Although the hostilities that had brought about the First World War ended by several armistices between respective warring countries, the First World War was officially terminated by the Paris negotiation and the subsequent Paris Peace Treaty signed in 1919 (MacMillan, 2010: 346). This negotiation brought together four great powers namely the United States, France, Italy, and Britain. Representatives from these countries appointed several committees to examine the issues of interest and present a report to the council. The issues included economic issues, aviation, military matters, as well as territorial issues. The negotiation yielded four main agreements including the League of Nations Covenant, the Treaty of Versailles, the Saint Germaine Treaty, and the Neuilli Treaty (MacMillan, 2010: 227). Throughout the negotiation, each of the main powers had their interest that was similar in some ways to the interest of other nations and different. However, the interests of these countries equally differed and conflicted largely.
The interest of the United States during this negotiation was to bring lasting peace within Europe that would support trade and international business. Therefore, they demanded that any secret treaty between countries be ended with immediate effect. They argued that such treaties were often aimed at destabilizing the peace of the region. Secondly, the United States was interested in sea routes. They wanted all countries to be able to use all sea routes irrespective of the countries under which such routes fall (MacMillan, 2010:315). Thirdly, the United States was interested in free trade. They wanted countries to trade freely without restrictions. To enhance the peace in the region and the world at large, it proposed that the signatories of this treaty undertake to disarm any armed civilians. The country further wanted foreign troops to leave Russia with the view of establishing a stable and accepted Russian Government. They were also interested in the expansion of Italy in order to cover the residence of al Italian speaking people. The United States was further keen on establishing freedom within Austro-Hungary that would allow the formation of Nation States by the various groups that were residing within this emperor (MacMillan, 2010: 441). Moreover, it advocated for self-rule and determination for the Turks within the Ottoman Empire. In summary, the interest of the United States during this negotiation was summed up by the Wilson’s Fourteen points. These points centered around self-determination, free trade, democracy and Open Agreements. These points largely informed the demands of the United States during the war.
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Britain also had a great interest in this negotiation that ended the First World War. The country was keen on restoring freedom within the sea routes as it had imported a substantial fraction of their foodstuffs as well as raw material for its industries. As such, the freedom of the waterways was a great point of interest to the British negotiators during this negotiation. Moreover, Britain was keen on maintaining the neutrality of Belgium. With Treaty of the 1839 Convention, it held the opinion that they had a moral as well a legal obligation to maintain this neutrality of Belgium and prevent any inversion into the country (MacMillan, 2010:356). The country was future interested in maintaining their naval superiority that had largely been threatened by Germany both before as well as during WW1. Britain was also keen on taking over the colonies that were previously under Germany. They wanted not only to increase their territorial power but also to use this strategy to expand their trade and limit Germany’s control over the navy. Lastly, Britain was keen on the economic restoration of Germany. They believed that Germany had to pay for the economic damage that had been caused during the war (MacMillan, 2010). As such, they held the opinion that they can only pay if their economy is stabilized. Moreover, the economic stability of Germany would boost the economy of Britain who had lost most of their overseas importers to the United States.
France equally had interests in this negotiation process. To begin with, they wanted countries such as Poland, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia within central Europe strengthened both economically and with military might to balance the power and influence of Germany in that region. Their main interest was to create a buffer zone between France and Germany in case of conflicts that could arise in the future (MacMillan, 2010:445). Moreover, France held the opinion that Germany should be discontinued from holding their control and influence over their colonies as a means of paying for the impact of the WW1. France was also interested in reparation for Germany for the war it had caused. Besides, it had caused great economic losses for France. As such, France held the opinion that Germany ought to pay for such damage (MacMillan, 2010: 227). Concerning limiting the German military and preventing future attacks, the country sought to create a military alliance with the United States and Britain that would deal with future attacks.
The three countries held several common grounds during the negotiation. They agreed that Germany had to pay for the damage that had been caused during the First World War (MacMillan, 2010: 235). France and Britain suffered significant economic loss during the war. This subsequently brought out the debate on the amount that Germany was to pay as reparation for the loss and damage caused. After the debate over reparation, the three countries agreed that Germany should pay US$33 billion as reparation for the damage caused during the war. Secondly, the three countries agreed that there was a need to restore peace and stability within the region that had greatly been impacted by the First World War. All the countries had economic interests to uphold in this negotiation. Therefore, creating an environment where trade would thrive again was a great priority for these countries. Lastly, the three countries held a common ground on the need to prevent future conflicts and military attacks in the region. As such, the agreed to form the League of Nations that would be an arbitrator to solve future conflicts before such conflicts could erupt into military confrontations as had been proposed by Wilson’s fourteen points. (MacMillan, 2010). As such curtailing the power of Germany was of great interest to all the countries. As such, these countries had common grounds in the negotiation.
Despite the common grounds, there were significant differences in the opinion held by these countries in the negotiation. The major disagreement was on the seaways. While the United States held the opinion that the sea should be open to all countries in the post-war era, the other countries held the opinion that they need control over the seaways. Britain, in particular, was interested in maintaining the might of their navy and hence controlling the sea within this territory. Moreover, the United States placed more emphasis on creating the autonomy of smaller countries such as Poland thereby enhancing democracy and self-rule (MacMillan, 2010:118). The issue of insignificant to the other countries keen on reviving their economic fortunes.
In summary, the Paris Peace conference officially aimed at bringing to an end the First World War. Different countries had different expectations and held a different point of view. The major common ground among these countries was the need for Germany to pay for the economic and military loses suffered during the war. On the other hand, the major point of disagreement was on the control and limitations of the seaways within the territory that had been affected by the war.
References
MacMillan, M. (2010). Paris 1919: Six months that changed the world . Vancouver: Crane Library at the University of British Columbia.
