Treaty of Versailles
Viewing Germany as the chief instigator of the conflict, the European Allied Powers decided to impose particularly stringent treaty obligations upon the defeated Germany. The Treaty of Versailles, presented for German leaders to sign on May 7, 1919, forced Germany to concede territories to Belgium (Eupen-Malmédy), Czechoslovakia (the Hultschin district), and Poland (Poznan [German: Posen], West Prussia and Upper Silesia). The Germans returned Alsace and Lorraine, annexed in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, to France. All German overseas colonies became League of Nation Mandates, and the city of Danzig (today: Gdansk), with its large ethnically German population, became a Free City. The treaty demanded demilitarization and occupation of the Rhineland, and special status for the Saarland under French control. Plebiscites were to determine the future of areas in northern Schleswig on the Danish-German frontier and parts of Upper Silesia on the border with Poland.
Perhaps the most humiliating portion of the treaty for defeated Germany was Article 231, commonly known as the "War Guilt Clause," which forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I. As such Germany was liable for all material damages, and France's premier Georges Clemenceau particularly insisted on imposing enormous reparation payments. Aware that Germany would probably not be able to pay such a towering debt, Clemenceau and the French nevertheless greatly feared rapid German recovery and the initiation of a new war against France. Hence, the French sought in the postwar treaty to limit Germany's potential to regain its economic superiority and to rearm. The German army was to be limited to 100,000 men, and conscription proscribed; the treaty restricted the Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons, with a ban on the acquisition or maintenance of a submarine fleet.
Moreover, Germany was forbidden to maintain an air force. Finally, Germany was required to conduct war crimes proceedings against the Kaiser and other leaders for waging aggressive war. The subsequent Leipzig Trials, without the Kaiser or other significant national leaders in the dock, resulted largely in acquittals and were widely perceived as a sham, even in Germany.
The newly formed German democratic government saw the Versailles Treaty as a “dictated peace” (Diktat). Although France, which had suffered more materially than the other parties in the “Big Four,” had insisted upon harsh terms, the peace treaty did not ultimately help to settle the international disputes which had initiated World War I. On the contrary, it tended to hinder inter-European cooperation and make more fractious the underlying issues which had caused the war in the first place. The dreadful sacrifices of war and tremendous loss of life, suffered on all sides, weighed heavily not only upon the losers of the conflict, but also upon those combatants on the winning side, like Italy, whose postwar spoils seemed incommensurate with the terrible price each nation had paid in blood and material goods.
For the populations of the defeated powers—Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria—the respective peace treaties appeared an unfair punishment, and their governments, whether democratic as in Germany or Austria, or authoritarian, in the case of Hungary and Bulgaria, quickly resorted to violating the military and financial terms of the accords. Efforts to revise and defy the more burdensome provisions of the peace became a key element in their respective foreign policies and proved a destabilizing factor in international politics.
1. Which part of the Treaty of Versailles would Germans be most angered by? Explain
2. How did the Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe?
H.J
ReplyDelete1. Germany would be most angered by the payment of debts because, it was hard to pay all the money and to be repair all the damages. Many of the damages were caused by the Allied, enforcing one to pay all those money is really depressing and can rise anger in nations. Another reason will be due to the depression after every war. A country needs to recover and stand on its feed after a war, which causes loss of millions of dollars.So Germany had to stand up on its feet and also pay these huge debts.
2. The treaty of Versailles was completely unfair. The Germans increased their military which caused conflicts between the treaty. Paying those debts was not easy so they had to give a lot of money for nothing. Hitler saw a chance and blamed all the Jews which gave them more money after they were put in camps and many killed. This brought happy times, which brainwashed people in believing that Jews are bad. This also sparked the second World War, and destabilized Europe.
1. Germans would be most angry about paying for the war for many reasons. Since Germany now has an debt, they will be in a financial situation since they were recently in a war. The Germans also have to pay for all the material damage. Germans have realized that this will put them in a financial crisis which will lead to many jobs being lost. In addition it would be impossible for Germany to be a superiority country without the financial support.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe due to the unfair conditions in the treaty. In the treaty, Germany had to take full responsibility, pay for damages and limit their military. Other countries such as Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria had the same type of punishments. This soon led to the Axis Powers breaking the treaty due to the people believing the treaty was unfair towards the losing side. The Axis Power soon violated the financial and military rule in the treaty which led to the destabilizing of Europe.
-J.M.
1) Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Germany would mostly be most angered by the war guilt and reparations that they had to go through. Germany was forced to accept the blame for the war, even though they thought it wasn’t their fault. They also were forced to pay money they couldn’t afford. This would caused Germany to become a poorer country
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles was more like revenge than an idea to put things peacefully for all of Europe. Instead of punishing Germany, it also affected Europe, destabilizing it far more than it did. Firstly, it did not help the disputes that initiated World War I. Everyone fought over the power and no one would follow the rules the treaty had stated. The Treaty offended many, and didn't help the tensions between the two powers, especially Germany. Most of this is why he next world war began.
Y.M period 4
A.Q.
ReplyDelete1. The Treaty of Versailles angered many German people. One reason why the German people were angry was because of the territory that they have to give up. Germany had to give up Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and etc. In addition to, Germany had to accept COMPLETE responsibility from the damage caused by World War I. This is unfair to the Germans, because there are other countries that caused damage too, but Germany had to deal with the whole mess by themselves.
2. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe by hindering inter-European cooperation and it did not solve international disputes which had caused the war in the first place. Also, not only did the losing side have consequences, but the winning side also had to suffer due to the tremendous loss of lives. Lastly, the government of the defeated powers( Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria) resorted to violating the military and financial terms of accords.
1) The part of the treaty that would most anger the Germans would be Article 231. This article states how Germany would take all the blame for causing WWI. Also, Germany would have to pay for all the things they damaged and destroyed, which would be a very large payment to make. This article also restricted Germany from regaining mass power and weaponry. Additionally, it limited the amount of men they could recruit into their army and the weight of their underwater vessels. They would be angered by this because they believe that they should not pay for all the damage and they were not the cause of WWI. Moreover, almost all of their power is being stripped away from them, making them have little control over things. This would anger Germany because they went from this powerful country, to all their power being removed from them.
ReplyDelete2) The treaty destabilized Europe because the powers that lost the war found the treaty’s term unfair. This led these countries to rebel against the treaty’s policies. France wanted the peace treaty to be under hardcore terms to help resolve the problems between countries, but it did not work. There were attempts in revising the treaty multiple times but it did not help the fact that it was causing Europe to become destabilized.
C.H
Ivy Loh 1/12/15
ReplyDelete1. The part of the Treaty of Versailles that would make Germans most angered would ne article 231. This explains the defeated Germans which was commonly know as "War Guilt Clause" which force the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War 1. They had to also pay a lot of debt. Germany was also forbidden to maintain air force.
2. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe. This is because although France had suffered more then the other parties in the "Big Four" had insisted harsh terms. It also made more fractious the underlying issues which had cause war in the first place. There was also lots of deaths and suffered all sides.
1. The part of the Treaty of Versailles that angered the Germans the most was the Article 231. The Article 231 forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War 1. This meant that Germany had to take full responsibility for all material damages. This angered the Germans because they were already in debt, and with the Treaty of Versailles, the debt greatly increased. This had an huge affect on Germany's navy limiting them to little men.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe because the newly formed German democratic government saw the Versailles Treaty as a dictated peace. France thought that the peace treaty did not ultimately help to settle the international disputes which had initiated World War 1. This tended to hinder inter- European cooperation and make more fractious the underlying issues which had caused the war in the first place. The terrible price each nation had to paid destabilized Europe.
D.C.
1) The Treaty Of Versailles was established to bring peace among the allied powers. Aspects of this angered the Germans severely. The "War Guilt Clause" held Germany completely responsible for WW1. They had to pay for all the war reparations, which was an enormous amount to pay. Germany was banned from having an air force, had to limit their army to 100,000 men, and lost a portion of their land, Them having to pay for all the war damages to to Germany being under major debt.
ReplyDelete2) This treaty ended up destabilizing Europe instead of bringing peace. Germany seeked revenge and someone to put faith into to stabilize their nation. Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, and all that had occurred during his reign sparked another world war. The people should have known that Germany wouldn't just take the responsibility of WW1 without coming back for revenge. This treaty did the complete opposite of what was expected of it.
hello, cg
ReplyDelete1) I think the part of the Treaty of Versailles that germans were most angered by was the "War Guilt Clause". The "War Guilt Clause" made the German nation to take full responsibility of the war, meaning war damages in Europe, initiating the war, etc. I believe the Germans felt humiliated in doing this and were angry to have to pay such a towering dept. I think they thought it was unfair, because besides the fact that they had to pay for the damages made in there own country they have to now pay for others damages as well. Since the other groups were aware that Germany wouldn't be able to pay this, Germany viewed this as a way for the other groups to mock them for their loss in the war. Being the most embarrassing and humiliating part of the treaty i think the germans were most angered by this.
