Example research essay topic: How The Treaty Of Versailles Changed Trajectory World - 735 words

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How the Treaty of Versailles changed the Trajectory of the World [Date] Treaty of Versailles changed Introduction After six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference, the Treaty of Versailles was finally signed on November 11, 1919 in the follow-up of the Armistice treaty to officially end World War 1. The Versailles treaty basically required Germany and her allies to accept responsibility for the world war and agree to territorial concession, disarmament and to pay reparations to some of the Allied countries. However, the treaty began being undermined from as early as the 1922 due to subsequent events and by the 1930 s, the provisions therein were almost totally ignored. Negotiations Prior to the signing of the Versailles treaty, negotiations had begun as early as January of 1919 with 26 nations initially participating.

However, Germany, Austria and Hungary were excluded because they were the defeated parties and due to a separate negotiation between Germany and Russia in 1917, Russia was also excluded from the negotiations. The important roles played during the negotiations were by the five main victors: the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy and Japan but due to the impracticality of Japan at that time to remain fully committed in the negotiation process, its participation was limited. Italy also left the negotiations and later returned to make territorial claims, which were rejected. Thereafter, the United States, France and Great Britain decided the final terms of the treaty, which had been difficult to agree upon and was an unhappy compromise because of conflicting interests of these three nations.

Initial Rejection and Later Acceptance of the Treaty by Germany Germany had initially protested at the terms and conditions of the treaty because it had not been allowed to negotiate the treaty. Besides this the conditions being imposed upon her included giving up all of her overseas colonies, partitioning her own boundaries in favor of surrounding nations including the losing of almost 12. 5 % of her population and being restricted in rebuilding her military capabilities had therefore to withdrew from the proceedings. In June 1919, after the new German government had been installed, Germany agreed to the conditions and to sign the treaty, which was later ratified on January 10, 1920 by the League of Nations. The Aims of the Victors The intention of the four main victors of World War 1 was to punish Germany but they all had their different reasons as to how it should be punished. The United States on the other hand wanted permanent peace with compensation for its military intervention with the destruction of the old empires. The League of Nations Before the end of World War 1, the United States had put forward a fourteen points program that was not as harsh as the British and the French wanted it to be with the Germans also being led to think the Versailles treaty would be based around these points.

The American idea behind the League of Nations was to avert future wars in Europe, however, only three of the fourteen points were implemented. Conclusion After the Versailles treaty, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy had been replaced by smaller republics that proved no obstacle for the revitalized Germany of Adolf Hitler. Germany therefore became more powerful than her eastern and southeastern neighbors and within two decades it had become such a dominant force in Europe. The resentment in Germany towards the treaty proved fertile ground for the rise of Nazism and in defiance military buildup began and Hitler eventually tore up the treaty in front of a cheering crown. Consequently Hitler in 1936 reoccupied the demilitarized zone in the Rhineland; in 1938 he annexed Austria and in 1939 he occupied Czechoslovakia and also invaded Poland. This eventually led to the beginning of World War 11.

Historian Dan Rowling (1951) in his historical assessments claimed, "It was this treaty which caused a chain reaction leading to World War II." Works Cited Gerhard L. Weinberg, 2005 (2 nd edition), A World at Arms: A global history of World War II, Cambridge University Press, pp 15 - 16. ISBN 0521853168 Margaret Mac Milan, 2003, Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World, Random House, ISBN NR. : 03757605200375760520 web Margaret Macmilan, 2004, Paris 1919 http: // 72. 14. 235. 104 /search? q = cache: Yp 9 gJfmpr 9 cJ: web Treaty of Versailles, from wikipedia the free encyclopedia (Accessed: December 18, 2007) web

Research essay sample on How The Treaty Of Versailles Changed Trajectory World