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?
1. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany alone was held responsible for the aggression. The Treaty Of Versailles literally ruined their country. After the first war, Germany was forced to pay reparation (war damages) and give up some of their land. They were also
ReplyDeletedemilitarized.
2. Germany was blamed for WWI. They had to pay off all the reparations to the Allies. This changed the world because all of the other countries felt cheated and betrayed by the peace settlements as well {Germany too}.Also, some countries such as japan and Italy which had entered the war to gain territory, had gained less than what they wanted.
JZ
1. Germans would be most angered by the "War Guilt Clause" because it forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I. Germany was liable for all material damages, and Clemenceau insisted on imposing enormous payments. They knew Germany would probably not be able to pay such a large debt. This treaty also forced the Germans army to be limited to only 100,000 men and their Navy vessels under 100,000 tons and also put a ban on the maintenance of their submarine fleet, Germany was forbidden to maintain an air force. They were also required to conduct war crimes proceedings against the leaders for the war.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles ending up destabilizing Europe because the efforts to improve and challenge the burdensome provisions of the peace became an important element in their policies. A lot of the defeated countries quickly resorted to violating the military and financial terms of the treaty. The democratic and authoritarian defeated powers thought the peace treaties appeared an unfair punishment to them.
-A.S
1. The Treaty of Versailles was created by the Allied Powers to settle World War I. They presented it to Germany on May 7, 1919, but there were some parts of the treaty that greatly angered the Germans. They were forced to give up part of their land, limit their economy, their army to 100,000 men, and they were banned to have an air force. However, the part that angered the Germans the most was their new responsibility for causing the war. As punishment, they were forced to pay for all the damages, the expenses, and deaths of the war. With that much to pay, Germany fell into debt and economy disaster.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles felt more like revenge than means 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, but made everyone more sour over the peace. The large casualties and large resource consumptions also brought negative impact on both sides. Also, to the military and financial rules the losing countries had to pay for, they often disobeyed it, leading to more complications over the treaty, and making things worse for everyone to preserve the peace. Overall, the Treaty offended many, and didn't help the tensions between the two powers, especially Germany. It most likely, in fact, added more to the fire of reasons of why the next World War began.
H.Y.
The Treaty of Versailles was proposed to Germany by the Allied Powers in 1919 in affect of the aftermath in WWI. The part of the treaty that angered the Germans the most was when the “War Guilt Cause” which forced the Germans to take full responsibility for causing the war. The treaty had primary focused on the minor factors that had caused the first World War. They were also responsible for all material damages which would cause Germany to go into great debt.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles had ended up destabilizing Europe because this treaty had not help the international arguments in which started World War One. The defeated powers had been unfairly punished. For example, the German army was limited to 100,000 men and limited Navy vessels to be less than 100,000 tons. This was to limit Germany’s potential to recover rapidly and yet again be superior to France both economically and military wise. By trying to create peace after the war, the treaty had done just the opposite.
-A.S
1) Which part of the Treaty of Versailles would Germans be most angered by
ReplyDeleteFirstly, they were angry because of the war guilt cause - this was meant to justify the reparations, and basically blamed them for the First World War. Second, as I said, reparations where another reason - they were set at 6.6 billion pounds. They had to make installments of 50 million a year, and would be paying until 1984 - they stopped paying in 1922, this lead to the invasion of the Ruhr. Germany thought they were too high, etc. Next, was loss of lands. Germany lost Alsace Lorraine to France, they lost West Prussia to Poland, North Schleswig to Denmark, and their colonies went to France, Britain and America. They lost 10% of their land, and many of their German speaking people. Finally, their Armed forces where reduced in the ToV. They were limited to 100,000 men, conscription was banned, they couldn't unite with Austria anymore, they were only allowed 6 battleships, but no airplanes, subs or tanks. This left them vulnerable to attack.
2) How did the Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe
The treaty’s indemnity and reparations clauses are cited for causing the successive financial crises that destabilized the Weimar Republic. Its requirement that Germany assume sole responsibility for the conflict, the “War Guilt clause,” is seen as an insult to national pride permanently discrediting the Republic that accepted it. Yet, at the same time, Versailles left the essential elements of German power intact and maintained Germany’s existence as an independent state. The result was a peace that fell between two stools. Neither conciliatory nor punitive, it fostered the confusion and destabilization on which the Nazis thrived.
