An Evaluation on the Effectiveness of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations between 1919 and 1922

This study analyzes the effectiveness and determinism of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations between 1919 and 1924, two significant historical events that shaped international politics in the aftermath of the First World War, which was hoped to be “the war to end wars.” During this period, the economy was the primary factor determining reelpolitik. The economic power of the United States of America underlies the differentiation between the states that prepared the Treaty of Versailles. The role and policies the United States undertook transformed the international system from the absolute hegemony of the British Empire to a Pax Anglo-Americana structure from 1922 onwards. The League of Nations, expected to provide cooperation in preventing war, fell short of achieving the goals set for itself due to its limited resources and support. As a result of the analysis, the study contends that the Treaty of Versailles deviated from its aim of restraining Germany and brought disorder rather than a system to international politics due to the differences in the political understanding and the loss of their former power of the states that won the First World War.