Treaty of Versailles. Treaty of Versailles Redistribution of German colonies
The economic, territorial and political interests of European countries at the turn of the 20th century intersected in many directions. The struggle for influence in the international arena goes beyond diplomatic relations; this is a prerequisite for the outbreak of an armed conflict. The First World War was started to redistribute spheres of influence by the world's largest powers. Its results were disastrous for the economies of all participating countries (except the USA and Japan), but the new order led to even more dire consequences. The Treaty of Versailles, signed with great difficulty, turned out to be a time bomb.
War
The emergence of a military alliance called the Entente was due to the growing influence of the German Empire in the European political and economic arenas. Initially, the bloc includes France and Russia, which enter into an exclusively military-political agreement; later Great Britain joins, having lost the primacy of its handicraft production by the beginning of the century. The central part of Europe is occupied by Austria-Hungary, which is balancing on the brink of internecine war due to its multinational composition, but at the same time is in confrontation with a larger and stronger neighbor - Russia. Germany is developing rapidly, compared to its European neighbors, its colonial possessions are too small, so the intentions are obvious. The Italians, Austrians and Hungarians joined the Germans as an ally. The balance of power changed with the course of hostilities; a total of 38 countries took part in them. The First World War began in 1914, it lasted 5 years and ended in November 1918. Military operations took place on the western, eastern front and in the colonies. Germany and its allies launch an offensive in 1914 quite successfully, capturing Luxembourg and Belgium. The French army is trying to hold back the onslaught through bloody battles, Russia is quite successful in operating in the eastern direction, capturing Prussia. In 1915-16, the most tragic events took place: the Battle of Verdun and the Brusilov breakthrough, which became the last success of the Russian imperial troops. As a result of the Americans joining the Entente armies, the course of the war changes. Germany's allies sign a peace treaty with the victorious states, this forces the Germans to surrender. The tragic events that blew up the Russian Empire from the inside took it out of the war in 1917 and left it outside international economic and political relations for a long period. The Treaty of Versailles is a documentary reflection of the end of the world war.
Consequences
In fact, by 1918, the entire industry and agriculture of European states had been reoriented towards military needs. During the war, more than 60% of enterprises were destroyed, thousands of hectares of agricultural land could not be used for their intended purpose. The loss of the main resource - human life - is difficult to estimate; more than 10 million people died, the number of disabled and unemployed people is incalculable. The demographic situation in Europe was on the verge of collapse. Economic ties between countries and enterprises were lost, the entire international trade and economic infrastructure collapsed, its foundation - production - ceased to exist. Hunger, chaos and devastation reigned on the territory of the countries that won the war and those that lost the war. The gold and foreign exchange reserves of the parties to the confrontation were exhausted; the United States became the main creditor for all parties to the conflict. Throughout the conflict, they sold military equipment, food and everything that was needed to support the troops and population during the war. As an outside observer, the United States was able to boost its industry and earn enormous capital. In Europe, some of the previously existing countries were unable to cope with huge losses and ceased to exist: the Ottoman, German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires. The terms of the Versailles peace treaty did indeed contribute to a new division of Europe, but not according to the German scenario. For the military-industrial complex, the First World War became a catalyst in the process of creating and using new types of weapons. Machine guns, tanks, grenades, bombers and fighters significantly changed the tactics and strategy of military operations. The first use of chemical weapons allowed all countries to draw the right conclusion and abandon their use. There have never been more violent clashes in world history; the massive destruction of enemy forces led to huge losses on all sides of the conflict.
