Was the Treaty of Versailles Doomed to Fail from the Moment It Was Signed - Essay Example

Was the Treaty of Versailles doomed to fail from the moment it was signed? Name: Course: Institution: Professor: Date: Introduction It was at the end of the First World War when the treaty of Versailles was signed that is in the year 1919, June 28th. It is viewed as a happening with great controversies in the period between 1917 and 1921 (Chambers 2000, p.43). The main objective of the treaty was to bring an end to the situation of war between the allied powers nation of Germany. Basically it is regarded as the treaty of Versailles due to the fact that it was signed at a palace by the name Versailles near Paris in the nation of France. Politicians present at the time of the signing of the treaty include Woodrow Wilson from the United States, from France Clemenceau and from great Britain David Lloyd. It can be said that as much the purpose of the treaty was to foster peace between the allied powers and Germany it had some drawbacks that made it not to become successful. There are certain reasons that deem this treaty not succeed. To begin with the treaty was too harsh on the side of the Germans. It required that Germany to fully accept full responsibility in as far as the process of initiating the First World War is concerned. This meant that Germany was to bear the guilt for the occurrence of the war. Clause 231 of the treaty stated that Germany caused the war and therefore was to take the responsibility of ensuring that all the damages were paid for to the affected countries. Below are the main points as constituted in the treaty; Guilt of the war As already introduced above in line with full acceptance of being responsible for world I by Germany the treaty stipulated that Germany had to pay a very large amount of money Belgium and France. During the war the infrastructure of both Belgium and France had adversely been affected. As the treaty was being singed a blank cheque was to be given by Germany which was to be cashed at a later date by the allied at own convenience. The cash was approximated to have amounted to £6,600 million. Basically this amount was too high far the beyond the ability and capacity of Germany to pay for the damages. There was a league of nations that was affirmed that had the responsibility of ensuring that there was peace in the world (Duiker 2009, p.18). Financial Clauses Due to the fact that Germany had been held responsible for the First World War this nation therefore had to ensure that it paid a total of £6,600 to meet the damages experienced by the allied countries due to the war. In addition to the reparation costs, Germany experienced a big loss economically of coal in the regions of Upper Silesia and Saar (Feldman and Glaser 2001, p 39). From the fact that Germany had been put upon very heavy financial penalties the situation reflected as if the allied powers aimed at seeing Germany bankrupt. International opposition The Versailles treaty had been opposed from the international perspective. This is due to the fact it had features that were controversial that had undergone opposition internationally. Reasons that led to its opposition include the humiliation made on the nation of Germany in line with the aspect of Germany being forced to take full responsibility of the First World War. Additionally the treaty was seen as to accuse countries in Europe to have provoked a diplomatic crisis before the outbreak of the war. Fear Created by Treaty of Versailles There was creation of great fear by the treaty of versatile in the nation of Germany and the whole region of Eastern Europe. It is seen to have diverted from its sole purpose of being an instrument of establishing peace into an instrument of giving punishment. This is true aspect of the treaty which president Widrow ignored. Three nations participated in drafting the treaty of Versailles. They include Great Britain, France and Italy. These nations are seen to have concentrated more on taking revenge on Germany rather than promoting peace (Kelly and Lacey 2001, p.34). This is seen as potential source of fear as much as the divergence from establishment of peace is concerned. Germany’s Disarmament In regards to the German arms the Versailles treaty is understood to have put in place a very high restriction. The treaty denied Germany any permit to even have neither naval ships nor an army. Additionally Germany was denied the chance of keeping any military equipment for instance submarines, air force and tanks. It was the treaty that forcefully made Germany to get its army from the Rhineland region. (Brezina 2005, p.78). Territorial Clauses   Quite a large amount of land owned by Germany was taken away and given to other nations. Being part of the Versailles there are some major land banks that were given to other nations from Germany. They include; Belgium was given Malmedy and Eupen, France was given the Lorraine and Alsacen region, Denmark was given the Northern Schleswig region, Czechoslovakia was given Hultschin region and Poland was given the Posen, Upper Silesia region and West Prussia. Therefore, the treaty of Versailles resulted to very large amounts of land in Germany being given to other nations. The resultant effect of the high degree restrictions and penalties on the nation of Germany the people of Germany had a lot of discontent. The financial penalties were above Germany’s ability to meet them since it was in a very weak financial state. The rate of unemployment in Germany increased with there being a high inflation due to the fact that food prices and the prices of other basic necessities had risen. This situation led to many Germans being dissatisfied with how the government operated. They were therefore in search of someone who would aid them in doing away