The Treaty of Versailles

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed after the end of World War I and questions its nature in relation to the problems it caused 20th Century Europe. It looks at how the treaty, which the allies forced upon the Germans in 1919, has been one of the most controversial political acts of the twentieth century and how on almost every aspect can be seen as a failure, although it did provide Europe with twenty years of peace from 1919 to 1939. It examines such issues as reparations forced on the Germans who could not pay and the territorial changes that were made in Europe. It evaluates how the treaty was too harsh upon the Germans and how it caused resentment amongst them, which Hitler skilfully brought to the surface.

From the Paper:

"The other key feature of Versailles was the reparations which the allies believed that the Germans had to pay. These ranged from the modest to the ridiculous. The French believed 200 million German Marks would be the minimum that the Germans would have to pay. Both Britain and France wanted reparations, by France desperately needed them, as the war had left the French economy in ruins. Therefore the French aims with Versailles was to hamstring the German economy in such a way that the Germans would have paid for France's war and left themselves bankrupt. To the French this was the ideal situation, as a bankrupt Germany would pose no threat to the safety of France. However the French could not see that by hamstringing the German economy, the whole of the European economy would be wrecked."

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