Russia
The First World War caused changes in the world economic and political system. At the initial stage, the Russian Empire was assigned a leading role in the military actions of the Entente against the Triple Alliance, but our country did not have any special geopolitical motives at the time of its involvement in the conflict. The resource base allowed the state not to fight for colonial possessions; there was no reason to expand the territory at the expense of neighboring countries. Nicholas II was forced to enter the war because of the military-political treaties that existed at that time with England and France; this decision cost him his throne and his life. The army and rear structures of the Russian Empire were unable to wage a protracted war; the initiative on the eastern front quickly passed to the enemy army. Part of the territory of Ukraine, the Baltic states and Belarus were captured by German troops. In 1916, the Russian army was able to restore its functionality and partially draw back enemy forces from the western front, preventing the capture of Paris. On French territory, at the cost of huge losses, several cities previously occupied by the Germans were liberated. The last significant victory was the Brusilov breakthrough, in which the Austro-Hungarian army was defeated by the Russian imperial troops. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with the tsar’s policies is growing within the country, and he is rapidly losing the trust of the people. Against the backdrop of military actions that are not victorious, restrictions and hunger, a revolution occurs. The new government begins to solve internal problems and emerges from the global conflict on unfavorable terms. The peace treaty concluded with Germany is a shameful flight that many officers and soldiers did not accept. Some of the imperial troops fought on the fields of the First World War as part of the Allied formations of the Entente, considering it a duty of honor. A period of international isolation began for Soviet Russia; most world powers considered the Bolshevik government illegitimate, so the Treaty of Versailles was signed without the participation of the Russians. This will play a huge role in the future not only in the development of our country, but also in the global political and economic system.
Germany
Possessing a fairly powerful army, navy and great ambitions, Wilhelm II pursued an aggressive foreign policy. Germany, having Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire as its allies, could not conduct military operations on two fronts at the same time. According to the Germans' calculations, they had to capture France in a short time, and then switch to destroying the forces of the Russian Empire. The emphasis was on speed and support from the countries of the Triple Alliance. At the same time, in fact, German troops were forced to operate in the Balkans, Africa, Europe and Asia. This is explained by the great maneuverability and combat effectiveness of German formations. Virtually all naval operations involving the troops of the Triple Alliance were carried out under the leadership of the officers of the German Empire. In 1915, a massive offensive against the French capital was thwarted due to the inability of the Austro-Hungarian army to hold positions on the eastern front. In fact, Germany was defeated in World War I due to economic reasons. For four years, all the production and agricultural capacities of the state worked for the needs of the army. Famine and war led to a revolution that ended with a mutiny among the troops and the overthrow of William II in November 1918. At the same time, Germany admits defeat and concludes a truce with the Entente countries (without Russia, which as a result of the revolution became known as the USSR).
Treaty of Versailles
The peaceful resolution of the military conflict was a long process of reconciling the contradictions of the victorious countries. The Entente, expanded to include Japan and the United States, began to redistribute Europe and colonial possessions in Africa and the Far East. The treaties of the Versailles system were supposed to ensure the independence and stability of the states that won the First World War, while the interests of the losing countries were infringed through financial instruments and territorial annexations. An international conference was held in Paris in 1919-1920. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919. Its main articles were positions on which consensus was reached at the international conference. The document came into force in January 1920. His project was proposed by Wilson (the then current US President) in 1918. The essence of the Treaty of Versailles in its original version was the redistribution of spheres of influence of the victorious countries, in particular the United States. At the same time, dominance in Europe was necessary for the Americans due to economic indicators, but the allied states had their own interests. The document was supposed to limit the influence of all countries participating in the conflict, not only on the losing side, the leader of which was Germany. The Treaty of Versailles created a group of independent states in central Europe that served as a buffer zone between Soviet Russia and the Western European powers. To maintain peace and prevent potential conflicts, the document created a special organization called the League of Nations. The Treaty of Versailles was ratified by the Entente: Great Britain, France, Japan, and by the Triple Alliance: Germany. In 1921, the Americans created the Versailles-Washington treaty system, which, in essence, did not differ from the original version, but excluded participation in the League of Nations. Germany was forced to sign it too.
The League of nations
The Treaty of Versailles is the document on the basis of which the first international organization was created, designed to regulate relations between countries through diplomacy. During its existence, the League of Nations created several commissions that specialized in analyzing the situation in specific areas: women's rights, drug trafficking, refugees, etc. At various times, it included 58 countries, the founders of which were France, Spain, and Great Britain. The last meeting of the Council of the League of Nations took place in 1946. Many international institutions that exist today are its successors and continuers of traditions: UNESCO, the UN, the International Court of Justice, the World Health Organization.
