The Treaty Of Versaille Essays - FranceGermany Relations

The Treaty of Versaille The Treaty of Versaille "It was neither a vindictive, harsh peace nor a lenient one, desdigned to reconcile." How far does this description of the Treaty of Versailles explain why it contained the seeds of the Second World War? In 1919, the major world powers met at the Paris peace conference to determine the fate of Europe at the end of World War 1. Europe was in turmoil. Five empires had disappeared, millions of people were dead, both military and civilians, and revolution fuelled by the forces of nationalism and socialism seemed ready to destroy the hopes of a future and lasting peace. The major world leaders were hoping to accomplish a miracle at Versailles, peace. Nevertheless, the conditions that they were faced with made that hope only more difficult not only in the writing of the treaty but also in reaching its objectives. The dream of a Settlement to satisfy both winners and losers was both impossible and contradictory. For Germany the outcome in years to come was the exact objective that the Treaty had tried all along to impede - domination of Europe. What went wrong? Why? These questions have plagued historians for years. If only the players had acted in a different fashion would the future outcomes have been different. Or was the situation of Europe such at the time that the future was fated no matter what. What did the leaders want to do? The Council of Five (Britain, the U.S., Italy, Japan and France) wanted to destroy Germany's power in Europe and to make her pay for the costs of war. They wanted peace but Germany was to pay for that peace, not only by reducing its army, reducing its fishing fleet and relinquishing part of its heavy shipping fleet, but also by ceding land, sending coal, livestock, machinery and money to those countries who had suffered by the war. Germany was pronounced to be the sole aggressor of the war and therefore it was Germany who had to 'pay the bill'. Supposedly, Germany was to be treated as an equal in Europe but at the same time, Germany was not invited to participate in the writing up of the Treaty. Rather, they were literally given the ultimatum to sign the treaty with no option whatsoever. Germany was to have an Allied Army in its land and they were to pay for that Army. How can these terms be considered to being treated as an equal? Furthermore the coal of the Saar region had to be sent to France for a period of fifteen years at the end of that time it would be decided under whose area of jurisdiction the Saar was to be under. Obviously the Treaty was written up in a way so as to diminish the power of Germany, at home and abroad. At the end, there was no abroad, since Germany lost all its colonies. What was the treaty like? The potential of Germany military and economic superiority in Germany was a strong threat to the writers of the Treaty. This had to be stopped at all costs. The easiest way for the writers of the Treaty to achieve this goal was to require financial retribution for the war. If Germany was stripped of its economy then industrial growth would not be possible. Furthermore if the fruit of that industry had to be sent to the countries who had suffered during the war, then Germany would produce for the victors and not for themselves. In this way, enough would be left for Germany to get by, but not enough for it to become a power again. Alsace-Lorraine was ceded to France. France was thrilled, if they had had their way; perhaps another area of Germany would have been ceded to them, the Saar, a major coal producing area. German rivers were internationalized. This is important in the feeling of humiliation of Germany because until that time, Germany was very closed and did not like foreign presence on their land, particularly in this way. The map of Western Europe was redrawn. Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Estonia, and Latvia were created. Many of these new countries had to accommodate substantial minorities within their borders. Families, who were once citizens of one nation, suddenly found themselves citizens of two different nations because of the new map. More importantly, large groups of German-speaking people suddenly found themselves as citizens of Poland and Czechoslovakia. It was very difficult for the writers of the Treaty to accomplish what they had set out to do because of many factors. To begin with, 27

