Sometimes blame is not easy to find. The Treaty of Versailles had ended the “war to end all wars”. In it, the allied powers-- France, Britain, and America-- had come to a decision on what Germany’s punishment would be. The Germans were not fond of the agreed upon conditions since Germany no say in the treaty. Is the Treaty of Versailles to blame for World War Two?
A. The Treaty of Versailles was created as an agreement that Germany would pay for the damage that was produced during World War I. However, it might have been the most important creason of World War II. Many of the leaders saw it coming, yet they just ignored it. B.
The most controversial part of the treaty was Part VIII that established Germany 's liability for war and the damages of the Allies. It set Germany 's reparations. It had Article 231 in which Germany accepted its responsibility for the Allied damages during the war. Article 231 or the War Guilt Clause raised negative sentiments from Germany 's population giving rise and emboldening the right-wing German parties. It was a precursor
Can Peace Lead to War? Yes, peace can lead to war. A temporary peace, or one built up quickly can cause tensions for the oppressed and the oppressors. As in the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was reprimanded for things they did not do and France, Britain and the U.S were fighting with each other over the terms Germany was to agree to. Germany, in turn, was looking for revenge and started WW2.
If a nation does not fight for a side in a war and stays neutral then it is not smart to stand there and provoke them, especially if the nation is one of the superpowers of the world. Germany pushed America to step into World War 1 because they made bad decisions on other nations that also took a toll on America. Germany antagonized president Woodrow Wilson 's neutrality in WW1 by destroying ships such as the Lusitania and going back on promises that they made. But the Germans were not the only ones to drag America into this war. America felt that trades between them and allied nations were being taken advantage of, and they felt that they just needed to end the war.
Wilson’s influence at the meeting was at a disadvantage due to insignificant losses of the United States compared to those of other nations. Nations, like France, suffered losses due to the war being fought on their land, so they sought more vindictive enforcement. France specifically wanted to weaken Germany out of retribution and to prevent future attacks. Also, Wilson had compromise with other nations in order to pass his ideas. He mainly wanted to create the League of Nations, but he had to negotiate with the focuses of self-determination and German war guilt.
Once the Schlieffen plan was carried out Germany had then been added to the war along with France. Great Britain was also added to the war due to the Germans jeopardizing the neutrality of Belgium. All of this tension between
Americans initially favored neutrality, but events like the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann telegram provoked the U.S. to join the war in support of the Allies (Shi and Tindall 754-757). Less obvious factors, such as nationalism, imperialism, and business opportunity, also contributed to the war. The war ended in 1918 after immense bloodshed, but President Wilson failed to get the Treaty of Versailles ratified by the Senate (Shi and Tindall 773). As a result of the war, Europe was significantly weakened, harsh punishments were imposed on Germany that later led to WWII, and America emerged with a strong economy as a dominant world power (Shi and Tindall
Who wouldn’t empathize and shed a few tears while watching Bruno and Shmuel clasp hands in their final moments in the BBC Film, The Boy with the Striped Pajamas? This fictional story would not have been written had it not been for the nationalist pride that Adolf Hitler and the Nazi’s used to persuade people to rally against ethnic groups that were supposedly part of Germany’s downfall in World War I. This dangerous pride led to the destruction of various different groups for no good reason. After reviewing European history, one has to wonder if the members of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 had treated the defeated countries such as Germany differently, and the League of Nations had been inclusively opened to all realms, would World War
Although Britain had a much bigger army as her advantage, she was struggling to win the war against the Boers and as her last desperate try to end it on her terms, she had the villages destroyed and the inhabitants sent to concentration camps. Although she managed to win the war, even Britain could sense that the end did not, in fact, justify the means. This did not affect the morale of the British too well.