Division of Europe
The main terms of the Treaty of Versailles implied the separation of part of German territory in favor of the victorious countries and newly formed states created after the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Most of them had anti-Soviet governments and were used as a buffer against Bolshevism. Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Yugoslavia have gone through a difficult path of internal political settlement. Under the terms of the agreement, Germany allocated: Poland - 43 thousand km 2, Denmark - 4 thousand km 2, France - more than 14 thousand km 2, Lithuania - 2.4 thousand km 2. The 50-kilometer zone of the left bank of the Rhine River was subject to demilitarization, that is, it was actually occupied by enemy troops for 15 years. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, concluded between Germany and Soviet Russia, was annulled, which led to the return of the occupied lands (partially Belarus, Transcaucasia, Ukraine). The Saarland is placed under the administration of the League of Nations, with the use of coal mines by France. The Gdansk district was declared a free city. Germany lost all its colonial possessions, which were distributed among the victorious countries. Protectorate rights over Egypt and Morocco were transferred to England and France respectively. Chinese territories leased by Germany for 99 years were transferred to Japan, which is why the largest delegation left the international conference and did not sign the Treaty of Versailles. Briefly, the main provisions were rejected in favor of the winners, 70 thousand km 2, on which more than 5,000 people lived.
Restrictions
As a result of Germany's military aggression, many territories of central, eastern and western Europe suffered; reparations in their favor were also reflected in the Treaty of Versailles. The articles of the document did not contain specific figures; they were determined by a specially created commission. The total volume of payments at the initial stage was approximately 100 thousand tons of gold. Restrictions were also imposed on the armed forces of the aggressor country. Mandatory conscription was abolished, all military equipment was transferred to the Entente countries, and the number of ground forces was stipulated. In fact, Germany, from the most influential country in Western Europe, became a powerless member of international relations. The living conditions of the population and constant pressure from the victors allowed the Nazi regime to come to power in 1933 and create a more powerful totalitarian state, which later, with the help of the USA and England, would become a counterweight in the secret war with the USSR. According to the conclusions of many historians, the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 was an armistice that led to a new war. The Germans were humiliated by the terms of the document, they lost the war without allowing a single enemy soldier onto their territory, and at the same time remained the only aggressor country that bore the brunt of economic and military-political restrictions.
Disagreements
The Versailles-Washington treaty system actually worsened the relationship between the former allies. The Americans and the British sought to reduce the burden of Germany's obligations with the help of the Young Plan, which helped speed up the recovery of the country's economy and industry by 1929. Hoping to acquire a reliable ally in the fight against the USSR, the United States invested quite large sums into the restoration of the former aggressor. England sought to reduce the level of influence of France in the European arena, which, through reparations, practically restored the economy within five years. At this time, Germany finds an unexpected ally - the USSR. Two large states that have fallen out of the system of international relations are uniting. And for a long time they have been cooperating quite effectively in the field of creating military equipment, trade, and food supplies. Japan is beginning to increase its appetites in the Far East and China; there is no unity among the allies; each country pursues its own interests. The Treaty of Versailles is violated primarily by its creators, who were preparing for peace, but ended up with a new war.
Failure
The structure of the world system after the end of the First World War, based on the points of the Treaty of Versailles, contained many contradictions. It is impossible to ensure control of the situation by excluding a sixth of the globe from international relations. The concept of the 14 points of the document had an anti-Russian (anti-Soviet) orientation. Consent and equality are the basic principles of any contract. A special role in the failure of the peace agreements was played by negative economic factors that are associated with the process of cyclical development of any system. While the leading imperialist powers were busy with their own economies, Germany not only learned to maneuver and circumvent the Versailles agreements, but also created a new regime of aggression. To a large extent, this was due to the principle of non-interference by the countries of the former Entente in its military policy. The creation of a new war machine was welcomed by the former allies, as they hoped to direct its aggression to the east. The United States, in turn, decided to increase the growth rate of its own economy through a new war in Europe.
