The Effects Of The Treaty Of Versailles On Germany Essay, Research Paper
World War I was one of the bloodiest and deadliest wars of all time. Many agreed that there were to be no more wars hence a treaty was signed. However, the contents of the treaty were not to Germany?s favour. The treaty of Versailles had a great role in Germany?s decision and desire to enter into war.
After Germany had surrendered and WWI was at an end, many, especially France, wanted to punish Germany. At the Paris peace conference, which the German?s were not invited to , ideas for a treaty were presented. There were many articles, 440 to be exact, that were included in the treaty. Germany was forced to give up all foreign businesses. Germany was not able to have soldiers within 100 kilometers of the border. As a result they could not defend themselves well enough. Germany?s navy, army, and airforce was destroyed. Any remaining ships and planes were blown up and/or sunk. Germany was only allowed to keep 24 ships and no submarines. They were also to limit their naval personnel to 15,000 people. Germany was to stop inporting, exporting, and producing war related material. The German army was reduced to 100,00 soldiers which was lower than the number of soldiers that they had in WWI. France decided that they would take back their old land of Alsasce and Lorraine. Germany was ordered to pay reparations for the damage that they caused in WWI. Theses reparations were not only payed with money but also in the form of ships, trains, livestock, and valuable resources.
According to W.M. Jordan, these were the most important parts of the treaty of Versailles.