2) The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe because it limited Europe in many areas such as limiting Germanys army to 100,000 men. It also restricted the Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons. The Treaty of Versailles made Germany pay for all war damages and reparations, so with a major debt and limited military power Germany was very unstable economically. The Treaty prevented Europe to recover from war quickly, instead they went through a great depression. The great depression was a time of extreme unstable economy, where a major part of the european population was unemployed and almost all of Europe was going through starvation. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe for a long time economically and socially.
The Germans were very angry by the Treaty of Versailles. The part that angered them the most was that they were forced to sign/ agree to the treaty or else the allies would enforce the treaty by invading Germany. They got threatened. Germans were also angry because the government agreed to sign the treaty although they wanted revenge.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe by causing more more problems than the war caused in the first place. For the populations of the defeated powers, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria the Treaty was not seen as "dictated peace". For them it appeared as an unfair punishment. Many started to make efforts to revise and defy the treaty.
A.K
1.The part that angered Germans the most was mostly likely the fact that they had to give up a lot of their territories. This angered the citizens because this was the most devastating to Germany as a country. Since they had to give up much of their land this resulted in many problems. One problem that occurred was the economy. Since Germany lost the land this meant they were making less money and trading less, damaging the economy.
ReplyDelete2.The Treaty of Versailles ends up destabilizing Europe by no settling the problems that first started the war. It created more problems if anything. It weakened a lot of countries and making other stronger. This created an unbalanced power of Europe. This eventually fuel the events that led to another world war.
M.R.
Treaty of Versailles
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles made a much despised mark upon the German people. When the Germans lost the First World War, a conference was called upon and decisions were made. Upon those decisions would be the one that not only angers Germany but puts their nation into a deep depression where they are forced to pay for all the war damages that they cause and basically rebuilt everything that was lost during the First World War. Pretty much all the nations decided to put the load on them to clean up the messed they started.
Ultimately, this ended up destabilizing Europe. As stated in the article, “Efforts to revise and defy the more burdensome provisions of the peace became a key element in their respective foreign policies and proved a destabilized factor in international policies.” This shows that not only was Germany while paying for all the damages after the war suffering but also the rest of Europe as the war has taken a toll on their countries as well. Also with the United States going to an economic depression, they were unable to lead their allies’ financial/economic support causing a rapid deterioration in European societies.
WGA
I believe that the part where Treaty of Versailles makes Germany pay for all the war damage. A war did not start by only one country, the punishment for Germany is too harsh. After the WW1, the economic situation for Germany must be very depress, if they were force to pay for the damages in war, it's like putting salt on wound. Germans would be most angered by this part.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles end up destablizing Europe because the defeated countries are strongly opposing the treaty. The enormous amount of compensation is pushing the economic to the edge. The defeated countries ended up violating the terms so quickly because its unreasonable and impossible to obey to them.
WH
Germans would be most angered by the "War Guilt Clause" due to the heavy pressure it set on the Germany's economy and military. Other countries forced Germany to accept complete responsibility and consequences for initiating WW1. Enormous amount of reparation fee was required to the Allies and the army of Germany has been limited due to the insistence from France. France fear Germany's potential to regain its economic superiority and rearm; therefor, Germany's army was limited to 100,000 men and its navy to vessel under 100,000 tons. Additionally, Germany was also forbidden to maintain air force.
ReplyDeleteTreaty of Versailles created more problems for Europe. Many countries suffered magnificent amount of population loss, all sides included. The treaty was severely unfair yo certain countries, such as Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria. The unfair treatment had created a temporary peace; however, the hatred is developed. It can be seen as the trigger toward WW2, many extreme nationalists, such as Hitler, were created during that time period.
SC
1. Of the whole Treaty of Versailles, the part that would have angered the Germans the most was the part where they were forced to accept all blame for the war. This is because being called the country to start a world war anything but something to be proud of; humiliating, if anything. Along with having to accept all fault in starting the war, the Germans would have to pay heavy reparations and demilitarize. In the eyes of a German person, this would seem infuriating, as those reparations would be what later caused an absolute crash in the German economy, and the demilitarization would seem as a way of decreasing their power.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe by bringing tensions between these European countries. For instance, some countries, such as Italy, thought the the Treaty of Versailles didn't help to settles arguments concerning having greater sacrifices made than actual spoils of war. In addition, the treaty did not help to address the issues that had initially started the war. Finally, to the defeated countries of the war, they felt as though the treaty's punishments were too extreme and unfair.
-K.R