Let's talk a little more about the Treaty of Versailles. We have already said that he contributed to the creation of the League of Nations, but with regard to Germany specifically, the most important aspect here is that the blame for starting the war rests entirely with Germany. Perhaps to support this you could say that Germany behaved most aggressively at the beginning of the war, declaring war on Russia and France without any reason, but as a counter-argument you could say that Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Russia had already declared mobilization, but then comes the counter-counter-counter-argument that Germany gave carte blanche to Austria, declaring that it would support it no matter what Austria did. Needless to say that the Germans were not very happy that they were given all the blame for starting the war? In addition, and we have already talked about this, according to the Treaty of Versailles, the size of the German armed forces was sharply reduced - to 100,000 people, which is little more than a large police force. Germany was also prohibited from forming an alliance with Austria. Let's write down: a ban on creating a union with Austria. You may ask, why with Austria? Because Austria is a German-speaking country. It is clear that there is a close ethnic and linguistic relationship between Germany and Austria, which is why the creation of an alliance between them was prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles. In addition, Germany lost its colonies. We have already talked about them. It had colonies in Africa, colonies in Asia and the Pacific. In addition, Germany had to pay reparations. Their amount is estimated at the equivalent of approximately $450 billion at 2013 prices. They were not paid in full, but placed a heavy burden on the German economy, especially since they were paid not only in money, but also in resources. To ensure reparations were paid in resources, the Allies occupied the Saar region, which is located here, it was rich in coal, and over the next 15 years the coal was exported to France. The Allies were paid part of the reparations not just in money, but in dollars. This also had an impact because Weimar Germany, the Weimar Republic (that was the name of the German government after World War I, because the post-war German constitution was adopted in the city of Weimar). So, in order to pay the currency part of the reparations, the government printed more and more money, trying to convert it into other currencies, which resulted in hyperinflation that swept Germany in the early 20s, specifically in 1923. Well, with the onset of hyperinflation, Germany could no longer pay reparations, and France, in order to ensure the pumping of resources from Weimar Germany in the future too, France goes further and occupies the Ruhr region, which is located here. It is also rich in coal and steel. The French began to export resources from there too. This was another huge humiliation for the Germans. In addition, it was bleeding the German economy. The Allies siphoned all the most important resources from it. This also happened in 1923. The overall effect of the humiliation after the First World War, the export of resources and now the occupation of the Ruhr region, which, from the German point of view, did not correspond to the content of the already bad Treaty of Versailles, all this provided growing support for the most extreme parties in Germany. For example, at the end of 1923, this prompted Hitler, then the leader of a rather small National Socialist or Nazi party, to attempt a state. coup known as the Beer Hall Putsch. It ended in failure, but became a powerful impetus for the then marginal, i.e., very small party. Due to the occupation of the Ruhr region, the party's numbers increased sharply. It is impossible not to mention the actual territorial losses of Germany. Here, in the north of East Prussia, is a tiny region. In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, it came under French protectorate, but was later transferred to Lithuania. We have already talked about an entire region of Germany, the former German Empire, which was simply cut off in order to become part of the new Polish state. Most of Poland used to be part of the former Russian Empire, part was cut off from the former German Empire, and another part was cut off from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. I must say about Silesia (here), part of which went to Poland, the other part to Czechoslovakia. We mentioned the famous Alsace-Lorraine region here, which has been the subject of a dispute between Germany and France for many years. Now he retreated back to France. Belgium received this tiny area, and this region in the north went to Denmark. Well, besides all this - a reduced army, the removal of resources, and so on, France really wanted to completely undermine Germany's ability to start a war in the future, and therefore it created a demilitarized zone in the Rhineland. The Rhineland includes both... The demilitarized zone included German territory west of the Rhine, all German territory west of the Rhine, i.e. That is, this entire region, it was all occupied by the Allies. In addition, Germany was prohibited from militarizing and mobilizing troops in a 50 km wide zone east of the Rhine. East of the Rhine. If you look at the Treaty of Versailles, you will see that it suppresses any attempt by Germany to start a war. She was banned from selling weapons and was banned from owning many types of offensive weapons. An attempt was made to completely deprive Germany of the opportunity to do what it did during the First World War. But, as we see, this to a large extent became a catalyst for the rapid development of extremist groups in Germany and served as one of the reasons that led Germany to World War II. Subtitles by the Amara.org community
TREATY OF VERSAILLES 1919, the treaty that officially ended the First World War of 1914-18. It was developed at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-20. Consisted of 440 articles, combined into 15 sections. Signed on June 28 at Versailles (France) by the United States, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan, as well as Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hijaz, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Poland , Portugal, Romania, the Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian state, Siam, Czechoslovakia and Uruguay, on the one hand, and capitulated Germany, on the other. Soviet Russia was not invited to participate in the development and signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty. China, which took part in the Paris Peace Conference, did not sign the treaty. Of the states that signed the Treaty of Versailles, the United States, Hijaz and Ecuador subsequently refused to ratify it. The US Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles due to its unwillingness to bind the United States of America to participation in the League of Nations, the charter of which was an integral part of the Treaty of Versailles. On August 25, 1921, the United States concluded a separate treaty with Germany, almost identical to the Versailles Peace Treaty, which, however, did not contain articles on the League of Nations and Germany’s responsibility for starting the war.
