The peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919 in Versailles close Paris established a fresh territorial and political order after planet War I. Under this document, Poland returned to the map of Europe and regained most of the land lost to Prussia in the I and II partitions. Unfortunately, the arrangement only lasted 20 years.
Peace conference in Versailles. gathering of the Council of Four; Allied representatives after signing the treaty. Visible from the right: US president Thomas Woodrow Wilson, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, Italian Prime Minister Wittorio Orlando, England Prime Minister George David Lloyd. Versailles, 28.06.1919. photograph by NAC
"Never, as in this room, felt the historical seriousness of the moment, for us Poles, more serious than for anyone. On the table was the text of the treaty which Germany is to sign, a treaty which recognises an independent Polish state, by which Germany returns Poland not everything that they have taken from it in the past, but almost everything that they have not been able to take away" - he wrote Roman Dmowski in his book “Polish Policy and the Restoration of the State”. Thus the politician recalled the minute erstwhile the Treaty of Versailles ended First planet War.
The Paris Peace Conference, which began on 18 January 1919, was attended by representatives of the 27 winning allied states. However, neither the defeated Germany and their allies nor russian Russia were invited to attend. 3 powers and their leaders, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, Lloyd George, Prime Minister of large Britain, and Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France, had a decisive influence on the talks. – Among these politicians, deciding on the destiny of the post-war world, there was a discrepancy of interests – says Dr. Marek Wrzesiński, historian of the interwar period. Prime Minister Clemenceau was primarily afraid with the top possible weakening of Germany, and Prime Minister George was afraid of specified a solution so as not to disturb the balance of power in Europe.
A compromise was yet found and a peace treaty was signed with Germany on 28 June in the Mirror Hall of Versailles Palace. According to his records, Germany lost a full of over 70,000 square kilometres of territory. They were to give France to Lorraine and Alsace, Belgium to 2 border counties of Eupen and Malmedy, Czechoslovakia to Hulczyński Kraik in advanced Silesia, Denmark to the northern part of Schleswig, and Poland to any of its east areas.
In addition, the German colonies became owned by the winners and the Saara Basin was transferred to global management for 15 years. Then his nationality was decided by the plebiscite. Germany was disarmed and limited to 100,000 soldiers and was banned from carrying armored weapons, aviation and warships. In addition, a demilitarised region was established along the Rhine. Germans were besides obliged to pay war damages of 132 billion gold brands. The conference besides established the League of Nations – an global organization that was expected to settle conflicts between states and prevent another war.
Poland in Paris was represented by Ignacy Paderewski, Prime Minister and Minister of abroad Affairs, and Roman Dmowski, leader of the Polish national movement and initiator of the establishment of the National Committee of Poland, who has sought Polish interests internationally since 1917. The Polish case, including its borders, was examined by the Territorial Commission chaired by French diplomat Jules Cambon. “There have been long discussions about, among another things, restoring Poland's access to the sea or including Silesia in its borders,” says the historian.
As a result, the Treaty of Versailles granted the Republic a majority of the lands of I and II of the Prussian occupation, including a large part of Wielkopolska and Gdańsk Pomerania. The Free City of Gdańsk was besides established under the control of the National League Commissioner. They were incorporated into the Polish customs area and Poland could usage the Gdańsk port. And about destiny Upper SilesiaWarmia and Mazur were to decide the plebiscites there. – Most importantly, the provisions of the treaty sanctioned the existence of a sovereign Polish state and marked its place on the map of Europe – emphasised Dr. Wrzesiński.
Poland besides had to sign a alleged tiny Treaty of Versailles, concerning the protection of national minorities. According to this document, the Polish government was obliged to supply full rights to all citizens regardless of religion and nationality, to warrant them freedom to usage their native language and to establish their own schools and cultural institutions.
In spite of calls from the Polish delegation, the Treaty did not grant our country compensation from Germany. “On the contrary, Poland was to pay for the seized state assets in the Prussian partition and to regulate the proportion of the pre-war German debt occupied by the earth: a full of about 2.5 billion German brands,” says the historian. After lengthy debates, the Polish Legislative Sejm ratified the peace treaty with Germany on 31 July 1919 and a tiny Treaty of Versailles.
The order set in Versailles was to warrant global peace, but the fresh order survived only 20 years. In Europe, fresh national states have been created, including Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland, the borders of powers have changed, communism has developed in Russia and Nazism in Germany. “Adolph Hitler came to power with the slogans of abolishing the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, and in September 1939 he started a fresh war,” says Dr. Wrzesiński.