1. The part of the Treaty of Versailles Germans would be most angered by was Article 231. This portion of the treaty forced the Germans to accept all responsibility for starting the World War. Since Germany was also liable for damages, France insisted on reparation payments. Knowing the Germans would be unable to pay for it, the French limited Germany’s ability to regain it’s economy. Germany’s army was then cut down to 100,000 men and was limited to weapons such as vessels and submarines.
ReplyDelete2. The Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe by having unfair punishments. It economically damaged countries such as Germany and France. Germany was blamed for initiating the war, France suffered materially. Overall, the peace treaty did not settle disputes that initially started World War 1.
S.L. P.7
1. The treaty of Versailles forced Germany to give land to countries such as Poland and Belgium, but perhaps what caused the most anger was the "war guilt clause." The war guilt clause "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." The Germans where angered because they had to take complete responsibility and also pay for damages. Germany was also forced to have a small militia an no air force.
ReplyDelete2. The treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe because the defeated powers resorted to violating the military and financial terms of the accords. Meaning that they ignored the treaty and still proceeded in doing what the treaty specifically limited them not to do. -Kevin T
1. When the Treaty of Versailles was created it imposed devastating consequences for Germany. Since they lost WWI they were given harsh punishments. They were many disadvantages of the treaty for the Germans but probably the most devastating was the Germans being blamed for the war. This was bad for Germany for two reasons. One reason was because they had to pay for all the damages caused by the war. That defiantly caused major anger of Germans. However what i think caused even more anger was the fact that they were directly being blamed for the war. People were discussed and ashamed to be German. It also probably decreased nationalism of Germans.
ReplyDelete2. Although Germany got most of the blame for the war and lost many assets other countries suffered as well. It was defiantly a rebuilding time for Europe this was because Europe's countries had lost many lives and materials. Also relationships between the countries were still not settled. Europe like any region after war was defiantly still in post-war rebuild.
-GG
The part of the Treaty of Versailles that the Germans would be most angered by is in Article 231 or known as the "War Guilt Clause". This part would anger the Germans because it forced the German nation to accept the full blame for World War 1. Germany was also to pay a very high debt for reparation payments, and Germany was limited to regaining its economic superiority and to rearm fearing they will initiate a new war against France. The defeated powers felt the treaty was an unfair punishment.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles destabilized Europe because it hindered inter-European cooperation and made more fractious the underlying issues that caused world war 1.The tremendous loss of lives was suffered on all sides. Each nation also had to recover the loss it made in blood and material goods.
-A.H
P.K Pd.8
ReplyDelete1.Which part of the Treaty of Versailles would Germans be most angered by? Explain
The Germans were very angry about the Treaty of Versailles for many different
reasons. One reason being the fact that they had to concede territories to Belgium,
Poland, and West Prussia. The part of the Treaty that probably got the Germans
the angriest was probably Article 231, known as the "War Guilt Clause". This basically
forced the Germans to admit and accept complete responsibility for starting World
War 1.
2. How did the Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe?
The Treaty of Versailles was made for peace and to stabilize Europe but it actually
did not. Europe went through many issues because of the war like many lost lives. Not
only was the losing side affected by this war, even countries on the winning side was
negatively affected. Italy is an example of a nation that had to pay many expenses
for all the material goods.
The treaty of Versailles badly hurt the Germans. Even though many things may have made the Germans angry, the part I think would make them the most furious is the fact that the have to take sole responsibility of the war. “Taking responsibility” is the same thing as losing and that probably wouldn’t fly by well with the Germans. The Germans had a strong sense of nationalism at the time, and losing would hurt their pride. Even today some Germans believe that they did not lose the war.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles also destabilized the European nations. They received unfair punishment, and violated the terms of the treaty. Militarily and financially, the European nations violated the peace treaty. European nations tried to defy or revise the provision of the peace. as a result, it destabilized the international politics.
E.L.
