CH11 - BP Treaty of Versailles
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Salt Lake Community College *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
1700
Subject
History
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by PrivateAlpacaPerson1008
Did the stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles play a role in creating the
global Great Depression, why or why not? Consider American and
European economic policies and reference the pertinent articles of the
treaty.
Following World War I, world leaders gathered and held the Paris Peace
Conference in 1919 to negotiate terms of a new world order. This was where the
Treaty of Versailles was signed and marked the end of the 5-year conflict. This
treaty later went on to cause great turmoil and economic issues for Germany, as
they struggled to pay back the reparation money for the War. These ongoing
problems for the country led to destabilization and radicalization in the years
following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, adding also to some of the
causes of the Great Depression.
In January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson went before Congress to lay
down 14 points for an idealistic idea for Peace. Seven of those points addressed
territorial issues between countries while the rest was a vision for peace. Wilson
also called for a general association of these nations to mediate international
disputes, which would lay the foundation for the League of Nations. During the
Paris Peace Conference, the leaders of 32 states met to discuss the future,
however, the meeting was mostly negotiated by the big 3. (American Civilization).
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28,1919, and consisted of
240 pages and contained 440 articles. These articles were divided into different
provisions, territorial, military, and financial and economical. Germans were not
happy and felt as though they were betrayed by the leaders who signed the
treaty. This anger over the betrayal fueled the rise of populism and nationalism in
the 1920s and 30s and would later lead to the rise of power of Adolph Hitler in
1933. (Treaty of Versailles explained – End of WWI 1919).
Articles 10 and 11 of the treaty were specific to the League of Nations and
stated that any aggression, threat of danger, war, or threat of war would be
addressed by the whole League of Nations as a group, regardless of whether
they were threatened directly or not. It was also declared that each member of
the league has the friendly right to bring attention to any circumstance affecting
international relationships which in turn will affect international peace.
An important and perhaps the most controversial part of the Treaty was
Article 231 also known as the “War Guilt Clause” and Article 232 which stated
that Germany and their allies were responsible for all the loss and damage
suffered because of the war and would pay back reparations. Many Germans
were upset and found it unfair as they were not allowed to be included in the
League of Nations itself. The reparations were set later after the Treaty was
signed but amounted to around 132 billion gold marks. (Jun 28, 1919 CE: Treaty
of Versailles).
Another large part of the Treaty of Versailles was the cession of German
land. Several articles in the Treaty addressed the change in ownership of land.
Articles 45-50 stated that the Saar Basin be turned over to France for its coal
mines. Article 51 gave the territory of Alsace Lorraine back to France as well,
which was previously seized by Germany in 1871. The demilitarization of
Rhineland was also a big initiative that happened in the Treaty as France was
trying to ensure Germany would not attack France again. Articles 87 to 93 gave
the newly independent Poland pieces of Prussia and other territories with ethnic
German groups. Article 119 stripped Germany of its colonies in China and Africa.
(Treaty of Versailles explained- End of WWI).
The military provisions in Articles 159-163 reduced the size of the German
Army to nearly 100,000 from the previous 1.9 million. The disarmament of
Germany was covered in Articles 164-172 which limited the number of guns and
ammunition they could have. The German naval sources and fleets were also
reduced to just six battleships, six light cruisers12 destroyers, and 12 torpedo
boats and completely eliminated the submarine fleet. Articles 198-202 prohibited
Germany from having an Air Force except for seaplanes. (Treaty of Versailles).
The financial and economic provisions are what led to Germany
specifically falling into the Great Depression. The reparations that Germany was
told to pay back far exceeded what the economy could handle at the time.
Inflation in Germany, which had begun to accelerate in 1922, spiraled into
hyperinflation. The value of the German currency collapsed and the battle over
reparations had reached an impasse. In late 1923, Charles Dawes headed a
committee to review the German Reparations. Under the Dawes Plan,
Germany’s annual reparation payments would be reduced, increasing over time
as its economy improved; the full amount to be paid, however, was left
undetermined. (The Dawes Plan, the Young Plan, German Reparations, and
Inter-allied War Debts)
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
The Dawes plan then led to the creation of the Young Plan in 1928 but this
essentially failed before it was even implemented due to the economy crash in
Germany, and The Great Depression was starting to take its toll. In 1931,
President Hoover approved a one-year moratorium on all the reparation
payments. The following year, Allied delegates attempted to write off the
remaining debt at the Lausanne Conference, but the United States Congress
refused to sign it. The U.S. agreed that Germany still was on the hook for the
damage costs. (The Dawes Plan, the Young Plan, German Reparations, and
Inter-allied War Debts).
By 1932, as much as 30% of the German labor force was unemployed.
The Nazi party rose in popularity following The Great Depression. Soon after in
January 1933, President Paul Von Hindenburg elected to make Adolf Hitler the
prime minister after fear that there would be a communist uprising. Hitler became
dictator and made all the decisions for several years to come. He decided to
cancel all payments effective in 1933 and Germany did not pay any reparation
money during his rule. In fact, his goal was to get the Treaty of Versailles
cancelled altogether. People in Germany looked at him as an extremely
courageous man for his refusal to pay anything owed. (
Germany’s World War I
Debt)
Adolf Hitler believed the only way to come to power and gain territory was
to go to war, so he began to rearm the German people, which was a direct
violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1936, Hitler dispatched military units into
Rhineland. By 1938, he took over Austria. On September 1
st
of 1939, Hitler
attacked with extreme force using
his Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war” against Poland
using tanks, aircraft, and infantry. Two days later, Poland announced war on
Germany and thus the European phase of World War II began. (American
Civilization).
In conclusion, The Treaty of Versailles proved to do more harm than good
in the end. While it temporarily created peace between the allies and Germany, it
caused several problems leading into The Great Depression and World War II.
The Treaty itself was not a direct cause of either The Great Depression or the
second World War, however, it did play a part in both events. The War Guilt
Clause caused a lot of chaos and led to a large debt for Germany when they
were already experiencing financial struggle and economic issues. The additional
stipulations in the Treaty played a role in Germanys experience of The Great
Depression.
Works Cited:
Title: American Civilization - Chapter 11: America and the Second World War,
1941-1945
Date: n.d.
URL:
https://slcc.instructure.com/courses/922557/pages/ch11-dot-1-textbook?
module_item_id=21502771
Title: Germany’s World War I Debt Was So Crushing It Took 92 Years to Pay Off
Date: June 27, 2019
URL:
https://www.history.com/news/germany-world-war-i-debt-treaty-versailles
Title: Jun 28, 1919 CE: Treaty of Versailles
Date:
October 19, 2023
URL:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/treaty-versailles-ends-
wwi/
Title: The Dawes Plan, the Young Plan, German Reparations, and Inter-allied
War Debts
Date: n.d.
URL:
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/dawes
Title: The Treaty of Versailles
Date: 1919
URL:
https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/treaty_of_versailles-112018.pdf
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Title: The Versailles Treaty
Date: 1919
URL:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=1159
Title: Treaty of Versailles explained- End of WWI 1919
Date: Oct 27, 2021
URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PFZ1cO01PQ