Treaty of Versailles

From RationalWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
William Orpen - The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was the historically disastrous end to the historically disastrous World War I.

While it may have made the "victors" feel better, it also put the "losers" in a hopeless position of having to make onerous reparations. The "losers" then developed a nationalist sentiment that led to an even bloodier war.

Contents

[edit] Revanche

The Treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles, a place of great historical significance to the nation of France. As it was the site of France's final humiliation during the Franco-Prussian war,[1] it was the perfect venue for Georges Clémenceau to put the proverbial boot to Germany.

The newly-formed Weimar Republic had little option but to agree to terms dictated by France and 30 other countries.[2]

[edit] Terms

The terms of the treaty were not as onerous as the terms the German Empire had dictated to Russia.[3] But no one remembers that because Germany had to give it all back, as per the Treaty of Versailles.

  • Germany was forced to restrict the size of its military.[4]
  • Germany was forced to pay reparations to the victors, crippling the national economy.[5] Guess when it was finally paid off? 2010.[6]
  • Germany was forced to take the blame for the whole war even happening.[5]

[edit] Rache

The utter humiliation of Germany and the German people was a significant contributing factor to the rise of Adolf Hitler.[7]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. Die Proklamation Des Deutschmark Kaiserreiches, Anton von Werner, France held a grudge.
  2. [1] Museum of Australian Democracy
  3. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Courtesy of Yale University.
  4. Treaty of Versailles, Section V Courtesy of BYU.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Treaty of Versailles, Section VII, Courtesy of BYU.
  6. Why Did World War I Just End?, Time
  7. Holocaust Encyclopedia: Treaty of Versailles, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Toolbox
support