Questions:
World War I: Treaty of Versailles
By Nadeem AlimFor more information, see: World War I
Background
The Treaty of Versailles was signed near Paris, France on June 28, 1919 to bring peace to the world after World War I. In total, the war had left an estimated 8.5 million dead and 21 million injured. The number of French, Russian and Austria-Hungarian soldiers killed was above one million each. However, Germany had suffered the greatest loss with the death toll of German soldiers reaching around two million. Realizing that Germany had been greatly weakened, the Treaty of Versailles was forwarded to the Germans as a sign of peace, although the Germans would also have to agree to many very unfavorable articles within the document upon acceptance.
The three predominant personalities behind the creation of the Treaty of Versailles were David Lloyd George representing Great Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France and American President Woodrow Wilson. Some also include Vittorio Orlando of Italy as having a major influence in the creation of the document. These nations were part of the Allied and Associate Powers, and they were presenting the Treaty of Versailles so Germany could suffer or repay for the role it played as part of the Central Powers after being defeated at the end of World War I.
Analysis of the Treaty
The treaty's opening thirty articles proposed that a League of Nations should be formed. The purpose of this league would be to ensure peace around the world and prevent events such as World War I from recurring. The league would be made of various countries belonging to the Allied and Associate Powers that were willing to take responsibility for maintaining peace around the world.
Articles 159 to 213 were created to diminish Germany's military power. The German military was no longer allowed to use tanks or submarines. The size of the German army had to be reduced to no more than 100,000 soldiers. Armed Germans were not allowed to enter the demilitarized region on the River Rhine. No more than 6 capital naval ships were permitted for the German navy.
Articles 227 to 247 demanded that Germany would have to pay for damages caused during World War I. Clause 231, known as the "War Guilt Cause," stated that Germany would have to admit sole responsibility for initiating World War I. Germany would have to help France and Belgium in rebuilding the infrastructure that was damaged due to German invasions. The help could be provided through rendered services or in the form of financial aid. The exact amount of money that the Germans would have to pay was not written on the Treaty of Versailles. Instead, the Germans were required to submit a blank check to the Allied and Associate Powers, and the amount that was later put on the check would put Germany in great debt.
Other articles, such as articles 31 to 158 and articles 248 to 312 had clauses relating to territorial occupancy and finance that would greatly affect Germany's national economy. Germany was to give up power over various areas, which included returning Asace-Lorraine to France, Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium, Hultschin to Czechoslovakia and Northern Schleswig to Denmark. The League of Nations that was being formed would control Saar, Danzig and Memel, and Germany's loss of control in these areas would greatly limit the natural resources available to the nation for rebuilding its economy.
Result
At first, it seemed that the German leaders felt insulted by the proposals made in the Treaty of Versailles. They thought that the purpose of the treaty was nothing more than to completely crush Germany. Even many members of the Allied and Associate Powers admitted that they felt great animosity towards Germany and wanted it gone from the world map. Furthermore, the Germans were given a short deadline within which to accept or reject the treaty, disabling them to delay or make any negotiations of their own within the peace process after World War I. Many Germans felt that this was a matter of national pride and did not want the treaty signed.
In the end, it seemed that the only way that the Allied and Associate Powers felt that peace could be maintained around the world was to make Germany incapable of ever going to war again. However, to the Germans it seemed that peace was being used as an excuse for the victorious Allied and Associate Powers to impose dictatorship upon the defeated Germans. The Germans felt humiliating, but seeing no other choice for the survival of their nation they signed the treaty in the Versailles Palace of France in front of a large audience of political dignitaries. Records indicate that the Germans were steadfast in keeping the promises that they made by signing the treaty, although it is clear that they were unwilling to do so and hence may have secretly broken certain promises such as the promise of diminishing the size of their army to 100,000 by misinforming the League of Nations.
Source: High Beam Research
