Result Of The First World War
1. The Treaty of Versailles (June 28,1919)
The victorious powers or the Allies met in a conference first in Versailles, a suburb of Paris, and later in Paris, between January and June 1919. Though the number of countries represented at the conference was 27, the terms of the peace treaties were really decided by Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Britain, and George Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France. The defeated countries were not represented at the conference. The victorious powers also excluded Russia from the conference.
As a result of the discussions at the Paris Conference, on June 28,1919 The Treaty of Versailles was signed. It ended the War. The basis of the treaty's negotiations was the American President Wilson's Fourteen Points. The treaty was designed to prevent Germany from going to war again.
Terms Of Treaty
(i) The Treaty declared Germany guilty of aggression.
(ii) Germany was required to pay for the loss and damages suffered by the Allies during the war. The number of reparations was fixed at 33 billion dollars. Germany had to cede her merchant ships to the Allies as compensation and had to supply huge quantities of coal to France, Italy, and Belgium for ten years.
(iii) The area of the Rhine Valley was to be demilitarized and the German territory west of the Rhine was to be occupied by the Allied Troops for 15 years.
(iv) Germany lost Alsace Lorraine to France; Eupen-et-Malmedy to Belgium, and Schleswig to Denmark. Danzig became a Free Port in the Polish territory.
(v) Germany ceded parts of her pre-War territory to Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and France.
(vi) The coal mines in the German area called Saar were ceded to France for 15 years and the area was to be governed by the League of Nations.
(vii) Germany lost all her colonies to the victorious Allies-Britain, Belgium, South Africa, and Portugal.
(viii) German colonies in the Pacific and the areas under her control in China were given to Japan. China was aligned with the Allies during the War but her areas under German control were given away to Japan.
(ix) The German Army was restricted to a force of 1,00,000 soldiers and the Navy was limited to 15,000 men and 24 ships. The Air Force and submarines were banned.
(x) The Treaty affirmed the complete independence of Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.
(xi) The Covenant of the League of Nations was added to the Treaty of Versailles.
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| Europe After The First World War |
The period after the War saw the beginning of the end of European supremacy in the world. Economically and militarily, the United States surpassed Europe to emerge as a world power. The peace treaties signed after the War transformed the political map of the world, particularly of Europe. Three ruling dynasties were destroyed -the Romanov in Russia during the War itself, the Hohenzollern in Germany, and the Hapsburg in Austria-Hungary. Soon after the War, the rule of the Ottomans came to an end in Turkey. Austria and Hungary became separate independent States. Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia emerged as independent States. Thus, the War gave a serious blow to the autocratic monarchial system and led to the development of democracy in Europe. Empires having different cultures were dissolved and independent states having distinct cultures emerged after the War. These included Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Yugoslavia. Under the impulse of nationalism, Alsace-Lorraine was restored to France, and Schelswig-Hostein was restored to Denmark.
3. Formation of the League of Nations
One of the most significant consequences of the War was the creation of the League of Nations. The horrors of War convinced the leaders of the world that there must be a mechanism to prevent War and promote international cooperation. This culminated in the setting up of the League of Nations.
An important part of the peace treaties was the Covenant of the League of Nations. Wilson's Fourteen Points included the creation of an international organization for the preservation of peace and to guarantee the independence of all states. Thus, the League of Nations was created as a world organization of all independent States in 1920.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
(i) All the States of the world were prohibited from entering into any secret treaties and alliances.
(ii) The member-States were not supposed to maintain huge armies, warships, and destructive armaments.
(iii) All States were to respect each other's independence.
(iv) All States were to refer their mutual disputes, if any, to the League of Nations for a peaceful settlement.
(v) The member-States were to take the necessary action as directed by the League against any State which tried to disturb world peace and order.
(vi) Apart from political functions, the League of Nations was supposed to promote cultural, social, and economic cooperation among the member-States.
The hopes of having a truly world organization devoted to the preservation of peace and independence of nations were, however, not realized with the formation of the League of Nations. Two major countries Germany and the Soviet Union were not allowed to become members for many years; while India, which was not independent, was made a member. The United States which had played an important part in the setting up of the League ultimately decided not to join it.
The rise of dictatorships in Italy and Germany led to the weakening of the League of Nations and it failed in its basic objective of maintaining peace in the world. Unfortunately, the League came to an end as Hitler committed aggression on Poland which began World War II (1939-1945).
Result Of The First World War At A Glance
- The Treaty of Versailles was signed between the Allies and Germany on June 28, 1919. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were harsh;
- Territorial rearrangements 一it changed the political map of the world by giving a serious blow to monarchy and developed democracy in Europe. The treaty not only affected substantial territorial changes but also reduced the military strength of Germany; and
- Formation of the League of Nations.
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