In January 1919, the Paris Peace Conference would be held with the purpose of establishing peace after the World War. Even though there was thirty countries participating in the conference, the representatives of Britain, France, the United States, and Italy would be known as the Big Four. During the conference, the Big Four would dominate the proceedings that would lead to the eventual creation of the Treaty of Versailles, which was the treaty that helped to officially end World War 1.

World War one was one of the most violent wars in the history of Earth. However what the countries fighting didn’t know was that the resolution of their war would lead to another. After the Allies defeated the Axis powers, the Treaty of Versailles was created. This treaty crippled countries and made others furious. Countries such as Japan and Russia were not invited to it, and Germany had their military completely destroyed. The Treaty of Versailles caused so much anger, that it eventually lead to World war two because it allowed Hitler to gain power, it angered countries such as Japan, and it made people feel bad for countries such as Germany which led to appeasement.

What responsibility did each of the “Big Three” have for the failure of the Versailles Treaty to bring peace to Europe? Be sure to discuss what each wanted to accomplish.

WWI and the Versailles Treaty had only a marginal (limited) relationship to the world Depression of the 1930s

Thesis: The peace treaty that resulted from World War 1 was not too harsh of a punishment for the offenses committed.

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.

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.

The Great War, or World War I, was the first modern warfare and the first total war in which almost everyone participated in it, both directly or indirectly. After the war, President Woodrow Wilson hoped that the Great War will be a war to “end all wars”; unfortunately, almost twenty years later, World War II erupted in Europe and the world plunged into an even deadlier war. With the end of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was drafted to secure peace throughout Europe, but the cruel and unreasonable terms made World War II almost inevitable.

The Treaty of Versailles was intended to be a peace agreement between the Allies and the Germans, instead with the harsh end terms for Germany, it created political and economic chaos in Germany. By the end of the First World War, Germany had surrendered and signed a peace agreement. The task of forming a peace agreement was now in the hands of the Allies. In December of 1918, the Allies met in Versailles to start on the peace settlement. The main countries and their representatives were: The United States, Woodrow Wilson; Great Britain, David Lloyd George; and France, George Clemenceau. It had seemed that making peace agreement would be fairly simple. Once they started, the Allies began having different ideas about the wording of the

In 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference The Treaty of Versailles was formally drafted and World War I was finally brought to an end. The treaty was drafted by the Allied Powers, which consisted of Great Britain, France and the United States. This treaty blamed the war solely on Germany, and it required them to pay an amount of “$33 billion dollars in reparations, cede all of colonies, dismantle their air force, and greatly reduce their other military operations”(German Delegation, 291).

The First World War can only be described as having been devastating. Thanks to World War I, Europe was left in debt and largely devastated. Both sides, i.e. the winners and the losers, suffered casualties never experienced prior to the First Word War. Millions were killed and scores wounded. It is thus understandable that at the end of it all, the victors were seething with anger and seeking revenge. They sought to make those they blamed for the war as weak as possible and with this, the Treaty of Versailles was born. To date, this very treaty is regarded the major cause of the Second World War. Instead of creating peace, as it was intended, this treaty ended up triggering yet another conflict.

The whole purpose of the Treaty of Versailles was to promote peace and stop the wars, but in the end all it did was create another World War. Many predicted the result of the weak treaty, but people didn’t listen to them. Jan Christian Smuts, a South African statesman, wrote to British Prime Minister David Lloyd George: “This treaty breathes a poisonous spirit of revenge, which may yet scorch the fair face- not of a corner of France, but of Europe.” A French General who had been involved in World War I named Marshal

The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I on 28 June 1919. Part of the treaty required Germany to recognize the independence of Poland. However, the treaty did not do enough to prevent Germany from gaining power again. The treaty broke up the Austria-Hungary regime and pushed Russia back to the east. Germany was now the only dominant power in Eastern Europe.

The Paris of Peace conference was held on January 1919 in Versailles just right outside of Paris. Paris of Peace conference was called to establish reasonable terms to make peace with the countries after World War I. In that conference there was almost thirty nations that were participates. The “Big Four” were there as well, the big four consisted of Great Britain, represented by David Lloyd George, France, represented by George Clemenceau, United States, represented by Woodrow Wilson, and Italy, represented by Vittorio Orlando. David Lloyd George wanted moderate peace he also wants to alienate Germany as a naval threat. Vittorio Orlando wanted the territory was promised by the other countries. George Clemenceau wanted ironclad guarantees against future German military threat and he wanted Germany to pay for all the damages they caused during World War I. Woodrow Wilson wanted peace without Vengeance that were based on his fourteen points. One through five on his points consisted of open covenants, openly arrived at; which means no more secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, and reduction of weapons. Six through thirteen consisted of self-determination of Europeans and point 14 consisted of the League of Nations. Woodrow Wilson was not successful in his goals, but in 1920 the League on Nations was established; after

The Paris Peace Conference took place in January 1919 at Versailles near Paris. The purpose of the gathering was to build up peace after World War I. In spite of the fact that about thirty countries took part, the agents of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Italy wound up noticeably known as the "Enormous Four." The "Huge Four" commanded the procedures that prompted the detailing of the Treaty of Versailles, a settlement that finished World War I. The Treaty of Versailles explained the bargains came to at the meeting.