How Do You Account For The Failure Of The Treaty Of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was designed to put an end to the German menace. Although is was designed to create some sort of peace, the treaty was unsuccessful. It ended up setting the stage for WWII. Four major points that came up with, and in, the treaty that lent themselves to its failure were Article 231, reparations, the exclusion of Wilson’s 14 points, and the weakness of the League of Nations. Article 231 was also known as “War Guilt.” It placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany and forced Germany to pay for war damages. With these blames came built up anger in Germany because they thought that the financial penalties were unjust. Propaganda that followed with Article 231 only further angered Germany. With the help of Hitler, Germany began revolting.
Because sole responsibility for the war was laid on Germany’s shoulders, Germany was forced to pay $33 billion in reparations. The payment was to be made in a series three payments (A, B, and C) over the course of 30 years. These forced payments caused Germany’s economy to fail and all this blame and punishment made Germany feel betrayed. Germany believed that they were being unfairly punished and were left feeling bitter toward the rest of the world. The purpose of Wilson’s 14 points was to outline a strategy to end the war and assure peace. It included 14 “laws” as to how the feuding nations should work out their problems. The proposal included peace negotiations such as open diplomacy, the restoration of territory and boundaries, and the ways in which to properly punish Germany. If the 14 Points had been used, then the treaty wouldn’t have had such an emphasis on punishing