Outline Treaty of Versailles vs. Treaty of Vienna

The defeat of Napoleon in 1815 and the defeat of Germany in 1918 both prompted a European peace conference to be held. The Congress of Vienna held after Napoleon’s defeat established equilibrium of power in Europe. In doing this and imposing lenient measures, they maintained peace in Europe. On the contrary, the Treaty of Versailles aggressively pursued the punishment of Germany. The Treaty of Vienna following the Napoleonic Wars instituted fair demands that successfully suppressed French aggression whereas the harsh demand for reparations on the devastated German economy in the Treaty of Versailles failed to suppress future German aggression.

I. The Treaty of Vienna prevented future aggression after the Napoleonic Wars by realistically dealing with defeated France.
a. Congress of Vienna met in 1815 in order to construct a lasting peace settlement.
b. First Peace of Paris gave France the boundaries it possessed in 1792
c. Metternich, Talleyward and Castlereagh believed that a balance of power in Europe would prevent future aggression by France and other countries
i. Low Countries were united under the Dutch monarchy ii. Prussia received territory on the Rhine- France’s eastern border iii. Polish kingdom created
d. France lost very little territory and had to pay only 700 million Francs in reparations
e. Quadruple Alliance agreed to meet occasionally and discuss interests in Europe and maintain peace

II. The Treaty of Versailles after World War I sought unnecessarily harsh demands on an already crippled Germany and ultimately led to the breakdown of the Treaty and peace in Europe.
a. Met at Versailles in 1919 with intentions of a peace settlement and high German reparations
b. Unrealistic goals of the Treaty were unable to be ratified or enforced
i. League of Nations proposed by Wilson, meant ot maintain peace in Europe and avert future wars. Unable to enforce peace in Europe ii. France made defensive Alliance with Britain and U.S.; U.S. adopted isolationism, Britain backs out.
c. Harsh Punishment for Germany
i. Germany lost a large amount of territory
1. Alsace-Lorraine to the French
2. All of Germany’s overseas colonies were distributed among France, Britain and Japan ii. German military was contained to 100,000 men. Demilitarization of Rhineland iii. Sole war-guilt was placed on Germany, and Germany paid large reparations out of an already failing economy.
d. Germany accepts Treaty on June 28th, 1919
Moderation in the agreement of the Treaty of Veinna proved to create a far more effective negotiation than the terms brought against Germany at the close of WWI. The Treaty of Vienna created a balance of power in Europe, and did not totally decimate France through reparations. On the other hand, the Treaty of Versailles demanded a weak German military, and ultimately destroyed their economy through the large war reparations. The weak politics and failing economy caused a power vacuum within Germany that eventually gave rise to the Nazi regime. The balance of power in the Treaty of Vienna created a realistic and achievable peace in Europe.