The Versailles-Washington peace system was created by the victorious states after the 1st World War. Among these states, first of all, were Great Britain, France, the USA and Japan. Its purpose was to consolidate the redivision of the world. In fact, it was directed not only against countries that lost the war, but also against the Soviet Union. The system also sought to maintain dependence and suppress the liberation movement in the colonies.
The basis of the system in Europe was the Versailles peace treaty of 1919, as well as Saint-Germain (1920), Neyisky (1919), Trianon (1920), Sevres (1920) peace treaties and agreements that were adopted during the Washington Conference 1921-22 . However, despite the achievements, the Versailles-Washington system turned out to be rather fragile, which led to its collapse and the beginning of an even more bloody war.
The beginning of the system was laid by the decisions of the Paris and Washington conferences. Its creation allowed to significantly defuse the tension in the world that existed after the war. It was necessary to update the principles of international relations, which was reflected in the main provisions adopted by the powers. The rights to self-determination of all peoples, the categorical rejection of wars as a means of resolving conflicts existing in the world were recognized.
An important event of this time was the creation of the League of Nations. A number of European countries have gained internationally recognized independence.
The crisis of the Versailles-Washington system was due to the fact that, according to the decision of the Entente powers, the severity of the post-war reconstruction was transferred to the defeated peoples, without taking into account the fact that the political regimes that were responsible for starting the war no longer existed. The winners established reparations without taking into account the real possibilities of the countries that were supposed to pay them. Therefore, the wave of nationalism raised by the first world war not only did not sleep, but began to rise even more actively.
Soviet Russia was outside the system. Entente Powers regarded her as a traitor who made a separate peace with their common enemy . In addition, the Bolshevik regime was met with hostility by the Allies, during the intervention of 1918-19 they attempted to overthrow it. The civil war going on in Russia formally allowed not to invite its leaders to conferences. After its completion, Russia became the largest state in the world and, in response to ignoring its Entente, became in opposition to the system.
Another factor that predetermined the collapse of the Versailles-Washington system was that the victorious powers did not take into account the possible economic consequences of the treaties they concluded, which heavily burdened the world economy with such payments that they could not afford. Reparation payments led to the erosion of centuries-old economic ties between countries.
The peoples of the German colonies and the Ottoman Empire even after the war remained in the same position, not having received the long-awaited independence. A credential system was created for them , which, in essence, was no different from the colonial one.
The mistake made by the Versailles-Washington system was also that the powers forced the young German state to sign a peace treaty on shameful conditions.
The stabilization of relations in the world after the creation of the system was observed only at the very beginning of its existence, in the 20s. The recognition of the USSR also contributed to this stabilization. In 1922, Russia was first invited to Genoa at an international conference on economic issues. In its course, the USSR and Germany signed the Rapallo Agreement with signatures , agreeing to remove mutual claims, thereby establishing diplomatic relations.
The Versailles-Washington system lasted until the middle of the 20th century - until the outbreak of World War II.