with the Versailles treaty. This state of affairs is representation of the inability of the treaty of Versailles to be successful form the time when it was signed. (Chambers 2000, p.66). There are several factors that doomed the Treaty of Versailles from the moment it was signed. Some of the reasons that are seen to account for its failure include; Discontent of Senate Foreign Relations Committee   The discontentment of the senate foreign relations committee over the treaty of Versailles led to its failure. At the time when Widrow went for the discussion of the treaty in Versailles the senate of foreign committee was locked out in the discussion. It was president’s Widrow plan to leave out the senate foreign committee from taking part in the discussion so that it could easier to drive through the implementation of the fourteen points plan. Nevertheless he did not succeed to have the fourteen points plan included into the treaty. In the end the treaty that was passed had partial basis on the fourteen points plan. The nation’s congress rejected the treaty which at the time it was impossible for Widrow to initiate changes within it as foreign powers had also approved it. The fact that the congress was not involved in the negations part of treaty it was very discontented hence its refusal to support it (Egerton 2002, p.885). It can therefore be said that the state of discontent of members of the senate led into rejection of the treaty of Versailles in America. Strength of Opposing Forces   Woodrow Wilson being the then president of the United States made a lot of attempts geared towards to the establishment of the global peace through his proposition of the Treaty of Versailles. Through the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles he saw that it would be a way of ensuring that peace existed between the allies and Germany. On the other hand, oppositional Congressional party did not offer any support to President Woodrow Wilson in this. Conflict arose within the treaty in relation to its features among them being Germany being made responsible for World War I hence required to meet the debt amounting from the damages caused during the war (Epley and Rush 2012, p.97). In addition to the treaty being opposed by foreign states, President Wilson lacked the support needed on the treaty even in his own country. The weaknesses constituted within the treaty and its domestic opposition resulted to the congress in the United States in a strict manner opposing it. All these events within the political affairs in America contributed to the treaty of Versailles not being successful. Opposition of League of Nations After president Widrow returned to America with the treaty the people within the county in which the treaty was related opposed it. People in the united perceived the treaty as bearing extreme harshness on the nation of Germany. Quite a big majority of people in America wanted imperialism which was an outcome of colonial rules in different regions globally to be eliminated. In line with this the treaty of Versailles was understood by the people to have only altered the colonial rulers instead of doing away with the policy of imperialism of rulers of the colonies (Feldman and Glaser 2001, p.35). This treaty also underwent rejection by some minorities due to the fact that it supported the establishment of new boundaries but failed to support the need for independence an aspect that was more crucial to the minorities. A good example is the fact that president Widrow failed to aid Ireland in obtaining independence being a colony of Great Britain. Besides all the named factors the League of Nations is the major opposition of the Versailles treaty in America. This state contributed to failure of the treaty. In conclusion as regards to contents of the treaty of Versailles, the fact it was extremely harsh on the nation of Germany as concerns penalties on this nation after world war I may be viewed as the key reason behind its failure immediately after its signing. A clear understanding has been highlighted in line with the proposition for the treaty made by the president of America Wilson concerning the fourteen points plan. Though, the French, Italian and British delegation rejected them. The treaty is seen to highly focus on punishing Germany and presenting it as the sole perpetrator of the First World War. Not even in America was the treaty accepted. The common men in America rejected it an act that motivated the members of the congress to oppose it as well. It is seen that the main reason as to why the treaty of Versailles was rejected in America include the league of nations opposing it and the failure to have the senate foreign committee involved in the treaty’s discussions during the time when it was being framed. References Brezina, C 2005, The Treaty of Versailles, 1919: A Primary Source Examination Of The Treaty  that Ended World War I, New York, The Rosen Publishing Group. Chambers, J 2000, The Eagle and the Dove: The American Peace Movement and United       States Foreign Policy, 1900-1922, New York, Syracuse University Press. Duiker, W 2009, Contemporary World History, New York, Cengage Learning. Egerton, G 2002, Britain and the ‘Great Betrayal’: Anglo-American Relations and the       Struggle for United States Ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, 1919-1920, The Historical Journal, 21(4), p. 885 Epley, W.W. and Rush, R 2012, Multinational Operations, Alliances, and International           Military Cooperation Past and Future, London, Government Printing Office. Feldman G and Glaser E 2001, The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment After 78 Years,   London, Cambridge University Press Kelly, N and Lacey, G 2001, Modern World History for OCR Specification 1937: Core. Sydney, Heinemann. Read More