The Treaties following WWI and its effects essays

The Treaties following WWI and its effects essays The restless state in Europe after World War I can be attributed to the poorly established peace treaties. The peace treaties of 1919 through the 1920s developed common ideas in order to prevent a future war and settle disputes. Agreements to disarm amongst nations provided a sense of security, especially after the Treaty of Versailles. However, the idealistic notions of the peace treaties proved unsuccessful, as none of the nations wanted to disarm first. Many treaties that followed the First World War were also created in order to make sure the stronger powers would not dominate. Because large amounts of damages were done, especially on the French territory, harsh reparations for Germany seemed reasonable as peacemakers and politicians saw this as restoring the balance of power. Although the attempts to make peace were evident, the ideals of the peace treaties enabled more problems to arise and eventually led to the Second World War. The first step to establishing peace was to disarm, and limit the size of militaries. Clemenceau believed that the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 was created in order to save Germany from aggression. The treaty wanted Germany to limit her army to 100,000 men, along with other burdening reparations. By forcing Germany to disarm, Clemenceau believed that there was room for restoration of peace in Europe. Contrary to Clemenceaus belief, Hitler thought of the treaty as a burden, but believed that when harsh reality hit, Germany can regain confidence. Germany signed a blank cheque, and an atmosphere of hatred and resentment of the treaty and politicians built up over the years. This then became Hitlers motivation to break ties with the treaty. Britain, USA and Japan were also involved in a military agreement. Growing tensions in the Pacific made USA weary about Japanese interest in the East. The Washington Naval Treaty agreed upon limiting the size o...