The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty forced upon Germany or else they would invade them. With the signing of the treaty, there were many things Germany then had to do. Two of these things was signing the guilt clause so they took full responsibility for the war and they had to pay a large sum of reparation payments. The signing of the guilt clause and the Treaty of Versailles led to the lost of men in their army and lost of territory. The reparation payments led Germany to a Great Depression.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Germany in many ways. The main way the treaty destabilized Germany was by having them pay the reparation fines. By having them pay the fines, this led to the Great Depression in Germany where unemployment was high and money was lost due to banks closing. Another destabilizing thing that was caused by the treaty was inflation. The hyperinflation in Germany during that time was due to the government print so much money to pay the reparation and the excess printing of money made the mark pretty much worthless.
-S.Li
It crippled their country; they had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations.It humiliated them and made them look weak.Their army was restricted to 100,000 men and their air force was abolished.They had to sign a war guilt clause, which meant they had to take full responsibility for starting World War One - （ unfair on my personal option )
ReplyDelete2. Germany was responsibal for World War one because germany had given Austria the Blank cheque. This shows that Germany was looking forward to war. Germany had also made the Schlieffen plan whereby they had to pass through Belgium to get to France, crush them then quickly move their army up to the east front to fight Russia. This plan although did not work out. Germany was also provoking the British by building their own Navy. Britain disliked this idea because then Germany would get even more powerful. Germany also told Austria-Hungary that both would start a war against Serbia if they would not accept the rules given by Austria-Hungary
Z.M.L
J.L
1. They were angry about a lot of it. The reparations they did however find unjustified and it was a bit too far. Germany had to pay compensation of 8.4 billion euro in installments to the Allies for the damage done during the war. The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh on the Germans. The reparation clauses were a source of conflict during the 1920s because the German economy was too weak after the war and Germany could not pay the money. They were eventually dropped in 1932. The Treaty contributed to the rise of Hitler, and was one of the causes of WWII. So I'd say the Reparations were a bigger source of anger for the Germans.
ReplyDelete2. Germany was blamed for WWI. They had to pay off all the reparations to the Allies. This changed the world because all of the other countries felt cheated and betrayed by the peace settlements. Also, some countries such as japan and Italy which had entered the war to gain territory, had gained less than they wanted. So everyone was just unhappy with the outcome of joining the war.
A.A pd 8
The part of the Treaty of Versailles that Germans would be most angered with was the “war guilt clause” which basically made Germany the murderer and the rest of the Europe the victims. While accepting this clause, Germany was also to be blame for all the economic turmoil resulting in Germany being in charge of debt. They had to pay off a payment to France using money and land. The Treat of Versailles made it seem as if Germany wasn’t affected by the war at all. Which was an overstatement considering the aftermath of the war had affected Germany greatly.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the treaty was to make peace with all of Europe and have no other international conflicts erupt. That was not the case in the end and that fact of the matter was that England was then destabilized. All the European countries after the war had changed their governments to democracies, which then resulted in their people becoming rebellious. The war had greatly affected the economy leaving the people unhappy and unemployed. That resulted in England not being glad at all to be apart of the League of Nations.
- NQ
1) The Treaty of Versailles upset many Germans, for many various reasons. Chiefly among them, was that the assignment of blame for the war fell squarely upon German, and none of the other instigators of the war, such as Serbia, Russia, Italy, or France and England. While they may have lost, it was still very unjust to just purely blame Germany for the war, as there were multiple factors and countries actually responsible. Another reason they Germans may have been angry was the fact that they had to pay war reparations, or in other words, pay for the damages caused by all sides of the war. No other country had to pay any monetary damages.
ReplyDelete2) The Treaty of Versailles majorly destabilized post-war Europe. The winning combatants, Britain, France, Italy, and Russia, imposed heavy restrictions on the losing combatants, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria, in terms of economic, political, and militaristic growth and size. This lead to the losing combatants desperately trying to revise and amend foreign policy to somehow circumvent these restrictions, and in the cases of Bulgaria and Austria, as well as a few pieces of Germany, to dissolve into Civil War, disobedience, and allow for many political usurpers to rise. -K.B.
