This paper is a basic analysis of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 which saw the end of WWI. Particular attention is paid to the reasons that it failed in terms of both its provision and execution.
The paper argues that the Treaty of Versailles – signed in 1919 between Germany and the Allies to officially end WWI – was bound to fail from its inception. The paper explores the necessary conditions that need to be met for any treaty to succeed and, based on this information, provides the reasons for the demise of the Treaty of Versailles.
“The Treaty of Versailles was a monumental document presented to the Germans carrying the signatures of Great Britain, France, and the United States’ leaders respectively, with particular attention paid to Great Britain and France because they were Germany’s primary opponents during World War I. The irony is that the Germans, at whom the bulk of the treaty was aimed, were not allowed to participate in the Paris Peace Conference where the Treaty of Versailles was ironed out and finalized. In reality the Treaty was more of a list of demands made on the Germans due to their involvement and subsequent “lose” in World War I, a list including German land ownership rights, military size and scope, and war reparations. Especially due to the coercive nature of the treaty, the Allied Forces were under tremendous pressure to take certain measures involved with peacekeeping and treaty making in order to maintain the peace that any treaty attempts to maintain (and which in this particular case were failed to be met, evident by the rise of Hitler based largely on the promises of undermining the Treaty of Versailles).”