The Treaty of Versailles came into force on January 10, 1920, after it was ratified by Germany and the four main Allied powers - Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
The Treaty of Versailles was intended to fix the fact of the military defeat of Germany and its responsibility for the outbreak of the war, to redistribute the world in favor of the victorious powers through the liquidation of the German colonial empire, to consolidate territorial changes in Europe, including through the transfer of lands of Germany and the former Russian Empire to others states, to create a system that ensures that Germany fulfills the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty and guarantees the victorious powers for a long time the role of undisputed world leaders.
According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany transferred to France the provinces of Alsace-Lorraine, to Belgium the districts of Malmedy and Eupen, as well as the Neutral Morena and Prusse. Morena; Poland - Poznan, parts of Pomerania and other territories of West Prussia; Danzig (Gdansk) was declared a “free city”; The city of Memel (Klaipeda) was transferred to the jurisdiction of the victorious powers (in February 1923 it was annexed to Lithuania). The question of the statehood of Schleswig, the southern part of East Prussia and Upper Silesia was to be resolved through a plebiscite (as a result, part of Schleswig passed to Denmark in 1920, part of Upper Silesia in 1921 to Poland, the southern part of East Prussia remained with Germany); A small section of Silesian territory was transferred to Czechoslovakia. The coal mines of the Saar were transferred to French ownership. The Saarland itself came under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years, and after 15 years its fate was also to be decided by a plebiscite. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany renounced the Anschluss, pledged to strictly respect the sovereignty of Austria, and also recognized the full independence of Poland and Czechoslovakia. The entire German part of the left bank of the Rhine and a strip of the right bank 50 km wide were subject to demilitarization. The left bank of the Rhine, in order to guarantee Germany's fulfillment of the obligations imposed on it, was occupied by Allied troops for a period of up to 15 years from the moment the Versailles Peace Treaty came into force.
Germany lost all of its colonies, which were later divided among the main victorious powers based on the League of Nations mandate system. In Africa, Tanganyika became a British mandate, the Ruanda-Urundi region became a Belgian mandate, the Kiong Triangle (Southeast Africa) was transferred to Portugal (these territories previously constituted German East Africa), Great Britain and France divided previously German Togo and Cameroon ; The Union of South Africa received a mandate for South West Africa. In the Pacific Ocean, islands belonging to Germany north of the equator were assigned to Japan as mandated territories, German New Guinea was assigned to the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Samoan Islands were assigned to New Zealand.
According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany renounced all concessions and privileges in China, the rights of consular jurisdiction and all property in Siam, all treaties and agreements with Liberia, and recognized the protectorate of France over Morocco and Great Britain over Egypt. Germany's rights over Jiaozhou and the entire Shandong province of China were transferred to Japan.
According to the treaty, Germany's armed forces were to be limited to a 100,000-strong land army; compulsory military service was abolished, the bulk of the remaining navy was to be transferred to the winners. Germany was prohibited from having a submarine fleet and military aircraft. The German General Staff and the military academy were dissolved and could not be restored. The production of weapons (according to a strictly controlled nomenclature) could only be carried out under the control of the Allies; most of the fortifications had to be disarmed and destroyed.
Since Germany was held responsible for starting the war, an article was included in the treaty that provided for compensation for damage to countries that were attacked by it. Subsequently, a special Reparations Commission established the size of reparations - 132 billion gold marks. The economic articles of the Treaty of Versailles placed Germany in the position of a dependent country. They provided for the lifting of all restrictions on the import of goods from the victorious countries, the free flight of aircraft over German territory and unimpeded landing on it; the rivers Elbe, Oder, Neman and Danube were declared free for navigation within Germany, as was the Kiel Canal. River navigation in Germany was placed under the control of international commissions.
The Treaty of Versailles provided for an international trial of William II and other persons guilty of committing acts “against the laws and customs of war.”
According to Art. 116, Germany recognized “... the independence of all territories that were part of the former Russian Empire on August 1, 1914,” as well as the abolition of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty of 1918 and all other treaties concluded by it with the Soviet government. Article 117 of the Treaty of Versailles obliged Germany to recognize all treaties and agreements of the Allied and Associated Powers with states that “...were or are being formed in all or part of the territories of the former Russian Empire.”
