Treaty Of Versailles Essay

It is in the struggle to ensure peace following the tragic events of WWI – a war that was that previously demolished millions of lives and caused hatred that lasted for generations – that the Treaty of Versailles could be seen as a beacon of light in this struggle of peace. Agreed upon by the WWI superpowers of Britain, France and the United States, the purpose of the treaty was to end World War I in such a way that the victorious Entente powers would be satisfied and would result in the unification of Europe. However, it is in this pursuit of harmony that the Treaty of Versailles - intended to be a peace agreement between the Allies and Germany – ended up causing inevitable instability due to its flawed and abusive content – deliberately paralysing

The French leaders were disgruntled because they feared the treaty was not harsh enough while the British felt it was too harsh – leaving American in the middle with their idealistic point of view __ _. Because of these conflicting views, the treaty left Germany mostly intact and allowed her to regain economic and political strength. Despite the treaty, the country still had enormous potential despite its losses and emerged from the war as one of the strongest power on the continent. The peace invoked by Versailles left Germany both dominant and resentful – a combination that in turn fuelled nationalism and led German aggression the events of World War II. Many Germans considered the peace settlement to be too harsh and the Treaty of Versailles came to be known as the Versailles ‘Diktat’- an order or decree imposed by someone in power without popular consent. Germany harboured a passionate resentment against the victors and was determined to secure revenge for such dishonourable treatment. Through such antipathy, Germany became a breeding ground for extremist way of thinking and support of Hitler grew drastically. This mass disenchantment with democracy allowed Hitler to be voted into power during the 1930 elections. Once in power, Hitler invaded Poland- completely ignoring the treaty of Versailles and starting the Second World War. The League of Nations, set up by the treaty, was neither bothered nor capable of intervening and therefore also betrayed the