In my opinion, the Treaty of Versailles the biggest mistake ever made. It was a global mess, and resulted in not only a second world war, but also in the ultimate destruction of President Woodrow Wilson. Though it was created with the best of intentions, in reality it was one of the biggest blunders in history.
One of the many problems included the massive difference in opinion between the Big Four: President Woodrow Wilson of the US, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of GB, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy. Virtually the only thing these four agreed on was that Germany was the "bad guy", and all others should be considered victorious. Wilson and Clemenceau especially butted heads more than a few times, due mostly to their literally opposite personalities. Where Clemenceau was liberal and science-oriented, Wilson was conservative and was deeply rooted in his faith. My favorite quote describing the two comes from Lloyd George when asked how the Paris Peace Conference went. He replied with "Not badly, considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon".
"Jesus" and "Napoleon", while both agreed that Germany should bear at least some responsiblility for the Great War, each had his own personal opinion on how to make Germany shoulder this responsibility. Clemenceau demanded revenge, retribution, and harsh punishments. Wilson, on the other hand, was more level-headed, and proposed self-determination along with his Fourteen Points. These various disagreements resulted in more time spent arguing and less time spent actually finding ways to end the hostility peacefully.
Another huge problem with the Treaty was the little, or even no, thought given to the people that lived in the Balkans when dividing up the area into random territories. These were areas that were volitile to begin with due to racial and ethnic differences - the very reason World War I started. Dividing this area up even more, with no regard toward people's families and heritage only added fuel to the constantly burning fire. From this treaty, virtually every war since can be traced back to either the hacking up of the Balkan region, or to the hostility toward Germany - another major issue.
Blaming the war solely on Germany may have seemed like an easy out at the time, but it has come back to haunt those who did so. Germany was bitter about the entire treaty, which demanded they pay 6,600 million pounds, demanded that they cut back drastically on their armed forces, and made them take full responsibility for the war. Personally, I do not think this was fair either. There were plenty of other countries that were involved. Why were those who started the entire thing, those in the Balkans, not punished? Would that not be the fair thing to do? And isn't "fair" what the Big Four, especially Wilson, aiming for? I myself do not understand what the reason was for this huge wrong-doing, when there was the perfect opportunity for peace right there in front of them. If this had been handled correctly, the world could have been spared a second world war, and probably most of our wars since then.
One of the many problems included the massive difference in opinion between the Big Four: President Woodrow Wilson of the US, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of GB, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy. Virtually the only thing these four agreed on was that Germany was the "bad guy", and all others should be considered victorious. Wilson and Clemenceau especially butted heads more than a few times, due mostly to their literally opposite personalities. Where Clemenceau was liberal and science-oriented, Wilson was conservative and was deeply rooted in his faith. My favorite quote describing the two comes from Lloyd George when asked how the Paris Peace Conference went. He replied with "Not badly, considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon".
"Jesus" and "Napoleon", while both agreed that Germany should bear at least some responsiblility for the Great War, each had his own personal opinion on how to make Germany shoulder this responsibility. Clemenceau demanded revenge, retribution, and harsh punishments. Wilson, on the other hand, was more level-headed, and proposed self-determination along with his Fourteen Points. These various disagreements resulted in more time spent arguing and less time spent actually finding ways to end the hostility peacefully.
Another huge problem with the Treaty was the little, or even no, thought given to the people that lived in the Balkans when dividing up the area into random territories. These were areas that were volitile to begin with due to racial and ethnic differences - the very reason World War I started. Dividing this area up even more, with no regard toward people's families and heritage only added fuel to the constantly burning fire. From this treaty, virtually every war since can be traced back to either the hacking up of the Balkan region, or to the hostility toward Germany - another major issue.
Blaming the war solely on Germany may have seemed like an easy out at the time, but it has come back to haunt those who did so. Germany was bitter about the entire treaty, which demanded they pay 6,600 million pounds, demanded that they cut back drastically on their armed forces, and made them take full responsibility for the war. Personally, I do not think this was fair either. There were plenty of other countries that were involved. Why were those who started the entire thing, those in the Balkans, not punished? Would that not be the fair thing to do? And isn't "fair" what the Big Four, especially Wilson, aiming for? I myself do not understand what the reason was for this huge wrong-doing, when there was the perfect opportunity for peace right there in front of them. If this had been handled correctly, the world could have been spared a second world war, and probably most of our wars since then.
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