How Did The Treaty Of Versailles Affect Peace In Europe?

When the First World War came to an end, plans were made immediately for a peace conference, taking place in Paris in 1919. This conference produced six treaties, Versailles, Saint Germain, Neuilly, Trianon, Sèvres, and Lausanne, but the one that sparked the most debate was the Treaty of Versailles. The other treaties were not as important, but did affect peace in Europe in the years following the First World War. The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to take full responsibility for the start of the war and pay for the reparations. Britain, France, and America, often referred to as ‘The Big Three,’ wanted separate things in the Treaty of Versailles. The Big Three weren’t completely happy with the treaty, but neither was Germany, and making a treaty that left …show more content…
A German member of Reichstag in 1919 said in his speech that the peace would “drain Germany’s national life-blood.” The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany and her allies had to accept total responsibility for starting the war and forced Germany had to accept liability for reparations. It also restricted Germany’s ability to wage war in the future by limiting the number of soldiers in their army, taking away heavy artillery and military and naval forces, restricting the navy, and demilitarizing the Rhineland. The treaty also took away German territory and forced Germany to accept the Covenant of the League of Nations even though it was excluded from the original membership. An article written by a British journalist in 1922 says that the peace was “sowed a thousand seeds from which new wars might spring.” The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay ridiculously high reparations for, practically, just losing the war. These reparations caused the German economy the suffer immensely and also caused extreme poverty throughout Germany. This treaty angered Germany, making them willing to do anything to get back what they