TREATY OF VERSAILLES

TREATY OF VERSAILLES

Introduction

The Treaty of Versailles was the major peace treaty among the rest that led to the end of World War. Archduke`s Franz Ferdinand assassination was the main reason for the start of World War I. Although the armistice saw the end of the war, negotiations to draft the Treaty at the Paris Peace Conference took about six months. In October 1919, the League of Nations secretariat registered the treaty. The Treaty of Versailles led to the end of World war I this research aim at obtaining the contents of the treaty including the reasons for signing the treaty and also the lessons learnt from the treaty.

The most important provision of the treaty was Article 231(Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). This article would later be called the “War Guilt Clause.” The Article ordered that Germany was to accept responsibilities for damages and losses incurred during the war. The treaty also required Germany to surrender all its weapons, make amends and give reparations the Entente powers. The total cost of the reparations in 1921, was evaluated to be 132 billion marks which were then approximately $ 31.4 billion and US$ 442 billion in the current year 2019 (Boemeke, Feldman and Gläser, 2006).  Mr. John Maynard said that the reparation figure was too much and counterproductive.  His view has been and is a subject of arguments by economists and even historians up to date.

French Marshal Ferdinand Foch who was a prominent figure from the Allied side criticized the Treaty for being very lenient to Germany (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). Sometimes the conflicting goals among the victors led to none of them being contented, Germany was neither permanently weakened nor was it pacified. Locarno Treaties were signed due to problems arising from the Treaty of Versailles. Locarno Treaties saw the renegotiation of the reparation which led to the Young and Dews Plan and the procrastination of reparation payment in 1932 at the Lausanne Conference and also improved the relations between Germany and other European countries Only the Treaty signing took place at the palace all the other talks and meetings took place in Paris (Boemeke, Feldman and Gläser, 2006). The meetings were held in the Quai d`Orsay.

Background

The assassination of Austria-Hungary`s heir to the throne by Bosnian-Serbs in the name of Serbian nationalism led to the escalation of the July crisis which led to Austria-Hungary and Serbia to start fighting. Most European powers joined the war hence the start of the First World War There were two alliances, the Central Powers which was headed by Germany and the Triple Entente which was headed by Britain, France, and Russia(Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). Other countries from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa joined as the fighting ranged.

There were two revolutions that occurred in 1917 within the Russian. In March 1918 the Bolshevik government led by Vladimir Lenin agreed to sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty favored Germany, foreseeing the win before America could be ready Germany shifted its force to overcome the Allies (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). The Allies won on the battlefield and Germany failed. The allies also forced an armistice which clearly resembled surrender in November 1918.

US entry and the fourteen points

The United States of America joined the war against the Germany in April 1917. United States had two major reasons for joining World War I. The first reason was the loss of 128 American lives due to RMS Lusitania sinking (Boemeke, Feldman and Gläser, 2006).  The ship sank because of the warfare between German Submarine and France and Britain’s` Merchant ships. The second motive was the Zimmermann Telegram which was sent by Germany urging Mexico to go to war with the United States.

The war aimed at detaching the disputes and ambitions of nations after disclosure of secret treaties signed by Allies (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010).  In January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson gave the Fourteen Points which were the nation’s goals for postwar.it clearly stated open agreements, the policy of free trade and also highlighted the concept of democracy. The Fourteen points stated a negotiated end of the war, the disarmament if all countries, it also demanded the Central Powers withdraw from all its occupied territories, it also required a polish state to be created, redrawing and remarking of borders in Europe according to ethnic lines (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). And lastly, it called for a league of nations which would prevent any other war.

Negotiations

In January 1919, talks were held between the Allied in order to find a common position of negotiation (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). The talks were held in Paris on the Quai d`Orsay. In the beginning, 27 nations send 70 delegates to participate in the talks. German and Russian were excluded in the talks. Russia was excluded because of the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and also because Russia withdrew from the War very early (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). On the other hand, Germany was excluded so that it would not divide the Allied countries.

Initial the “Council of Ten” met to decide on the peace terms.

The council consisted of two representatives each from the United States, France, Italy, Japan and Britain (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). The “council of Five” later replaced the “Council of Ten”. The “Council of Five” comprised of foreign ministers who addressed minor issues (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). The “Big Four” met in 145 sessions in which major decisions and articles were made and later approved by the entire assembly. The minor countries also went to weekly conferences which they discussed general problems but they never made any decision whatsoever.

Aims for the Treaty of Versailles

France

The most industrialized region in France had been more damaged than any other country. In addition, the northeast side which was the source of coal and iron ore had been flooded and many bridges, factories, and railways had been destroyed. Georges Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany both economically and militarily (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). In Europe German was the leading producer of steel. In so doing Clemenceau believed that he would ensure the security of the French (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). Clemenceau wanted a frontier and also protects France from invasion by the Germans. The claim by France was refused by both American and British however the British proposed a pledge which would provide an instant alliance should Germany attack France. French negotiators also demanded reparations from Germany to make them pay for the damages caused throughout the war. France also wanted Saar Valley to themselves because of the iron and coal ore present.

British

Prime Minister Lloyd George was opposed to the idea of compromising Frances`requests and the United States Fourteen Points. He knew, in the end, Europe would reconcile and unite with Germany (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). The prime minister of the United Kingdom wanted to renegotiate on the payment of the reparation so that Germany’s economy would not crush in order for Germany to still be a super trading partner and also economic power (Bosco, Bosco & Bowman, 2010). He wanted to subsidize the Germanys navy so that “Royal Navy” would remain the strongest navy in the universe. Lloyd also wanted to maintain balance in the European power and loathed the attempt of France to establish itself as the European superpower.

