The Treaty of Versailles fails to bring peace! It politically causes massive destruction to Germany that could potentially cause another war. Germany has been blamed for the war and all opposing countries are doing everything in their power to destroy Germany. It has been required to give up large amounts of its' land and with that goes a large amount of the population. However, its major problem is having to dismantle the military. It has lost coal mines and industrial areas(1) . There world has turned against Germany and the people of Germany are outraged!
TODAY'S CARTOON
In todays cartoon, a dead horse is being displayed as a symbol of Germany. Losing the war was a huge lost to Germany. The whole country was devastated. MIllions of lives were lost in the fighting of the war and thousands have perminent injuries such as lost legs and arms. And then the Treay of Versailles comes. The Treaty of Versailles is viewed as a basically a bully to Germany. Germany has already lost everything and is beaten up. Once it is already beat up, The Treaty of Versailles comes in and finishes them off while they are weak. This cartoon shows how Germany was symbolized as a dead horse and continues to be beaten. Germany was defenceless after the war but still got punished and torn down more. In today's times an example similiar to this would occur in a sports game where a team is beating the other team bad but continues to leave their starting players in to beat them by even more. The goal of the other countries would to destroy Germany and beat it down so much that it would never be a larger threat again. Countries tried to make Germany a small weak country without capability to do damage in war. I feel that Germany should not have gotten this severe punishment after already losing the war. However, I do think it was right for someone to get punished and take blame for the war, but not to the extent that was gone to in Germany's punishment. Germany put a lot of people, money, and time into the war with a end result of a loss. This would ruin any country. Then Germany gets upset and wants revenge. Hitler now takes over for Germany and does not listen to other countries. The countries did not realize what they had started when they made the Treaty of Versailles.
Lt. Edwin Jones of France
December 21st 1915
So long France. The day has come for me to leave. I will miss all my family and friends very dearly. I hope to bring great pride to them by going to fight for my country. I hope to return someday after doing good for my country. Well it is 11 a.m and I must board the S.S. Vita at Marseilles(2). A new journy awaits and I can't wait to see what will come of it.
December 25th 1915
Happy Christmas. We arrived to Valetta Harbour at 7 a.m. this morning(2). Most of the officers were ashore for the first time since leaving France at 10 a.m. I however, was required to stay back until later. I could not complain though. The food we were served for lunch was beef and biscuits and it was the first good meal I have had since arriving on ship. Whenever I was granted the okay to go to shore, I got off that boat as fast as possible. The shops had postcards and fruit that I bought, and then returned back to the ship.
January 1st, 1916
A Happy New Year to everybody! Us soldiers hoped this would bring us good luck. As we looked at our rations it was obvious that our luck was not great. Everyone is getting sea sick and the weather is not great. I wish I had not left France. But now that I am here, I must give France everything I've got.
Mary Borden
Mary Borden was born in Chicago on May 15th, 1886(4). Her father, William Borden, was a very wealthy businessman(4). After finishing college at Vassar College in 1907, she went on a world tour, where she met her future husband who was a Scottish missionary named George Douglas Turner(4). A year after being married she had her first daughter and then a year after that she had her second. 2 years later Mary had an affair with a man named Percy Lewis. She then joined the Women Social and Polical Union which was a group of of women that pushed for rights for women especially voting. Mary Borden is a famous person in history however, because on the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, she set up a hosputal in Dunkirk France(4). She remained in France throughout the war running a mobile hospital on the western front, with her own personal money(4). While working in the hospital she met and married an injured French officer that had came into the hospital. After the war, Mary became a novelist and wrote about her experiences and life. Once World War 2 arrived, Mary started another hospital in the Middle East. She wrote another book after this war. Her books were very popular. The book after world war one was titled The Forbidden zone(4). This talked about everything she experienced during the war and was an autobiography. She also once wrote a book on the english attitudes towards Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and it was called The King of the Jews(4). Her book about world war 2 was written as she went through the day to day life in the hospital. It was called Journey Down a Blind Alley(4). Mary Borden is remembered for her books. She should also be remembered for all the lives she saved with her own time and money during both wars.