Treaty Of Versailles essays

Treaty Of Versailles essays On June 28 1914, the war had started with the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. On 28 June 1919, exactly five years and about 9 million dead soldiers later, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by defeated Germany. Germanys nose was in the dirt and the allies meant to keep it there. At the treaty of Versailles, Germany and the other Central powers agreed to repay every cent of damage caused by the war. This was known as the reparations and the final amount was fixed at the huge some 30 billion gold marks (at least two zeros more for todays value) plus interest payable over thirty years. The Peace Treaty of Versailles wasnt a real success. The Versailles Treaty left many questions unanswered and did not fully settle the questions. The pact couldnt reverse the tendency initiated by World War I. Generally the Allies attempted to create a status when it all began, which lead to instability and created the Second Great War in Europe. The unsympathetic settlement with Germany left it weak and opened the door for military opportunists, like Adolf Hitler. The Allied nations wanted to keep Germany at the bottom level; most of the leaders were determined to crush Germany and her possessions. Thus, the Versailles Treaty had altered its articles, according to the widespread hatred towards Germany. Consequently, Germany was blamed as the instigator of WWI. The outstanding figures in the negotiations leading to the treaty were Woodrow Wilson for the United States, Georges Clemenceau for France, David Lloyd George for England, and Vittorio Emmanuelle Orlando for Italy-the so-called Big Four. U.S President Woodrow Wilson insisted that Germany should be treated fairly with justice and honor so that they would not want to get revenge in the future. In fact the United States had suffered only few casualties compared to other allied countries. President Wilson also suggested that a Le...