The Peace Settlement of

1919 led to the Balkanisation

of Europe.

HISTORY ASSIGNMENT

(L18BALB060)
ANSHUL SRIVASTAVA
Contents
The Peace Settlement of 1919 led to the Balkanisation of Europe......................................................2
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2
Treaty of Versailles..........................................................................................................................4
Balkanisation of Europe..................................................................................................................5
Other treaties in the peace settlement which lead to the Balkanisation of Europe.....................8
The Peace Settlement of 1919 led to the
Balkanisation of Europe.

Introduction

The peace-making effort continued further than the First World War it was intended to
conclude. On the jubilee of the coronation of German Emperor Wilhelm I in the Palace of
Versailles in 1871, the Paris Peace Conference started on January 18, 1919. The incident
happened at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War, which culminated in Germany's
unification and the conquest of two previously French regions, Alsace and Lorraine, by the
new Germany. Although the indignation in France about these incidents had diminished by
1914 outside of right-wing circles, the First World War rearose the memories of Germany's
harsh terms levied on France half a century ago. Such provisions also involved not only the
loss of land, but also an occupation and a substantial financial protection, which the French
had compensated ahead of time.1 On such a historical anniversary, the beginning of the Paris
Peace Conference helped to inform the French of why they had waged the war and who will
pay for the losses this time. It has also aided the understanding of the Paris Peace Conference
as largely driven by revenge.

While the senior leaders started operating on the conference in June 1919, the formal peace
agreement did not conclude until July 1923, when France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Greece, and
Romania concluded the Treaty of Lausanne with the new Republic of Turkey. The non-
success of the biased Treaty of Sèvres, concluded in August 1920 but subsequently refused
by Turkish powers faithful to the war hero Mustafa Kemal, caused the renegotiation of
Lausanne. Sèvres split Turkey, ceding most of its territories to Armenia, Greece, France, and
the United Kingdom, with Italy acquiring a wide control region in southern Anatolia. The
treaty had been accepted by the sultan, but Kemal led an army that ousted him, threatened a
fresh Middle East battle, and compelled a genuine negotiation at Lausanne.

1
Bessel, Richard (1993). Germany After the First World War. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-
019821-938-5.
The Treaty of St. Germain with Austria was signed in September 1919; the Treaty of Neuilly
with Bulgaria was signed in November 1919; and the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary was
signed in June 1920.

Despite the Austrian elite's key position in beginning the war in 1914, these negotiations gave
Austria comparatively lax terms.2 Hungary fared even poorer than Austria, owing to the
Hungarians' post-war flirtation with the communist revolution. As a result, the meeting was
mostly about post-war policy as it was about pre-war shame.

The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed five years after the assassination of Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a juvenile Serbian
nationalist, was still the focal point of the Paris Peace Conference. The agreement and the
conference are therefore inextricably related but not identical. None of the other treaties carry
as much historical blame for the environment they created or the wars that ensued, while they
could. In Turkey, Central Asia, and the Middle East, the Treaty of Sèvres, in particular, set

2
Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) with Austria; Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine with Bulgaria; Treaty of
Trianon with Hungary; Treaty of Sèvres with the Ottoman Empire (Davis 2010:49)
the stage for massive reform. Nonetheless, it is the Treaty of Versailles by which the Paris
Peace Conference will be honoured, and for which it will be most often condemned.
Treaty of Versailles

At the conclusion of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was concluded in June 1919 at the
Palace of Versailles in Paris, codifying peace conditions between the triumphant Allies and
Germany. The Treaty of Versailles kept Germany accountable for the outbreak of the war and
levied severe punishments such as territorial defeat, large compensation payments, and
demilitarisation. The Treaty of Versailles embarrassed Germany when struggling to address
the fundamental problems that had contributed to the war in the first place, far from the
“peace without victory” that US President Woodrow Wilson had proposed in his famed
Fourteen Points in early 1918.3 Economic hardship and distrust of the Treaty of Versailles
fueled ultra-nationalist sentiment in Germany, resulting in the emergence of Adolf Hitler and
the Nazi Party, as well as the outbreak of World War II only two decades later.

3
Baker, Anni (2004). American Soldiers Overseas: The Global Military Presence. Perspectives on the Twentieth
Century. Praeger; First Edition. ISBN 978-027597354-4 – via Internet Archive
The peace talks in Paris were controlled by the “Big Four” representatives of the triumphant
Western nations—Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom,
Georges Clemenceau of France, and, to a lesser degree, Vittorio Orlando of Italy. Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey were not included at the meeting, and neither was
Russia, who had battled with the Allies until 1917, when the country's new Bolshevik
government signed a different peace with Germany and exited the war.

