Habersack, Sabine - Puşcaş, Vasile - Ciubotă, Viorel (szerk.): Democraţia in Europa centrală şi de Sud-Est - Aspiraţie şi realitate (Secolele XIX-XX) (Satu Mare, 2001)
Stepan Vidnyansky: Central-Eastern Europe int he Period Between Two World Wars: Between Democracy and Dictatorship
people), resulting the problem of the refugees. For the purpose of working up and signing the peace treaties between the countries of Antanta and the countries of Tetradic Union, determination of a new post-war borders in Europe and final summing up of the First World war was held the Paris Peace Conference (January 1919 - January 1920). And, in spite of the participating in Conference of 27 countries, the main questions of post-war order of the World were decided by so called “Council of the Three”: Prime Minister of Great Britain, D. Lloyd-George, President of the USA, W. Wilson and Prime Minister of France, J. Clemenceau. The words of president of France, J. Clemenceau, who opened this Conference on 18th of January of 1919, are very exactly describing the feelings and intentions of these peace-makers. “Ladies and gentlemen, - he said, - 48 years ago in the Mirror-room of Versaille’s Palace it was proclaimed the German Empire. Today we gather here to destroy and change everything that was created that day.” But during the lasting debates and discussing peace treaties with the countries, which losed this war, there were revealed serious contradictions between main participants of negotiations. But, in the end, compromises were found out concerning the biggest part of issues. The preparation of peace treaties was based formally on “Wilson’s 14 items”. It means that for determinating the borders of post-war Europe it must be used the principle of nationality and self-determinations, and the main condition of post-war structure had to be the creation of more fair and democratic structure. This structure had the purpose to exclude a new war and to secure peace with the help of disarmament and foundating of the League of Nations as the peace instrument. “Wilson’s 14 items” also showed that secret agreements between the allied countries will not be taken into consideration. But they influenced on the elaboration of the conditions of the post-war structure of the world. The base for the post-war settlement in Europe became the Versailles peace treaty of the countries of Antanta and Germany (28 June of 1919), which was proclamed as main initiator of war. According to the treaty, Germany had lost 1/7 of its territory, 1/12 of its citizens, all colonies, which was divided among winning countries. Beside this, it was forbided to Germany to have an army with more than 100.000 troups, to have Air Forces and submarines, heavy artillery and so on. According to the decision of the Special Commission, Germany had to pay reparations to winning countries. The total ammount of these reparations was 132 billion golden Marcs, and this ammount didn’t correspond to the real opportunities of the weak and significantly reduced Germany. So, Versailles treaty Between democracy and dictatorship 141
