Using all four passages and your own knowledge, assess the view that the peacemakers of Versailles deserve to be criticized for creating problems that brought on a further conflict.

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Using all four passages and your own knowledge, assess the view that the peacemakers of Versailles deserve to be criticized for creating problems that brought on a further conflict. (40 marks)

There is much disagreement among historians as to whether the peacemaker of Versailles ultimately do more harm than good and deserve to be criticized for creating problems that brought on a further conflict and subsequently resulted in the beginnings of the first world war. While on the one hand many historians blame Britain, France and the USA for igniting anger amongst the German people, a strong sense of injustice in Germany which many would later identify as being a contributing reason for the start of the Second World War. Other historians would argue that the treaty was weak; it was too harsh where leniency was needed and this resulted in further issues, including making Germany feel humiliated by the loss of its empire. However on the other hand some historians have argued that the peacemakers of Versailles cannot be blamed for the problems that resulted later as even if the treaty had been more lenient towards Germany, there was no way of estimating or predicting the irrational and radical actions of major leaders, mainly Hitler.

Many historians have argued that the peacemakers of Versailles did more harm than good, the main aims of the treaty were not to crush Germany or defeat its new empire but to contain her military power. However much of the German people did not believe that they had been fairly defeated and whilst the peacemakers assumed that Germany would accept the terms of their treaty as consequence of their defeat this was not so as Germany felt ‘a powerful sense of injustice.’ Thus as source A states, the peacemakers’ attempt at securing a peace settlement, despite aiming to restrain German power instead provoked German ‘desire to reverse the judgement of Versailles’ and consequently setting the tone for future conflict and ultimately the outbreak of a second world war. Source D gives evidence to support source A’s claim that the flaws in the peace treaties were main reason for subsequent conflict, it is clear both authors agree that the peacemakers of Versailles deserve to be criticized for creating problems that brought on a further conflict as source D states that ‘from the outset there had to be inconsistency, if not hypocrisy in the way that Germany was treated.’  Germany had felt that the treaty which not only established Germanys defeat but put the entire blame of the war upon Germany, was unfair and felt they were being provoked by France, Russia and Britain into war. So while the treaty ‘had not crippled her’ (source B) it had made Germany ‘the pariah of Europe’ (source A) and subsequently ‘Germany felt humiliated’ (source B) leaving the possibility of future conflict likely.

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It could be argued that while the intentions of the peacemakers were initially good, by ‘leaving Germany as a unified state’ (source B) and surrounding her by weaker powers trouble in the future was inevitable. As despite the terms set out by the peacemakers of Versailles, Germany still remained a strong industrial, economic and territorial power at the centre of all of Europe, the peace settlement left her as source B states ‘in a stronger position than in 1914.’ Showing clearly that while the treaty damaged Germany to some extent it did not serious harm her, hence many have accused ...

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