In the end, Germany was forced to accept tough peace conditions from the European Allies,
including the loss of about 10% of its territories and much of its foreign holdings. Other
central clauses of the Treaty of Versailles included the demilitarisation and annexation of the
Rhineland, the limitation of Germany's army and navy, the prohibition of maintaining an air
force, and the requirement that war crimes trials be held against Kaiser Wilhelm II and other
leaders for their brutality. Over all, Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, also recognised as
the "war guilt provision," compelled Germany to take complete blame for the outbreak of
World War I and pay massive compensation for Allied war casualties.

Balkanisation of Europe
Germany lost 25,000 square miles (65,000 km2) of land and 7 million inhabitants as a result
of the deal. It also forced Germany to give up the gains gained through the Treaty of Brest-
Litovsk and offer freedom to the protectorates created. Germany was forced to recognise
Belgian hegemony over Moresnet and relinquish ownership of the Eupen-Malmedy region in
Western Europe. Belgium was expected to hold a plebiscite within six months of the
transition to determine if the inhabitants of the area wished to stay under Belgian rule or
revert to German jurisdiction, report the results to the League of Nations, and follow the
League's judgment.

 The Saar administered by the League of Nations- The heavily developed Saar
Basin, along with the Saar Coal District, was to be controlled and ruled by the United
Kingdom and France for a term of fifteen years under a League of Nations mandate
under the Treaty of Versailles. Its coalfields were to be sent to France as well. The
Saar Territory was ruled by a five-person Governing Commission4 made up of
occupation powers delegates during this period. The Commission was required by the
mandate to provide at least one French citizen and one Saar German resident.5 After

4
Paragraph 23, Chapter II, Annex to Article 45–50, Treaty of Versailles.
5
Paragraph 16-17, Chapter II, Annex to Article 45-50, Treaty of Versailles.
 fifteen years, a plebiscite will be held to decide the future position of the Saar. The
territory contained parts of the Prussian Rhenish Trier Region and the Bavarian
district of the Palatinate, which were home to a large number of miners working in the
Saar coal mines.
 The creation of an independent Polish state- After more than a century of divisions
between Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia, Poland re-emerged in November
1918.6 The triumphant forces declared its freedom in June 1919 with the Treaty of
Versailles, and much of the region was won in a succession of frontier wars waged
between 1918 and 1921. Poland's borders were established in 1922 and recognised
internationally in 1923.7 Until May 1926, when Józef Pisudski (1867–1935) took
control, the Polish political scene was democratic yet turbulent. Around 1921 and
1939, the nation experienced considerable economic growth thanks to its agrarian
policy, which resulted in the allocation of lands to peasants. Ukrainians, Jews,
Belarusians, Lithuanians, and Germans made up a third of the city.8
 West Prussia and Posen were given to Poland- The Treaty of Versailles compelled
Germany to relinquish possession of Danzig, which was taken over by the League of
Nations. Posen and West Prussia, two of Germany's eastern provinces, were given to
Poland.
 Alsace-Lorraine was given back to France- Since World War I, Alsace-Lorraine
was restored to France in 1919. However, the French government's efforts to quickly
assimilate Alsace-Lorraine ran into difficulties, especially in its proposals to replace
the region's conventional church schools with state-run schools and in its attempts to
censor German publications. As a result, in the 1920s, Alsace-Lorraine formed a
powerful "home rule" campaign and attempted but failed to gain sovereignty within
the French Republic.
 Danzig was appointed as an international city- Between 1920 and 1939, the Free
City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that included the Baltic Sea port of
Danzig (now Gdask, Poland) and approximately 200 towns and villages in the
surrounding regions. At the end of World War I, it was formed on November 15,

6
Norman Davies. Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present. Oxford University Press. 2001. pp. 100-101.
7
Richard J. Crampton. Atlas of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. Routledge. 1997. p. 101.
8
Aviel Roshwald, Ethnic Nationalism and the Fall of Empires: Central Europe, the Middle East and Russia,
1914-23 (2000), p. 164.
 19209 under the terms of Article 100 (Section XI of Part III) of the 1919 Treaty of
Versailles.
 Plebiscites in Upper Silesia, West Prussia and Schleswig- The Upper Silesia
plebiscite was held on March 20, 1921, to decide a portion of the boundary among
Weimar Germany and Poland, as required by the Versailles Treaty. The area was
ethnically diverse, both with Germans and Poles making up 60% of the populace
according to prewar figures.10 Under the German Empire's previous reign, Poles said
they were treated unfairly, essentially rendering them second-class people.11 Violence
characterised the plebiscite movement and the inter-Allied takeover. Three Polish
uprisings occurred, and German volunteer paramilitary units also arrived in the
region.

