THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Paris Peace conference was created initially with the honest purpose of keeping peace. At least that's what the allies had alleged and announced to the countries of Europe. The conference took place in 1919 in Paris and involved diplomats from more than 29 countries. These nations had joined together and declared the creation of a series of treaties that were to reshape the map of Europe and the world. However, there is much debate whether or not the treaties truly served its intended purpose of peace or could even possibly be blamed for the Second World War. Even though the conference was successful in keeping the nations of Europe too weak to revolt, tensions rose when the treaties began requiring too much from the countries.

The first treaty of the Paris Peace conference to be signed was the Treaty of Versailles; the treaty that ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty harshly required Germany to accept sole responsibility for causing the war and to disarm and pay heavy reparations to the Entente powers. With the treaty's order for Germany to disarm, Europe seemed a safer place. However, there was no saying whether or not Germany would eventually rebuild its empire and seek revenge; there was, after all, a Second World War. Even the victors argued on this very treaty. Several feared that revenge would truly be what Germans would be after while others argued that by disarming them now they would be a force that could be controlled. Finally the treaty was signed on the 28^th of June in 1919, seemingly ending the conflict between Germany and the Allied powers.

Soon enough, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed on the 10^th of September in 1919, by the Allies and the newly created Republic of Austria. The treaty declared that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to disband and no longer be as one. As a result, Austria was politically unstable and economically weaker. In addition, with the treaties requirement for their army to be limited to a force of 30,000 volunteers, Austria was too weak to fight back and kept them quiet from revolting. Furthermore, the treaty called for the prevention of a future alliance with Germany without the permission of the League of Nations. With no alliances possible, Austria, just as Germany, was weak and alone and couldn’t possibly go against the Allies once more.

Perhaps one of the most disastrous treaties of the Paris Peace Conference was the Treaty of Neuilly-dur-Seine. On the 17^th of November 1919 in France, a treaty was signed between the Allied forces and Bulgaria, dealing with its role in the war. It required for Bulgaria to give up Western Thrace to the Entente, cutting off Bulgaria’s access to the Aegean Sea. Trading being a major income for many nations, even before and still after the treaty, the economy was struck. In combination with the requirement for £100 million in reparations, the Second National Catastrophe occurred nearly rendering their economy useless. As with all nations, furthermore the League called for a reduction of their army to 20,000 men. With no army came no retaliation, a supposed peace yet the creation of a vulnerable Bulgaria. Eventually, however, Bulgaria regained land ceded by the treaty when they joined with Nazi Germany in World War II with the result of more disastrous results for Europe than before.

In 1920 the Allies and Hungary (the result of the disbanding of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) came together and signed the peace agreement named the Treaty of Trianon. The treaty, as many of the others, reduced and redefined the nation’s borders and caused Hungary to lose 64% of its total population. Hungary was also deprived of direct access to the sea and some of its most valuable natural resources which, like Bulgaria, led to economic instability. In addition, militarily their army was reduced to about 35,000 soldiers, leaving them almost useless if a war were to break out. In addition to the economical stress, Hungary had to pay war reparations to its neighbors.

The Treaty of Sevres was to be signed on the 10^th of August 1920 in reference to the Ottoman Empire’s peace with the Allies. Militarily, as usual with the Treaties of the Conference, the Ottoman’s army was to be restricted to 50,000 men and the navy could only preserve seven sloops and six torpedo boats. In addition, they were prohibited from obtaining an air force. The treaty however was not signed by the empire. Instead, later on in 1923 on July 24^th the Treaty of Lausanne was proposed instead. This was signed by the Ottoman Empire and was ratified by the Greek government. Politically The Republic of Turkey was recognized as an independent country, the successor state of the now non-existent Ottoman Empire. Economically, Turkey was not required to pay any reparations, unlike all the treaties due to the fact that this would have apparently destroyed the economy of this new country; something that was disregarded with dealing with the rest of the nations. Turkey was then able to build their economy, unlike Germany, for example, which was economically destroyed. Furthermore, no military limitations were imposed on Turkey, once again allowing the new country to build-up their army.

In conclusion, the Paris Peace Conference seemed more of a failure at keeping the nations of Europe stable enough to create a unified community. With their harsh rulings, the Allies ultimately forced the nations to question the League of Nations actions. Those who did not sign the agreements suggested were safe from having to limit their military. However, those who did ratify their treaties that required for a limitation of the nations army would find themselves in danger of those who did not. It seems that it’s understandable why the intentions of the League were questioned. They seemed to have destroyed European connections to bring peace rather than simplify them.

WHY GERMANY AND HER ALLIES WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN WORLD WAR 1

Many consider Germany and her allies to have been unsuccessful in World War 1. Even if one doesn’t consider Germany to have lost the war, Germany certainly made some mistakes and had some disadvantages. Several factors put together lead to Germany’s downfall. These linked together to cause a loss of faith within Germany. Germany and her allies lost the war due to a cultural loss of faith because of political, military, and economic factors.

Germany’s weak political enforcements and structure contributed to its defeat. One example is the German propaganda campaign. The Germans presented the British as dumb fools, nothing to be intimidated by or afraid of. The British on the other hand, showed the Germans as cruel monsters, and where prepared for the worst. When Germany and Britain met on the battlefield, the Germans were extremely disheartened for they were surprised by the organization and power of the British. This lead them to lose faith in Germany. The German government wasn’t equipped to fight the war, the people weren’t even being taxed. Germany relied on the citizens nationalism to survive the war. When this failed because of the lack of faith, Germany began to weaken.

