Antecedents of Failure in the Treaty of Versailles   Term Paper ID:27598 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Analysis of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War. French fear of Germany led to harsh terms; German bristling at the harsh terms led to the Second World War.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Analysis of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War. French fear of Germany led to harsh terms; German bristling at the harsh terms led to the Second World War. Paper Introduction: The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I , yet virtually none of the parties which signed this document were satisfied with the terms. The two bitterest enemies of the Great War, Germany and France, had suffered devastating losses as a result of four years of intense fighting across their shared borders. Their opposing viewpoints regarding how peace in Europe should be maintained were described in the book, Sources of the Western Tradition, Volume II: From the Renaissance to the Present, edited by Marvin Perry, Joseph R. Peden, and Theodore H. Von Laue (1995). As victors, the French demanded extreme measures of punishment against the Germans both for reasons of revenge and as a means of securing their territory from future threats of German invasion. The French were in large part motivated by the fact that the major Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. (1992). They claimed that stripping Germany of her colonies was actuallydoing those colonies a disservice."Colonial work does not consist in [sic] capitalistic exploitation of aless developed human race, but in raising backward peoples to highercivilization. However, Germanycould not ignore the fact that millions of ethnic Germans were suddenly andarbitrarily cut off from their homeland by victorious nations primarilyinterested in economic gains rather than justice and peace on the Europeancontinent. Bibliography Perry, M., Peden, J.R., & Von Laue, T.H. He was particularly outraged atthe widespread influence upon German thought at the turn of the centurywhich the book, Our Future, by General Bernhardi, had. They charged France and its allies ofseeking annexations for economic gain rather than security motives. On the other hand, the German delegation felt the terms of the Treatyof Versailles were unreasonably harsh and unjust. Clemenceau revealed a great hatred for the Germans whom he describesas guilty of, "never-ending acts of violence by which the first savagetribes carried out their depredations with all the resources of barbarism"(Perry, 1995, 292). It seemed the irony of Germany's partitioning by the victorious powersand its similarity to the partitioning of Africa into satellite coloniestwo decades earlier by the very same European nations (including Germany)was lost upon the Germans. As victors, the French demanded extreme measures of punishment againstthe Germans both for reasons of revenge and as a means of securing theirterritory from future threats of German invasion. TheGermans further argued that the terms of the treaty interfered with theirright of self-determination while also enforcing unreasonable terms ofreparations upon them. Long after the sounds of gunfire had died on the battlefield, thehatreds, mistrust, and misunderstandings which had contributed to creatingWorld War I were still alive. Naturally, the Germans regarded the Treaty of Versailles as extremelyunjust. Von Laue (1995). They argued that there was no international law requiringGermany to pay reparations and this seemed to be supported by PresidentWilson, who the Germans claimed also stated that Germany did not bear fullresponsibility for the war: "Apart from the consideration that there is noincontestable legal foundation for the obligation for reparation imposedupon Germany...Germany must [nevertheless] promise to pay an indemnity, theamount of which at present is not even stated" (Perry, 1995, 296).For the Germans the question of peace terms boiled down to the right ofself-determination by a nation and its peoples (Perry, 1995, 296). Boston MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Future events would quickly prove that the Treaty of Versailles waspoorly thought out and even more poorly implemented. The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I , yet virtuallynone of the parties which signed this document were satisfied with theterms. This aristocracy, according toClemenceau, had mislead the German people and soldiers with promises andvisions of a greater German destiny to rule Europe through gloriousvictories upon the battlefield. The two bitterest enemies of the Great War, Germany and France, hadsuffered devastating losses as a result of four years of intense fightingacross their shared borders. Germany aboveeverything!" (Perry, 1995, 292). Peden, and Theodore H. Inturn this created an atmosphere within Germany which gave rise to Hitlerand, eventually, the beginning of World War II. Hitler was able torebuild the German military machine because France, England, and the UnitedStates failed to hold Germany to the mandates of the Treaty which weresupposed to limit their ability to build another massive war machine. Finally,he concluded that the philosophies expounded by these intellectuals andfound throughout German culture influenced German foreign policy from 1871through 1914 toward aggression and hostility with France. Both the Germans and the French hadlegitimate concerns as they sat at the negotiating table. They also charged that EastPrussia was to be annexed in order to provide Poland free access to the sea(Perry, 1995, 295). One of the strongest proponents of harsh termsagainst the Germans was Georges Clemenceau who argued in his book, Grandeurand Misery of Victory (193 ), that since the very nature of German culturewas geared toward imperialism, all efforts must be made to subjugate thatnation. Clemenceau warned that the philosophy of "Deutschland uber alles" hadbeen carefully crafted over the years by the military, social, and economicaristocracy of Germany (Perry, 1995, 292). The Germans angrily denounced their loss of colonial possessions aswell. Yet Clemenceau was correctin warning against easing on surveillance of Germany. This gives the Powers which are advanced in culture a naturalclaim to take part in colonial work" (Perry, 1995, 296). None of nationsinvolved in the negotiations were satisfied with the outcome of theirefforts. Clemenceau andthe French people had every right to fear the militaristic culture ofGermany. The Germans objected to any terms which forced them to payreparations. Bankruptcy as a result of the war effort as well as post warinterference from the victorious nations contributed to the collapse of theGerman economy. He felt that this statement symbolizedGermany's quest to dominate France and eventually the rest of Europe(Perry, 1995, 292). The French were in largepart motivated by the fact that the majority of the bitterest fighting hadoccurred on their soil. Clemenceau also pointed to a document issued by dozens of leadingGerman intellectuals which allegedly justified German expansionism: "Whatdocument more suitable to reveal the direction of 'German Culture' than thefamous manifesto of the ninety-three super-intellectuals of Germany, issuedto justify the bloodiest and the least excusable of military aggressionsagainst the great centres of civilization?" (Perry, 1995, 293). Their opposing viewpoints regarding how peacein Europe should be maintained were described in the book, Sources of theWestern Tradition, Volume II: From the Renaissance to the Present, editedby Marvin Perry, Joseph R. They found the annexation of what they regarded as historicallyGerman lands particularly galling. Asevidence they pointed to German territory along the Saar River which theyclaimed was sought for its coal deposits. He argued that the characteristic which made Germanyso dangerous was its philosophy of, "Deutschland uber alles. German resentment grew and focused on the humiliatingterms of the Treaty of Versailles and its annexation of German lands. Our Future,expounded the theory that Germany was, "the greatest manifestation of humansupremacy, and finds herself condemned, by her very greatness, either toabsorb all nations in herself or to return to nothingness" (Perry, 1995,293). Pointing towardPresident Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points" speech, the Germans felt thetreaty unjustly singled them out as solely responsible for the war. They cited the territory of Alsace-Lorraine on the border betweenGermany and France where thousands of ethnic Germans would fall victim toFrench desires to regain coal rich lands which the two nations had disputedsince 1871 (Perry, 1995, 296). Theyreminded the world that the lands annexed from Germany contained millionsof ethnic Germans who were not given any voice in the decision makingprocess. Sources of thewestern tradition, 3rd ed. Especially since the German military aristocracy's standing insociety was not severely crippled by the war effort. He supported his arguments by looking atsome of the aspects of popular culture. He also argued that the Germans must be containedand kept politically and militarily weak because the dominant culturalcharacteristic of that nation was imperialistic in nature (Perry, 1995,293). Georges Clemenceau demanded the harshest punishment possible forGermany because of its history of violent aggression against France overterritorial disputes. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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