On the 28th of June 1919, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in the of hall mirrors ending the First World War with the Allied powers led by British, France, Russia, and later Italy. This essay will seek to analyse the immediate historical events that took place before and after the article was written, which provoked the writer to give this statement. Indicating the article, it will comment and explain on the importance of specific points made in the statement. Ultimately, this essay will conclude with the importance of this source by summarising the main points and the historical events that stimulated the writer to compose this article.
The source given is extracted from article in Deutsche Zeitung a German newspaper published on 28th June 1919. The source addresses the German people about the Treaty of Versailles that was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles after World War One on the 28th June 1919 between the Allied and the Central powers. The source informs that Germany was a glorious state and on 28th June 1919 it was entombed because the treaty points were against the German interest and had broken them economically, politically, militarily, and made them to decolonised their country. The article notifies and motivates the German people that they will not sit in peace until they take back what belonged to them once. Consequently, revenge was important to restore the humiliation of 1919.
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The source was written seven months after the end of the First World War. The first step towards the ending of the war was Russia’s exit when Russia signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the central power on 3rd march 1918. Germany agreed to send exiled Bolshevik leaders, Vladimir Lenin, with 31 other emigrants opposed both to the tsarists and the liberals, back to Russia ending Russia’s participation in the war. After Russia’s exit from the war it was seemed as Germany had won a great victory, but the treaty had caused series of problems. Such as, over one million military men were still in the east to enforce the treaty whereas, these forces were needed badly on the western front. The most serious problem of all, the German and allied troops who were attracted to Communism, Bolshevik appeal for an end to the war with powerful force which was the direct cause of a wave of strikes beginning in Vienna in January 1918 and spreading to Germany. For the first few days Germany made amazing progress, marching up to 38 miles and destroying the British Fifth army. But the military operation soon became impede and corrupt leading towards deteriorated attacks with no clear objectives. These problems created disillusionment in the German army and Germany faced the dire prospect of defeat. With its allies defeated and military no longer willing to fight, Kaiser Wilhelm dethroned on 9th November and Germany signed the armistice, an agreement for peace and no more fighting, on 11th November 1918. Thus, bringing the First World War to an end.
As the article states the shameful peace has been signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, this shameful act was the Treaty of Versailles. In January 1919, leaders of thirty-two countries assembled in Paris to draw the Treaty of Versailles which was a peace settlement act. Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, had the 14 points as a plan for agreement unfortunately his plan was failed because there were many republicans and even some prominent democrats who did not support Wilson's liberal peace programme. Furthermore, the British and the French leaders wanted to permanently reduce Germans power and to pay the reparations for the damage done by the war. The complete enormity of the task of rebuilding Europe was dreadful. There were political and economic turmoil across much of the central and eastern Europe. After the long decision, it was decided that Germany should be decolonised, she was forbidden to unite with Austria, German port of Danzig was made a free city under the league of nations, and the Saar coalfields were given to France for fifteen years. Moreover, Germany was disarmed having no tanks or aeroplane with limited army of 100,000 men and the fleet was to be surrendered to the allies. It was made clear that all the blame and war guilt of World War One was to be accepted by the Germans and they were expected to pay sixty-six hundred million pounds. As there was no German say in the treaty, by these terms, Germany was humiliated and they were affected economically which led to the hyperinflation in 1923.
This probably won't have made a difference if the new international association, the League of Nation was not built up to keep a watch on world issues and settle disputes. The association aim was to keep peace and co-operation around the globe. It was proposed by President Wilson as the piece of his Fourteen points for peace in Europe. However, it was made to keep peace, yet it had fatal flaws. A serious downside was that three major countries had no part in it. The new Soviet Union (USSR), since she was communist, were left out and was not conceded until 1934. The United States Senate refuse to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, in this way keeping the US from joining the League. Germany was likewise excluded in the League of Nation due to her war history and was not conceded until 1926, pulling back herself in 1933. One more of the League's serious issues was that it had no methods for implementing its choices, other than the burden of financial authorisations of farfetched adequacy it had no means of enforcing its decisions due to lack of presence from the army
In the last sentence of the source, it says that revenge is important to restore the humiliation of 1919. This revenge was taken by Hitler when he came in power in 1933. At once Hitler set about securing his authority using strong-arm tactics, enabling law through the state, giving him huge personal power. The German economy soon started to recover. He first made the German population believe that they lost the First World War because they were stabbed in the back by the Jewish. After using Jewish as a scape out for World War One Hitler convinced the Germans that he will overturn the humiliation of the treaty of Versailles. He used the propaganda, ordered Nazism to be studied at schools, and used the SA, the strum Abteilung or the Stormtroopers, to threaten anyone who disagreed with his Nazi believes. For taking the revenge he started to violate the treaty of Versailles. The treaty said that Germany could only have an army of 100,000 men. Hitler started to build up his army secretly, then, in 1935 he openly held a huge rearmament rally in 1935. He reintroduced conscription, a process of forcing people by law to join the armed services, and began to invest huge sums in the German armed forces building air force and the navy. In 1936, Hitler moved his troops towards Rhineland which was declared as a demilitarised zone by the treaty of Versailles. In 1938, Hitler made alliance with Austria and created a larger nation. Austria existed as a federal
state of Germany until the end of Second World War. Treat of Versailles stated that Germany had to pay sixty-six hundred million pounds (£6,600 million) as reparation money for the damage done by the First World War, Hitler stopped paying the reparation money and re-invested in the economy. lastly, in 1939 Hitler invaded Poland again violating the terms of the treaty of Versailles. Soon after Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
This essay pursues to analyse a portion extracted from the article in Deutsche Zeitung a German newspaper. The commentary places the article in the context of the end of the World War One 1918 and the Treaty of Versailles 1919. This commentary also discusses about The League of Nations 1920 which was the immediate historical content after the Treaty of Versailles and the process of Hitler in taking the revenge and restoring its glory. This article was published to tell the German population about the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which was a humiliation for Germany as it had decolonised its economy and broken them economically and militarily. The writer addresses that Germany was always a glorious state and because of the Treaty of Versailles its glory was taken away. Through the article, the writer is trying to motivate the German population and censuring the Allied powers that Germany have just lost a battle and they will not sit in tranquillity until they take back what once belong to them and once again Germany will become one of the most powerful country in Europe.
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