The Treaty of Versailles and Remaking of the World 1919–2019 commemorates the Treaty and its epochal aftermath across a century. The authors narrate the causes of World War I; the growth of two rival European camps, their conflicting imperial ambitions, the subjugation of Asia and Africa, the glorification of militarism and the commencement of a frenetic arms race. The war was concluded by the Treaty of Versailles; the United States, France and Britain were victorious while Germany and its allies were defeated.
The terms of the Treaty laid the grounds for rise of Nazi Germany and for a more terrible war which was worldwide in violence and impact. The book narrates the fierce battles between the combatants, the dismantling of old European empires which led to the creation of new sovereign states, the emergence of the Soviet Union and United States as superpowers who formed two armed camps. A unique feature of the post-war scene was the Cold War – the longest war in modern history – where proxy wars were fought by pawns on the chess-board of continents.
Both world wars profoundly changed the Western and non-Western world. In the book, the authors show the complexities of the new geo-political scene, the exponential technological progress, the new rivalries for power and prosperity in the West and the East that once more challenge international peace and security.