The biggest part of the Treaty of Versailles that had probably angered Germans the most would be the “War Guilt Clause,” that had forced Germany to accept the complete responsibility of World War I. This was unfair because it meant that Germany was to be responsible for the material damages which would have to be paid for through enormous reparation payments made by France’s Georges Clemenceau. As well as paying the debts, France had still added more to their anger; Germany’s army was to be limited immensely to only 100,000 men.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles had ended up destabilizing Europe probably because of the way Germany had been punished; due to all the unfair punishments, Germany had been affected to the point where even communication between its allies wouldn’t have helped. Germany had to suffer through financial and military terms which lessened the chance of recovering which greatly affected their possible way of stabilizing their powers again.
~ C.T
M.L. PD 9 2/9/14
ReplyDelete1. Which part of the Treaty of Versailles would Germans be most angered by? Explain
Germans would be most angered by being blamed after World War 1. I believe this because they were told that they we're completely responsible for the destruction and damages done which they had to repay. As a result of having to make war reparations , it caused the nation to be in debt and financial crisis. addition , the treaty of versailles had put a numerous amount of restrictions on Germany which affect them greatly. Moreover , Germans were humiliated and caused anger amongst them.
2. How did the Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe?
The treaty of Versailles ended up destabilizing Europe by bringing issues that had brought the war initially. Theses issues included much of lost of lives and conflict between nations. The treaty of Versailles did not settle the disagreements of world war 1. As a result, it was ineffective, since it was meant to bring agreements. In addition " For the populations of the defeated powers—Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria—the respective peace treaties appeared an unfair punishment.."
they were angry because of the war guilt cause this meant to justify the reparations, and basically blamed them for the First World War. Second, as I said, reparations where another reason they were set at 6.6 billion pounds. They had to make installments of 50 million a year, and would be paying until 1984 - they stopped paying in 1922, this lead to the invasion of the Ruhr. Germany thought they were too high, etc. Next, was loss of lands. Germany lost Alsace Lorraine to France, they lost West Prussia to Poland, North Schleswig to Denmark, and their colonies went to France, Britain and America. They lost 10% of their land, and many of their German speaking people. Finally, their Armed forces where reduced in the ToV. They were limited to 100,000 men, conscription was banned, they couldn't unite with Austria anymore, they were only allowed 6 battleships, but no airplanes, subs or tanks. This left them vulnerable to attack.
ReplyDeleteG.R
Treaty of Versailles was the treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after the end of World War I which demanded exorbitant reparations from the Germans. Apparently, The Germans were the fault of the war entirely. World War 1 caused the nation to be in economic crisis because the Germans weren't being responsible even thought they were supposed to. This caused many people to become unemployed and increase financial debts.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles destabilized Europe by economically damaging other nations and countries such as Germany and France. However, Germany was blamed for the whole war because they caused their country to go downhill in money wise. Basically, they caused enormous reparation payments even though they knew that at the end, they would probably not be able to pay such a towering debt. This economic crisis affected many people in Germany and took a while for them to recover from it.
K.T.
1. Which part of the Treaty of Versailles would Germans be most angered by? . They were angry about a lot of it. The reparations they did however find unjustified and it was a bit too far. Germany had to pay compensation of 8.4 billion euro in installments to the Allies for the damage done during the war.
ReplyDelete2. How did the Treaty of Versailles end up destabilizing Europe? The Treaty of Versailles felt more like revenge than means 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, but made everyone more sour over the peace.
Kpos
The part that the Germans might be most angered by was the way that they were the ones that got blamed for the war, and as a result of that needed to pay reparations. These were gigantic reparations, more than Germany could deal with. Despite the fact that Clemenceau knew the Germans might never have the capacity to pay this obligation, he expected that they might turn into a more praiseworthy country than his. This part chafed the Germans in light of the fact that it totally adulterated their country. Everybody was in obligation, starvation, and destitution. It appeared to be no getaway for them.
ReplyDeleteThe Treaty of Versailles wound up destabilizing Europe due to its cruel results. The crushed forces looked upon the settlement as an unjustifiable discipline, and accordingly turned to maltreating the military and account they had. Deliberations made to oppose these reparations demonstrated to destabilize whatever is left of Europe.
-SC