Arts1781-Europe in the Twentieth Century World

ARTS1781-Europe in the Twentieth Century World (2013)

Tutor: A.Kapos

Fri afternoon class

Major Essay

Student: Sang Kun Jonathan Kim

03469055

Essay

Why did the Versailles settlement fail to lay down the foundations for a lasting peace in Europe and across the World?

The 'Versailles settlement', a very long and extensive document made up of 440 Articles (plus Annexes) which have been divided into 15 parts. The Versailles conference was opened in January 1919 and the Germans were forced to sign the Treaty on 28 June 1919. The settlement was defined as the post-1918 international system constructed by the victors of the First World War. This essay will argue that Versailles settlement itself did not contribute much to the rise of expansionism nor lay down foundations for a lasting peace in Europe and across the world, in fact it was largely the reason why Adolph Hitler was able to come to power in 1933, and it was partially responsible for the Great Depression that began in 1929. Beyond that it didn't prevent or stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1933) and war against China (1937), the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1938), or the German invasion of Poland (1939). It had failed because of its failure to establish an international order that could contain the expansionist states.

The Treaty of Versailles, presented for German leaders to sign on May 7, 1919, forced Germany to concede territories to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Viewing Germany as the chief instigator of the conflict, the European Allied Powers decided to impose particularly stringent treaty obligations upon the defeated Germany. The settlement created at Paris was signed in a ceremony just outside Paris, at Versailles, and became known at the Treaty of Versailles. Policing of the Versailles Treaty rested on 2 principles: Allied cooperation and Collective security. This had all failed due to the settlement being too ambitious and the lack of co-operation amongst allies...