15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
[[File:versailles cover.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left]]
By Carol Costello <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0190659181/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0190659181&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=9187758485abe727318e423b124b3f79 The Treaty of Versailles: A Concise History]</i> by Michael S. Neiberg (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) offers a detailed account of the players, events, and political environment that contributed to the drafting of arguably the most significant document of the twentieth century. In his preface, Neiberg reminds the reader that the Paris Peace Conference “had as much to do with postwar politics as perceptions of prewar guilt,” and that the treaty itself was a “great missed opportunity.”<ref>Neiberg, x, xv.</ref>
The victorious Allies justified their actions by correctly claiming that had Germany emerged victorious, the terms of the treaty would have been much harsher, as was the case in 1871 with Germany’s unification. Although the purpose of the text is to describe the circumstances rather than argue a position, Neiberg does incorporate the theme of vengeance throughout the book; an inescapable motif when writing on this matter.
As we now know, both Germany and Japan avenged their countries a mere two decades after the treaty was signed. At the conclusion of World War II, when the second version of The Big Three met at the Potsdam Conference in 1945, they unanimously agreed to avoid repeating the actions taken in Paris and Versailles. That speaks to the perception of the Treaty of Versailles as a failure. This book does not argue for or against that position, rather the author skillfully navigates through the organized chaos of the Paris Peace Conference in such a manner that the reader is armed with enough sound facts to reach a conclusion. This is an excellent text for students studying the interwar years. The Treaty of Versailles ''must'' be understood by those who study World War II and Michael S. Neiberg’s book is an excellent tool for teachers and a necessary resource for students.
{{Contributors}}
[[Category:Book Review]] [[Category:World War One History]][[Category:European History]][[Category: 20th Century History]]
