How successful were the treaties in Vienna and Versailles?

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How successful were the treaties in Vienna and
Versailles?
By Ameer, Alex, Balint, Harry, Darian
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Introduction

• -The Congress of Vienna was a conference of
  ambassadors of European states chaired by Wenzel
  von Metternich, and held in Vienna from
  September, 1814 to June, 1815.
• - -Its objective was to settle the many issues
  arising from the French Revolutionary wars,
  the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of
  the Holy Roman Empire.
• -The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty
  signed at the end of World War I. It ended
  the war between Germany and the Allied Powers.
• - It required Germany to accept sole
  responsibility for causing the war, to disarm,
  make substantial territorial concessions and pay
  heavy reparations to the winning countries.

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Congress of Vienna
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Members and Goals

• The Congress of Vienna was assembled in September
  1814 with representatives from almost all the
  states of Europe, however most of the most
  important decisions were decided by the four
  Great Powers triumphant over Napoleon
• The four powers England, Austria, Russia, and
  Prussia had representation from Castlereagh,
  Metternich, Alexander I and Hardenberg
  respectively
• With the Bourbons restored under Louis XVIII,
  Talleyrand represented the French
• Planned to reduce the power of France after the
  defeat of Napoleon and maintain peace throughout
  Europe with a balance of power.

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Metternich
Talleyrand
Alexander I
Castlereagh
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Actions of the Congress

• The Congress attempted to put a number of strong
  states around France to contain it
• The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed and the
  Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was restored
• The Austrian Empire took up Venetia and Lombardy,
  and the rest of the Italian states remained
  divided in papal states and small duchies
• The Congress did not attempt to put the Holy
  Roman Empire together and left the German states
  relatively divided by forming a German
  confederation which included parts of Prussia and
  Austria
• Prussia gained territory around the Rhineland
• The Polish Saxon question existed due to
  Metternichs and Castlereaghs fear of Russian
  and Prussian growth Russia received the Duchy of
  Warsaw (Poland was not united with Russia) and
  Prussia received two-fifths instead of all of
  Saxony

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Map of Europe
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Results/Success

• Maintained a conservative balance of power in
  Europe
• As a result national and liberal impulses were
  ignored and conservative forms of government
  remained
• Prevented the occurrence of a major European war
  for practically a century (WWI)
• Europe was mainly undisturbed for almost 40 years
  until the revolutions of 1848
• Overall very successful in maintaining European
  stability

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The Treaty of Versailles The Treaty Itself

• The terms of the treaty required Germany among
  other things to accept demilitarization, pay 226
  billion Reichsmarks in gold and to surrender
  occupation of the Rhineland as well as that
  Germany accept complete responsibility for
  initiating World War I.

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Economic Result Inflation

• The burdensome reparations, coupled with a
  general inflationary period in Europe in the
  1920s, caused spiraling hyperinflation of the
  German Reichsmark by 1923.
• This hyperinflationary period combined with the
  effects of the Great Depression (beginning in
  1929) seriously to undermine the stability of the
  German economy, wiping out the personal savings
  of the middle class and spurring massive
  unemployment.

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Social Result Outrage

• The economic effects of the treaty exacerbated
  the social unrest of the German population, who
  were already bitter about certain aspects of the
  treaty such as the War Guilt Clause

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An Ominous Future

• Revision of the Treaty represented one of the
  platforms that gave radical right wing parties in
  Germany, including Hitler's Nazi Party, such
  credibility to mainstream voters in the 1920s and
  early 1930s.
• Promises to rearm, to reclaim German territory,
  particularly in the East, to remilitarize the
  Rhineland, and to regain prominence again among
  world powers after humiliating defeat stoked
  ultranationalist sentiment and caused voters to
  overlook the more radical tenets of Nazi
  ideology.
• Created a network of feeble states on her eastern
  frontier (thus making another bid inevitable)

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Conclusion Treaty of Vienna

• The Treaty of Vienna was the end of Napoleons
  conquest through Europe.
• It effectively ended such wide scale war for the
  next 100 years.
• It restored Europe to the way it was
  Pre-Napoleon, and created a balance of power.
• It was created with all of the nations best
  interest in mind.

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Conclusion Treaty of Versailles

• Unlike the Treaty of Vienna, Versailles failed to
  keep war away from Europe.
• It was written to punish Germany more than it was
  to create a stable Europe or prevent further war.
• 20 years after Versailles was signed war was
  broke out across Europe.
• The harsh punishments lead other countries to
  over look Germanys advancements towards war.

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Final Thoughts

• The Treaty of Vienna was successful in preventing
  war for 100 years by creating a fair and stable
  Europe.
• The Treaty of Versailles was focused on
  punishment and instead created an environment for
  the creation of war.