9
Samerski, Stefan (2003). Das Bistum Danzig in Lebensbildern (in German).
10
T. Hunt Tooley, "National Identity and Weimar Germany: Upper Silesia and the eastern border", University of
Nebraska Press, 1997, p. 140
11
The Ideology of Kokugo: Nationalizing Language in Modern Japan Lee Yeounsuk page 161 University of
Hawaii Press 2009
Other treaties in the peace settlement which lead to the Balkanisation of
Europe.

1. The Treaty of St Germain- The Treaty of Saint-Germain, negotiated by delegates of

Austria and the Allied Powers with one side and the Allies on the other, ended World
War I in 1919. It was signed on September 10, 1919, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near
Paris, and went into effect on July 16, 1920. The treaty recognised the freedom of
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
(Yugoslavia), as well as ceding eastern Galicia, Trento, southern Tirol, Trieste, and
Istria, and accepting the autonomy of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). Southern Carinthia (which
went to Austria) and the region of Sopron were finally decided by plebiscites (which
went to Hungary).12 The League of Nations Covenant was incorporated into the pact,
and the unification of Austria and Germany was specifically prohibited without the
approval of the League's Council. The military clauses reduced Austria's lengthy
volunteer army to 30,000 men and disbanded the Austro-Hungarian fleet, which was
split up and distributed among the Allies. And the fact that Austria was held
responsible for compensation, no amount was ever charged.
2. The treaty of trianon- The Treaty of Trianon was drafted at the Paris Peace
Conference and ratified on June 4, 1920, at Versailles' Grand Trianon Palace. It
officially ended World War I between the Kingdom of Hungary and the majority of
the Allies of World War 1.13 The treaty was drafted primarily by French negotiators,
with the aim of forming a French-led alliance of newly created nations. It regulated
the status of the independent Hungarian state and defined its borders generally within
the ceasefire lines established in November–December 1918, leaving Hungary as a
landlocked state with 93,073 square kilometres (35,936 sq mi), or 28 percent of the
pre-war Kingdom of Hungary's 325,411 square kilometres (125,642 sq mi) (the
Hungarian half of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy). The population of the truncated
Empire was 7.6 million, down 36% from the pre-war kingdom's population of 20.9
million. Despite the fact that the territories assigned to neighbouring countries had a

12
Boyer, Paul S.; Clark, Clifford E.; Hawley, Sandra; Kett, Joseph F & Rieser, Andrew (2009). The Enduring
Vision: A History of the American People, Volume 2: From 1865.
13
Craig, G. A. (1966). Europe since 1914. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
 plurality of non-Hungarians, they nevertheless housed 3.3 million Hungarians, or 31%
of the population, who were now considered a minority.14The Austro-Hungarian Navy
was abolished, and Hungary's army was reduced to 35,000 officers and soldiers. Since
then, these actions and their repercussions have sparked intense discontent in
Hungary.
3. Treaty of Neuilly- The Treaty of Neuilly (November 27, 1919) was a post-World
War I peace agreement involving Bulgaria and the triumphant Allied powers that took
effect on August 9, 1920. Bulgaria was compelled to cede territories to Yugoslavia
and Greece, resulting in the relocation of 300,000 people; to cut its army to 20,000
men; and to pay reparations, of which 75 percent were subsequently remitted.15
4. Treaty of Sèvres- The Treaty of Sèvres was concluded in 1920 between the World
War I Allies and the Ottoman Empire. Huge swaths of Ottoman territories were ceded
to France, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Italy, and large occupation zones were
established within the Ottoman Empire. Since their failure in World War I, the
Central Powers concluded several treaties with the Allied Powers. With the Peace
treaty of Mudros, hostilities had come to an end. On August 10, 1920, in an exhibition
room at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres porcelain factory in Sèvres, France, the
treaty was concluded.
5. Treaty of Lausanne- The Lausanne Treaty (French: Traité de Lausanne) was a peace
treaty concluded after the Lausanne Conference of 1922–23 and signed on July 24,
1923, in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland. Since the outbreak of World
War I, the Ottoman Empire has been at odds with the Allied French Republic, British
Empire, Kingdom of Italy, Empire of Japan, Kingdom of Greece, and Kingdom of
Romania. The treaty's initial text is in French. It was the outcome of a second effort
at peace following the Treaty of Sèvres, which refused to partition Ottoman lands and
was never ratified. The previous treaty was concluded in 1920, but the Turkish mass
movement later opposed it because of its terms. Zmir was reclaimed as a consequence
of the Greco-Turkish War, and the Mudanya Armistice was concluded in October
1922. It permitted for the exchange of Greek and Turkish citizens and free civilian
passage through the Turkish Straits (but not military; this would happen with the
Montreux Convention). Turkey signed the treaty on August 23, 1923, and all of the

14
"Trianon, Treaty of". The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2009.
15
https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Neuilly
other signatory nations by July 16, 1924. It went into effect on August 6, 1924, when
the ratification instruments were formally deposited in Paris.