Besides, Germany’s political state, Germany and her allies military actions weren’t the most thought out. While the British and the French were working together the Haig and Foch, Germany has Ludendorf as a leader, who fails to communicate well with the Austrians. The lack of organization in comparison made Germany seem desperate, attempting to ally with Mexico which isn’t even a government yet at the time. When Austria is weakened after entering the war with optimism, faith in Germany’s power ensued further. Knowing that the United States were mobilizing while Germany had limited supplies and soldiers and cannot possibly keep up added to this lack of faith and discouragement.

Though Germany’s military actions turned out poor, it’s economic state wasn’t in a much better shape. While in the Battle Jutland Britain was gaining control of the seas, Germany’s mileage coast remained very limited, meaning that Germany is unable to import and export materials such as weapons and food, in contrast to Britain which has the largest coastline. The British also passed the Defense Of The Realm act, which ensured that everybody had food available to them. Meanwhile, Germany is experiencing the Turnip Winter of 1917, where people are starving and Germany is weakened further. All these disadvantages of Germany’s weak economy, too weak to support its own people, only made the Germans lose more faith in their motherland.

Due to the above reasons, Germany and her allies were unsuccessful in the war. Political, military, and economic factors added to the cultural shift within people which lead them to lose their faith in Germany. Lack of faith in one’s country, adds to a lack of hope for victory. This means that as soldiers where fighting to defend their homeland, their psychological state may have changed to a less caring one. It is logical that they would fight with less strength, courage and willingness, leading to the defeat of Germany.

IMPERIALISM AS A CAUSE OF WORLD WAR 1

World War 1 was the result of several factors leading up to its commencement. The main source of conflict between nations that built up the tensions leading to war was imperialism. Imperialism is the spread of authority and power of a country over other countries. Though one cannot deny the presence of other influences such as nationalism, militarism, and secret alliances, imperialism was the milestone. As countries flourished industrially, the need for growth began. Imperialism was the cause of World War 1 due to the need for resources and their exploitation, market obtained through force, and expansion caused by invasion and colonization, which lead to global tensions.

With the advancement in technology and ability in these rising states, came a characteristic of imperialism, the need for new resources. These resources were obtainable outside of the countries themselves. With the opening of Africa in the late 1800’s, came the use of its resources to American and European advantage. The supply of rubber globally was limited, and the Congo provided much of it. Leopold enslaved the Africans in order to extract the rubber. Forced labor and over-use of foreign resources are evident signs of authority, and the strengthening of one’s nation at the cost of others. Leopold’s actions were clearly imperialistic.

The obtaining of more resources requires a larger market. In order to do this certain states had to be used for trade to be able to take place world wide, sometimes forcefully. Since Europe was using Chinese resources, it would be a benefit for it to be able to trade with China. China was uninterested, and tried to control its imports and exports, particularly of opium, leading to the Opium Wars. With their ending came the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, which lead to the allowance of Europeans to settle within China without the influence of Chinese law. The result of all this was a free trade market between Europe and China. Europe acted imperialistically by imposing a treaty that would allow it to control trade, thereby spreading its influence.

As states grew in power due to the above factors, they were now able to expand more easily. The greed for land continued to increase, which would ultimately lead to increase in power. Expansion requires the forced authority over another country’s territory. Between 1885 and 1900 there took place a colonial race in Africa. Italy took hold of Ethiopia, as well as the Somaliland and Eritrea on the Red Sea. Portugal conquered vast sections of Angola and Mozambique. These imperialist actions secured Europe’s control over Africa.

In conclusion, because of the need of resources, market, and expansion, imperialism was the cause of World War 1. Through imperialism countries constantly fought for greater power, worldwide authority, more resources, greater markets, and additional land. This increased the tensions between countries everywhere. These tensions could only grow as time passed. Due to the state’s acts of imperialism, disagreements and clashes between nations amplified, leading to World War 1.

CHAPTER 1 QUESTION 6

Germany was unified due to a number of reasons. As it joined with smaller states it gained power and wanted to expand due to nationalistic and economic factors. Conditions had to be right though, and organization was necessary. Otto von Bismarck took control of the situation. Bismarck’s role was essential to the unification of Germany.

Though Bismarck may not have intentionally done so, he managed to set in motion the events that lead to Germany’s unification. “There was no fixed plan, but Bismarck was brilliant at exploiting circumstances ” (Kitson 16). He supports this with his own past words: “Politics are not a science based on logic; they are the capacity of always choosing at each instant, in constantly changing situations, the least harmful, the most useful” (Bismarck np). Bismarck did however seem to have a vague idea of what he was doing, according to his conversation with the British politician in Disraeli. A listener quotes: “ ‘I shall soon’, said in effect the Prussian statesman, ‘ be compelled to undertake the conduct of the Prussian Government. My first care will be to organize the army, with or without the help of the Landtag [Prussian Parliament]. The King was right in undertaking this task, but he cannot accomplish it with his present advisers. As soon as the army have been brought into such a condition as to inspire respect, I shall seize the first pretext to declare war against Austria, dissolve the German Diet, subdue the minor states and give national unity to Germany under Prussian leadership’ ” (Count Eckstadt np). By following these steps, Bismarck was able to achieve his perhaps goal of creating the North German Confederation after the defeat of Austria,

Evidently Bismarck’s actions contributed to the unification of Germany. Whether they were done on purpose or not will remain a mystery, but the result still stays the same. He managed to maneuver the situation into its final outcome. If he had not stepped up one can only guess if the unification of Germany would have ever occurred. Bismarck affected and allowed the unification of Germany to take place.