In what ways, and with what success, did post-war peacemakers attempt to deal with the problems which produced the conflict? Specific reference should be made to two peace settlements.

        In respect to territorial greed, the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 called for Germany to cede control of its colonies, as well as lose a substantial number of European territories, markedly West Prussia. It was to give France back control of Alsace- Lorraine, and give Denmark Northern Schleswerg. These were just a few of the territorial losses that Germany experienced as a result of the treaty’s terms. Although the territory was retrieved the treaty failed to have a long lasting impact on German submission and was soon violated in the midst of World War Two.

        The retribution of 226 billion Reichsmark demanded from Germany, which was later reduced to 132 billion in 1921 was enough to anger not only German government but civilians as well. In part because the amount was a result of the reparation debt placed on France with the 1871 Treaty of Frankfurt. Due to these humiliating requests German nationalism was easily broken, but it was only a matter of time in which the shame would turn into hatred that would fuel nationalist movements, such as the Nazis, to regain their respect.

        Very much like the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye targeted the prominent problems that caused World War I but this time instead of regarding Germany, it regarded its ally Austro-Hungary. The militaristic disintegration was ensured by the treaty’s request of the Austrian army be limited to 30,000 volunteers. Also the treaty’s aim to dissolve the Austro-Hungarian Empire divided the territory into small independent states that quickly established their own military. Territory was quickly disseminated, a great part of land was given to Italy, including Trieste, and Romania received Bukovina. These were not the only distributions made; many independent nations arose such as, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and several more states. With the demand that the new Austrian republic refrain from compromising its independence any political or economic ties with Germany were prohibited. War reparations of large amount of money such as that seen in the requests of the Treaty of Versailles were also implemented upon Austria.

        With the majority of the civilians of the new republic of Austria being German speakers and the bordering states trying to disengage themselves from German rule, many problems arose. Thus, this treaty was unable to maintain order for long, and was therefore unsuccessful in attacking the problems that caused the First World War effectively.

        In retrospect, the Treaty of Versailles caused great resentment in Germany which later became a global problem, and was ineffective in collecting the reparation debt from Germany due to the weakening of its economy because of the sharp demands of the document. In the end no one was satisfied, although Germany was forced to a humiliating resolution, the victorious European powers had suffered an unprecedented brutality, and many felt that Germany had not paid enough for what it had done. Germany was not pacified, and it can even be said was now more hostile than before, which in turn hurt the future of Germany, consequently that of Europe and eventually the world. The Treaty of St. Germain had similar results, hurting the economy of a nation that contributed to the greater good of the Europe, and added a new wave of resentment by forming neighboring lands with warring societies. When assessing the success of such treaties it can not be ignored that they temporarily solved issues of military and territorial retributions. Unfortunately the damper  it put on the defeated countries’ nationalism with humiliating requests, only increased the animosity amongst the nations and led to an upheaval that turned into World War II.