A number of articles of the Versailles Peace Treaty were devoted to the international regulation of labor issues and the creation of the International Labor Office.
The Treaty of Versailles, discriminatory and predatory in nature, did not contribute to the establishment of lasting peace in Europe. Formed as the basis of the Versailles-Washington system, it aroused sharp criticism from a variety of political forces. The "Versailles diktat" was not recognized by the USSR. The Treaty of Versailles deepened old contradictions and gave rise to many new ones, creating fertile ground for the ripening of a new large-scale military conflict. In Germany, his conditions were perceived as “the greatest national humiliation.” He stimulated revanchist sentiments and the development of the National Socialist movement. In the 1920s and early 1930s, a number of clauses of the Versailles Peace Treaty were revised or their implementation was terminated without permission. The Treaty of Versailles finally lost legal force after Germany officially refused to comply with its terms in 1937.
Publ.: Treaty of Versailles. M., 1925.
Lit.: Nicholson G. How the world was made in 1919. M., 1945; Macmillan M. Paris 1919. N. Y., 2002.
And the Paris Peace Conference was formalized by the Treaty of Versailles, a voluminous and complex document containing more than 450 articles. Questions, fears, anxieties and doubts emerged in the post-war years, revolutionizing fields such as art, religion, psychology and philosophy. Europe was dizzy and confused, like a boxer after the end of a terrible fight. People were faced with a difficult task - establishing a peaceful life. It was clear to everyone that the way of life would never be the same as it was before the war. The Great War changed everything: the economy was in ruins, politics changed, the map of Europe was redrawn.
The speech delivered by American President Woodrow Wilson to members of the US Congress was called the “14 Points”. It was a peace proposal approved by the American legislature and addressed to both the conqueror and the conquered. “14 points” can be classified according to two main criteria.
The first group of articles was mandatory for all countries, providing for open diplomacy, freedom of navigation, general disarmament, the removal of trade barriers, the impartial settlement of colonial disputes, the restoration of Belgium, the liberation of occupied Russian territories and the creation of the League of Nations. Open diplomacy prohibits the widely used practice of countries conducting secret negotiations and signing secret agreements.
The liberation of Russian territories was a mandatory requirement, since German troops occupied large parts of Western Russia and Ukraine. The American president expressed his “anti-imperialist” beliefs and even some sympathy for the Germans: “we have no jealousy of German greatness, and there is nothing in this program that would diminish it.”
The essence of Wilson's idealism can be seen from the following paragraph: “an obvious principle runs through the whole program that I have outlined. It is the principle of justice towards all peoples and nationalities and their right to live in equal conditions of freedom and security with each other, whether they are strong or weak."
Another group of articles contained six regional decisions: Alsace-Lorraine will be returned to France, autonomy will be granted to the peoples of Austria and Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, the borders of Italy will be adjusted, the Balkans will be liberated, the Dardanelles will be open to ships of all countries, a new Poland will be created - independent, having access to the sea.
Russia on the sidelines of the Versailles peace treaty
Some of the greatest multinational empires have sunk into oblivion. Tsarist Russia, which at one point in history ruled over 200 nations and nationalities, disappeared from the map. Enormous human and material losses made the survival of the Romanov Empire impossible. The collapse of Tsarist Russia led to the emergence of the first communist state after the so-called October Revolution, which was actually a Bolshevik coup.
Together with Soviet Russia, such independent states as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland were created or recreated from the ruins of the tsarist empire. At the same time, the collapse of the empire, a separate peace with Germany and the civil war did not allow Russia to be among the winners.
Germany's situation
Germany was losing relatively important territories in Europe and on other continents. Alsace-Lorraine was returning to France. The districts of Eupen, Moresnet and Malmedy were included in Belgium. Northern Schleswig returned to Denmark. The strip of West Prussia and Poznań returned to Poland, becoming the so-called “Polish corridor”. Danzig, known to Poles as Gdansk, will become a free city under the leadership of the League of Nations. The Rhineland, the area between the Belgian-French border and the Rhine, as well as the 50 km wide area east of the Rhine will be demilitarized.