Pteranodon Facts and Figures

Pteranodon Facts and Figures Despite what many people think, there wasnt a single species of pterosaur called a pterodactyl. The pterodactyloids were actually a large suborder of avian reptiles that included such creatures as Pteranodon, Pterodactylus and the truly enormous Quetzalcoatlus, the largest winged animal in earths history; pterodactyloids were anatomically different from the earlier, smaller rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs that dominated the Jurassic period. Wingspan of Close to 20 Feet Still, if theres one specific pterosaur that folks have in mind when they say pterodactyl, its Pteranodon. This large, late Cretaceous pterosaur attained wingspans of close to 20 feet, though its wings were made of skin rather than feathers; its other vaguely birdlike characteristics included (possibly) webbed feet and a toothless beak. Weirdly, the prominent, foot-long crest of Pteranodon males was actually part of its skulland may have functioned as a combination rudder and mating display. Pteranodon was only distantly related to prehistoric birds, which evolved not from pterosaurs but from small, feathered dinosaurs. Primarily a Glider Paleontologists arent certain exactly how, or how often, Pteranodon moved through the air. Most researchers believe this pterosaur was primarily a glider, though its not inconceivable that it actively flapped its wings every now and then, and the prominent crest on top of its head may (or may not) have helped stabilize it during flight. Theres also the distant possibility that Pteranodon took to the air only rarely, instead of spending most of its time stalking the ground on two feet, like the contemporary raptors and tyrannosaurs of its late Cretaceous North American habitat. Males Were Much Bigger Than Females There is only one valid species of Pteranodon, P. longiceps, the males of which were much bigger than the females (this sexual dimorphism may help to account for some of the early confusion about the number of Pteranodon species). We can tell that the smaller specimens are female because of their wide pelvic canals, a clear adaption for laying eggs, while the males had much bigger and more prominent crests, as well as larger wingspans of 18 feet (compared to about 12 feet for females). The Bone Wars Amusingly, Pteranodon figured prominently in the Bone Wars, the late 19th-century feud between the eminent American paleontologists Othniel C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. Marsh had the honor of excavating the first undisputed Pteranodon fossil, in Kansas in 1870, but Cope followed soon afterward with discoveries in the same locality. The problem is, Marsh initially classified his Pteranodon specimen as a species of Pterodactylus, while Cope erected the new genus Ornithochirus, accidentally leaving out an all-important e (clearly, he had meant to lump his finds in with the already-named Ornithocheirus). By the time the dust had (literally) settled, Marsh emerged as the winner, and when he corrected his error vis-a-vis Pterodactylus, his new name Pteranodon was the one that stuck in the official pterosaur record books. Name: Pteranodon (Greek for toothless wing); pronounced teh-RAN-oh-don; often called the pterodactylHabitat: Shores of North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Cretaceous (85-75 million years ago)Size and Weight: Wingspan of 18 feet and 20-30 poundsDiet: FishDistinguishing Characteristics: Large wingspan; prominent crest on males; lack of teeth

Homosexuality in Vietnam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homosexuality in Vietnam - Essay Example Gay marriage was banned in Vietnam in 1998 by the country’s national assembly. This ban was placed right after two lesbian marriages had taken place even though the local officials had tried their level best to stop them. The marriages not only happened, but were also publicised. The national assembly thought it better to stop gay marriages there and then before other LGBTs got the nerve to follow example. Gays were openly discriminated and there was no law that could stop that. There has now come a change in the country regarding LGBTs. The views are changing and the government is taking steps to protect the LGBT persons. LGBT people in Vietnam are treated separately from the non-LGBT. While those having a straight orientation have no problems whatsoever, same-sex sexual activity is not what one can say legal and same-sex couples are not given the same protection from law as the non-LGBT persons. The Vietnamese culture is such where homosexuality is a taboo. However, with time the things are changing in Vietnam and now LGBT rights have started being recognized, all thanks to the LGBT community and some civil rights unions that have worked together to bring about this to happen. Awareness groups are trying their best to protect such people. In fact, the government is trying to make same-sex marriages legal. In 2012 the minister of Vietnam, Ha Hung Cuong, revealed that the government is contemplating on whether same-sex marriages should become lawful or not. He pointed out, and rightly, that the LGBT should also be given protection and therefore, in order to protect their individual freedoms the government should allow them to marry a person of their own gender. The Ministry of Justice submitted a bill for revoking the ban placed against same-sex marriage in the Marriage and Family Law in 2013. By October the National Assembly was supposed to debate over it. In November it was decided that Vietnam would legalize gay weddings, but not gay marriages (Morgan). By this it means that same-sex couples can organize weddings and can live together as a couple, but these weddings will not be officially considered a legal marriage. Still, the gay rights campaigners do consider it something that they have accomplished and believe that it is this way. only by taking small steps that they can one day live in a society where gay marriages are legal and allowed, and LGBT persons are not persecuted or stereotyped. â€Å"Vietnam is advancing rights for same-sex couples, but still needs to take the final step to guarantee marriage equality for all,† said Brad Adams (Human Rights Watch). One of the reasons for the government interfering in this matter an d allowing gay weddings is because a gay and lesbian couple had been previously fined for organizing their marriage. Since the Law on Marriage & Family did not allow marriage between same sex people, these two couples had to pay a penalty because they contradicted the habits and customs of Vietnam. Therefore, the government had no choice but to allow the organisation of such weddings in order to provide somewhat protection to the LGBTs – whether straight or gay, the people are the responsibility of the country. They have lifted the ban on same-sex weddings but these marriages aren’