World War I: Causes, Participants, and Treaty of Versailles
World War I: Causes, Participants, and Treaty of Versailles
The First World War, also known as the Great War, was a major military confrontation. The main participants were the Triple Alliance: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German Empire, and Italy. Although Italy initially aligned with the Central Powers, it later switched sides to support the Allied Powers. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire supported the Central Powers. The opposing side was the Triple Entente: the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire. Later, the United States joined the Entente. Serbia, Romania, Greece, and Italy also joined the cause of the Allied side.
This World War began on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918, when Germany accepted the conditions of the armistice. After six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference, on June 28, 1919, the Allied countries signed the Treaty of Versailles with Germany.
The Treaty of Versailles
As mentioned before, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 was a peace treaty signed by the European powers that officially ended the First World War after six months of negotiation in the city of Paris. The Treaty of Versailles was signed as a continuation of the armistice of November 1918 in Compiègne, which had put an end to the conflicts. The main point of the Treaty of Versailles determined that Germany would accept all responsibility for causing the Great War.
Negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference
The negotiations to discuss the terms of peace began on January 18, 1919, in the *Salle de l’Horloge* at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. Initially, 70 representatives from 27 countries participated in the negotiations, but Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Russia were excluded. Russia was excluded for having negotiated a separate peace with Germany in 1918.
The League of Nations
The Treaty of Versailles also created the League of Nations, on the initiative of the North American president Woodrow Wilson and his famous “14 Points”. The League of Nations sought to arbitrate international disputes and thereby prevent future wars.
Was Germany Solely Responsible for WWI?
But, can Germany be blamed for WWI?
In my opinion, Germany was the main culprit in the origin of this war, but I have to say that not all the blame fell on this country. The Allied Governments, or the *Entente Cordiale* (Great Britain, Russia, France, Belgium, etc.), and Serbia also had a part in it.
Germany was the first to attack Belgium, and they had a very aggressive attitude at the beginning of the conflict. After this attack, Germany influenced and supported Austria-Hungary in attacking Serbia because of the murder of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke and his wife. This situation raised the conflict to a higher level. Due to this circumstance, the European borders started to change, and Russia and other countries felt threatened. On the other hand, France and Britain defended Belgium, which played a neutral role, against the brutal invasion of Germany.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although the Treaty of Versailles placed the blame on Germany (at this time called Prussia), I have demonstrated that there were more countries responsible for the origin of the conflict, like Serbia, Austria-Hungary, and the Triple Entente.