Germany and its allies were considered entirely responsible for starting the war. Under Article 231, these countries are required to pay “war reparations.” In the final year of the conflict, the German army systematically destroyed mines, factories and public buildings, including hospitals, as it retreated from Belgium and France. These German actions radicalized the Allied position. Even the pacifist Wilson became convinced of the need to force Germany to pay reparations for the destruction it had caused and to completely disarm it.
The amount of reparations was not specified in the Treaty of Versailles. It was announced later, after many disputes and disagreements. The total amount was 132 billion marks in gold. The region, known as the Saar, rich in coal deposits, will be administered by the League of Nations for the next 15 years.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, seized by Germany from Russia under the terms of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, gained independence. The Anschluss of Germany and Austria was prohibited. The African colonies were taken away from Germany. They became "mandates" under the supervision of the League of Nations.
Germany had to comply with some very restrictive military regulations, such as: an army of 100,000 soldiers, of whom only 5,000 could be voluntary officers, with compulsory conscription prohibited. They were not allowed to have offensive weapons: tanks, armored cars, military aircraft and submarines, with the exception of 6 warships.
Germany and its allies were defeated, but not destroyed. Berlin asked for peace and signed a peace treaty. The Allies could continue the war, invade German territory and inflict enormous material damage on the main author of the disaster.
Changing the world map after the Treaty of Versailles
The treaty with Germany was the most important document for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. However, treaties signed with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey also brought about significant changes. Under the Treaty of Saint-Germain, Austria ceded to the Czechoslovak state two developed industrial provinces with a population of about 10 million people: Bohemia and Moravia.
Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina were part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later called Yugoslavia. Northern Bukovina returned to Romania. Galicia was included in the Polish state. South Tyrol, Trentino, Istria and Trieste went to Italy. The Treaty of Trianon sanctioned Hungary's loss of Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia to Czechoslovakia; Croatia and Slovenia - Yugoslavia; Transylvania and a large part of the Banat region - Romania. According to the treaty signed in Neuilly, Bulgaria lost territory, confirming its losses in the Balkan wars.
The new Bulgarian state no longer had access to the Aegean Sea. Most of Macedonia became part of the new Yugoslav state. Southern Dobruja remained in Romania. Thus, one million Bulgarians found themselves outside national borders. The Treaty of Sèvres, signed by Turkey, finalized the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty also contained punitive measures for Turks accused of genocide. Türkiye lost most of its territory. Eastern Thrace, many islands in the Aegean Sea and Smyrna, called Izmir by the Turks, returned to Greece. Antalya and Rhodes went to Italy.
France gained control of Sicily. Occupied Syria and Lebanon were under the mandate of the League of Nations. Palestine, Iraq and Transjordan became British Mandate territories. A huge territory in Eastern Anatolia was included in the Armenian state.
The Treaty of Versailles is an important international document of the beginning of the last century, which marked the end of the First World War and established the order of the post-war world order. Its conclusion took place on June 28, 1919 between the Entente states (France, England and America) and the defeated German Empire. Together with the agreements subsequently signed with the German allies and the documents adopted at the conference in Washington, the treaty became the beginning of the Versailles-Washington system of international relations.
What goals did the document serve and who signed it?
The first world war in human history ended in the fall of 1918 with the signing of the Compiegne Armistice, which provided for a cessation of hostilities. However, in order to finally sum up the bloody events and develop the principles of the post-war world order, representatives of the victorious powers needed several more months. The document that sealed the end of the war was the Treaty of Versailles, signed during the Paris Conference. It was concluded on June 28, 1919 in the former royal estate of Versailles, located near the French capital. The signatories of the treaty were representatives of England, France and America (the Entente states) on the side of the winners and Germany on the side of the losing state.
Russia, which also took part in the war on the side of the Entente bloc and lost millions of its citizens in battles, was not allowed to attend the Paris Peace Conference due to the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Germans in 1918 and, accordingly, did not take part in the preparation and signing of the document. .
Thanks to the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty, a new system of post-war world order was established, the goal of which was to quickly revive the economies of the victorious powers and prevent another global military conflict. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles became the subject of long negotiations and discussions between representatives of the victorious states. Each country sought to extract as much benefit as possible from the signing of the future document, so it took the participants of the Paris Conference many weeks to draw up its general provisions. Finally, at the end of June 1919, after long secret meetings, the terms of the Versailles Peace were drawn up and agreed upon between the countries that fought on the side of the Entente.