ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE VERSAILLES PEACE TREATY OF 1919

1. The treaty concluded the First World War and created some relative peace in Europe. At Versailles,
Germany and her cohorts (allies) were forced to denounce war and accept defeat. The terms of the treaty e.g. disarmament and reparations weakened Germany and her allies which safeguarded Europe and mankind from war. This is why there was a period of relative peace up to the outbreak of WorldWar11 in 1939.
2. It brought diplomatic understanding that had failed in Europe before and during the First World War.
Collective decisions were made on international issues as opposed to the pre-1914 idea of every nation for itself and God for us all. Although the treaty was un-realistic to the defeated powers, it nevertheless brought together the formerly divided Europe before 1914 to a roundtable settlement as a step towards global co-operation.
3. The neutrality of all important water bodies was guaranteed. For instance, the Dardanelles (mouth of the Baltic Sea) that was an area of economic conflict was open to all ships of ail nations to ensure free navigation. The treaty also removed trade barriers, which boosted international trade. Although countries pursued the policy of protectionism which undermined free international trade, the treaty has to be commended for ushering peaceful trade which renewed economic co-operation in Europe.
4. The treaty restored the balance of power that had favoured Germany and Turkey before 1914. The sizes of Germany and Turkey were reduced by giving independence to some states they had conquered prior to 1914. These included Poland, Rhinelands, and Saar coal field that were detached from German control. Re union between Germany and Austria was forbidden as a strategy of weakening Germany and making it hard for her to dominate other powers.
5. The Versailles settlement made some territorial readjustments. France regained Alsace and Lorraine that were mainly inhabited by Frenchmen but forcefully annexed by Germany in 1871. Denmark also recovered Schleswig, which she had lost in the 1864 war with Prussia. Germany lost her colonies in Europe and Africa, which were given to mainly Britain and France. This weakened Germany and made her unable to revenge in the short run while it was fair to France that was unfairly treated by Germany in the 1871 Frankfurt treaty.
6. Independence was given to smaller states that were mainly under Turkish and Austrian empire. These included Poland, Iraq, Kuwait, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. This was the actual collapse of the Turkish and Austrian empires. The great powers evacuated Serbia, Rumania and Montenegro, which were hitherto (until then) under foreign rule. This meant that the treaty upheld the principle of nationalism and self-determination. Although nationalities like the Germans, Hungarians and Austrians were subjected to foreign rule, the degree of nationalism ignored was not greater than that of the Vienna settlement of 1815.
7. The treaty observed the democratic rights of the smaller nations. They were given freedom to determine their political destiny. For instance, a referendum was held in Upper Silesia that had a mixture of Germans and Poles. 60% voted for a union with Germany and 40% favoured Poland. They were eventually made to unite with Germany.
8. The treaty was fair to the land locked countries of Serbia and Poland. Serbia was given free access to the sea which made her to profitably engage in trade. The newly created Poland was provided with a corridor of land that passed through Germany to the port of Danzig in the Baltic Sea. This enabled her to participate in trade and gain economic stability.
9. The Versailles settlement came up with Disarmament policy which although applied only to the defeated powers, helped in maintaining world peace for some time. The disarmament clause; limited German army to 100,000, Austria to 30,000, Hungary to 35,000 and Bulgaria to 20,000. Germany and her allies were forbidden from having submarines, war planes and compulsory military service. The disarmament of Germany and her allies safeguarded Europe and the world from German aggression for sometime. Germany in particularly would have brought greater chaos than she did by 1939 if she had not been disarmed. Besides, the settlement is also credited for creating awareness, in European history of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction.
10. The Versailles peacemakers adopted Woodraw Wilson's 14^ point, which advocated for the formation of an international organisation to maintain peace. This gave rise to the League of Nations that made significant political, social and economic contributions to world affairs.
11. The settlement made arrangements for the exchange of prisoners of war and resettlement of displaced persons. Consequently, Germany released the allied war prisoners and likewise the allied powers.