America

While Britain and France wanted to annex Germany, Wilson saw this as injustice and violation of human rights and considered them by the creation of humane mandates under the Fourteen Points (Gordon & Shapiro, 2004). In 1918, Wilson of the Republican Party won the election and also he did not include any prominent Republicans in the delegation contributing to a high threat of defeat in politics back in the United States.

Contents and signing of the treaty.

The Allies declared in June 1919 that the war would start again if Germany did not agree to sign the treaty. The government of Germany headed by Philipp Schliemann did not agree, instead, Schliemann resigned. The new head of the government, Gustav Bauer sent a message demanding for the withdrawal of Article 227,230 and Article 231so that he would sign the treaty (Purdue, 2011). The Allies responded by telling Germany they had to accept the treaty or face the consequences in 24 hours which would be the invasion of Allied forces into Rhine (Wandycz, 2014). Left with no choice Bauer sent a message informing that the German representative comes to Paris shortly.

In June 1919, the Treaty was signed, which was the fifth year since Archduke Franz Ferdinand was murdered. The treaty had Articles which included war crimes; it also prohibited Germany with Austria without the approval of the League of Nations (Wandycz, 2014). It also included the freedom to navigate on major European Rivers and also giving back the Koran to the Hedjaz King.

Territorial Changes

The treaty stripped off 7 million people and 65000 km2 from Germany. The treaty also demanded Germany to surrender all the benefits gained through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and also give its protectorates independence (Wandycz, 2014). Belgium was also ordered to conduct a poll whether the people of Eupen and Malmedy wanted to be under the sovereignty of Belgians or Germans. Belgium was to send the results of the plebiscite to League of Nations and obey the verdict made by the League. Germany was also required to give independence to Czechoslovakia and cede Upper Silesia (Purdue, 2011). The East Prussian Soldau area was transferred to Poland while a plebiscite was to determine the sovereignty the South East Prussia.

Mandates

The Treaty of Versailles demanded that Germany should recognize the independence of all its former colonies. Article 22 converted the colonies to be under the control of the Allied States in the League of Nations Mandate (Wandycz, 2014).  France was allocated the German Kameron. Burundi and Ruanda went to Belgium. The United Kingdom was given German East Africa. Article 156 required Germany to transfer possessions in China to Japan. The latter was also given all concessions of Germany in the north of equator of the Pacific. The south part was given to Australia.

Military Restrictions

German was ordered to reduce their soldiers by 1920 to not more than100, 000 men. German was also ordered not to participate in arms trade standards were also set on quantity and type of arms they would manufacture (Wandycz, 2014). Only a few battleships, a few light cruisers, twelve torpedo boats, and twelve destroyers were allowed to be used by the German navy. The navy was not to have 15,000 men. Article 198 required Germany to give out all aerial materials and also ordered Germany not to have an air force.

Reparations

Article 231 stated that Germany was to accept the responsibility and compensate the Allied states for losses and damages. The Article went ahead and established a committee known as the reparation Commission which would determine exactly what German would pay and the form of payment. To ensure that Germany followed the Treaty to the latter Rhineland was invaded and occupied by Allied armies for Fifteen years (Purdue, 2011). After the fifteen years, the Allied troops withdrew from the lands on a condition that if Germany would go back on the Treaty the allied troops would occupy the bridgeheads immediately.

Conclusion

Lessons learned from the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles led to strained relations between Germany and France. The Prime minister of France Clemenceau wanted revenge for damages made. The main purpose of the treaty was to punish Germany and meet the demands of the Allied powers. The treaty led to Germany losing world war I. this was due to Articles imposed by the Treaty to reduce soldiers and also weapons manufacture.

The Big Four made the major decisions in the talks held for creating the treaty. The treaty was subdivided into three sections; territorial, financial and military sections. Germany had no room to deny or negotiate the terms of the treaty so the accepted and signed the treaty due to lack of options. The Allied nations were satisfied with the punishment Germany was receiving for causing World War I. The Allied nations were also very positive that the League of Nations would prevent another war if need be.

The treaty of Versailles was very important as it brought an end to World War I. It ended the fighting between the Allied states and Germany. The treaty was a success as it ensured peace between the Allied states and Germany. The treaty was also a failure in many ways this was a result of the allied power disagreed on the best way to treat Germany. Secondly, Germany did not agree with the terms of reparation payment. Thirdly German refused to accept Article 231 which would later be called the “War Guilt” clause. Lastly, the Treaty of Versailles saw the official ending of World War I. Georges Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany both economically and militarily. In Europe German was the leading producer of steel. In so doing Clemenceau believed that he would ensure the security of France. Clemenceau wanted a frontier and also protects France from invasion by the Germans. The claim by France was refused by both American and British however the British proposed a pledge which would provide an instant alliance should Germany attack France.

References

Boemeke, M., Feldman, G. and Gläser, E. (2006). The Treaty of Versailles. Washington, D.C.: German Historical Institute.

Bosco, P., Bosco, A., & Bowman, J. (2010). World War I. New York: Chelsea House.

Gordon, P., & Shapiro, J. (2004). Allies at war. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Purdue, A. (2011). The Second World War. Hound mills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Wandycz, P. (2014). The Twilight of French Eastern Alliances, 1926-1936. Princeton: Princeton University Press.