The Legacy of the Treaty of Versailles: Democracy and Instability in Europe

Summary

The Treaty of Versailles left Germany with a deep sense of grievance due to territorial losses, the war guilt clause, and reparations. However, it also aimed to create a continent of democracies, with government representing the will of the people. Nine new democracies emerged from the ruins of empires. The post-war period in Europe was marked by political instability and challenges to democracy. Successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire struggled to stabilize their fledgling democracies. However, some countries like Finland and Czechoslovakia established durable democracies, while others like Poland suffered from weak and unstable governments, leading citizens to grow tired of democracy.

Table of Contents

• The Treaty of Versailles and the Emergence of Democracies
• Challenges to Democracy in Europe
• The Struggle for Stable Democracies in Successor States

Q&A

Q1: What did the Treaty of Versailles aim to achieve in Europe?
A: The Treaty aimed to create a continent of democracies, where government represented the will of the people, based on pluralist political parties, free elections, and parliamentary assemblies. Nine new democracies emerged from the ruins of former empires, and Turkey became a republic. European countries adopted democracy as the basis of the new Europe, partly because of President Wilson’s insistence, and also due to the mobilization of masses during the democratizing process of the war.

Q2: What were some of the challenges to democracy in Europe during the post-war period?
A: The post-war period in Europe was marked by political instability and challenges to democracy. Only Western and Northern Europe had established pluralist democracies, while the newly enfranchised populations in countries such as Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, and Albania offered potential for demagogic mobilization and manipulation. Socialist, communist, and nationalist parties made significant advances, frequently becoming a destabilizing factor where there were substantial ethnic minorities or disputed borders. Factionalism, violence, and repression were common in these countries, and there were calls for strong government and even dictatorship to counter the threat of revolution.

Q3: Which successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire struggled to establish stable democracies?
A: Successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire struggled to stabilize their fledgling democracies. Czechoslovakia managed to balance the interests of its agrarian and industrial forces, but Slovakia and the German minority remained subordinate. Poland, with a large non-Polish minority population, was wracked by war, hyperinflation, and strong class divisions. Its Sejm government system produced weak and unstable politics, leading citizens to grow tired of democracy. In Austria and Hungary, the Socialists struggled with anti-socialist forces to establish democratic leadership.

Q4: Which countries managed to establish durable parliamentary democracies?
A: Despite challenges from powerful social groups and populist forces, parliamentary democracy survived in some countries. Finland and Czechoslovakia were among the few to establish durable parliamentary democracies, with strong leaders and an economic base supporting their legitimacy.

Q5: What were the consequences of the challenges to democracy in Europe?
A: Fragmentation and governmental instability were common because political spectrums in most countries embraced support for various political parties. The potential for mass mobilization and public opinion manipulation greatly increased, leading to the emergence of small parties and weak governments in most countries. In some countries, democracy proved to be nothing more than a facade, and citizens grew tired of weak and unstable politics. This led to calls for strong government and even dictatorship to counter the threat of revolution.

Conclusion

The Treaty of Versailles aimed to create a continent of democracies in Europe, but the post-war period was marked by political instability and challenges to democracy. While some countries like Finland and Czechoslovakia managed to establish durable parliamentary democracies, others like Poland suffered from weak and unstable governments. Only Western and Northern Europe had established pluralist democracies, while newly enfranchised populations in other countries offered potential for demagogic mobilization and manipulation. The emergence of small parties and weak governments in most countries led to fragmentation and governmental instability. Ultimately, the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles was a mixed bag in terms of the establishment of democracies in Europe.