Questions tagged [treaties]
Questions related to the history of agreements or pacts entered into by two or more differing factions or entities (usually being nations, tribes or other sovereign bodies), having the force of law binding all parties entered into therein.
44
questions
60
votes
10
answers
45k
views
Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
At the beginning of WW2, although they were slow in actually attacking Germany, Britain and France did declare war against it after Germany invaded Poland. The reason for this was the treaty where ...
46
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Was there ever a treaty between 2 entities with significantly different translations to the detriment of one party?
Inspired by an answer to When translating the law, who ensures that the wording does not change the meaning of the law?
When 2 different entities that speak different languages have a treaty, there ...
34
votes
6
answers
40k
views
Why was the Treaty of Versailles so harsh?
When Germany signed the armistice in the first world war, they were still (technically) in a decent bargaining position.
Germany still had troops in France and Belgium
There were no enemy forces in ...
29
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Were secret treaties ratified? How did they become official while remaining secret?
Up to early 20th century, secret treaties or secret protocols seemed to be common. For example:
The Russian-French alliance before WW I was partly based on a "a secret treaty in 1894"
The secret ...
19
votes
5
answers
5k
views
What did other European powers say when Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas?
In 1494, Portugal and Castile (succeeded by Spain) divided all lands outside Europe, including the newly "on-discovering" Americas, between them signing the Treaty of Tordesillas.
What were the ...
18
votes
5
answers
9k
views
Have Germany and Poland ever signed a peace treaty after WWII?
I met a shocking (for me) information, that Germany and Poland have not signed a peace treaty after the World War II.
Because I could not believe this, I performed some research.
In the Potsdam ...
18
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Did the Soviet Union protest against Italy building or acquiring submarines after WW2?
Article 59 of the 1947 Paris peace treaty prohibited Italy from having submarines or aircraft carriers. As far as I can tell, Italy acquired some US-made WW2-era submarines (Gato, Balao, and Tench ...
17
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Was it not clear to the WWI allies that they were over-reaching with the treaty of Sevres?
In the treaty of Sevres, the Ottoman Empire was made to cede not only all (?) territories outside modern-day Turkey, but also:
Control of the Bosphorus straight and the Dardanelles
Significant ...
16
votes
2
answers
991
views
Why did the Spanish take the island of Annobon in the Treaty of El Pardo in 1778?
The conditions of the Treaty of El Pardo (1778) have always been a mystery to me. From Wikipedia:
The Treaty of El Pardo was signed on March 11, 1778 between Queen Maria I of Portugal and King ...
13
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is this a photo of a historical reinactment of an 1868 treaty signing?
I've stumbled up this image in the National Archives describing the 1868 treaty between the Navajo and United States, which was signed when the Navajo were released from Bosque Redondo.
https://...
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why did the Roberts Treaty of 1833 have a Portuguese translation annexed to it?
According to Wikipedia, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Siam and the United States (or Roberts Treaty of 1833) was written in Thai and English, together with translations in Portuguese and ...
10
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What do "zones of influence" mean, according to the Treaty of Sevres after WWI?
After its defeat in World War I, European powers partitioned the Ottoman Empire, annexing some of its territories, and setting up other territories as their "zones of influence". What do the zones of ...
10
votes
1
answer
311
views
What is the earliest recorded example of an extradition treaty or law?
While reading a news article on someone being extradited from overseas to face justice in the U.S. it started me thinking about the history of the extradition process. Wikipedia and The History Vault ...
10
votes
4
answers
485
views
What are some examples of clauses against unifications in peace treaties?
I have learned in school that the Treaty of Versailles (after World War I in 1919) contained a clause that forbade unification of Germany and Austria. Presumably it is Article 80:
Germany ...
9
votes
2
answers
820
views
How did recognition by Morocco influence the history of the USA?
In my personal experience when having studied the early history of the American Republic, I learned about The Treaty of Marrakech in my U.S. Diplomatic History Graduate course. Prior to that time, ...
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
In the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was there any secret agreement on the timetable, if any, of taking the spheres of influence?
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact included a secret agreement to divide Europe between Germany and USSR. I'm wondering if this secret agreement included timetables for those takeovers, or if they were ...
8
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Did Germany have treaties imposed upon it after WWII that mirrored the weight of the Treaty of Versailles?
After WWI, the treaty of Versailles became the rallying cry for more extreme political forces in Germany, as it's terms were blamed for the countries hardships, and as an insult to the country itself. ...
8
votes
2
answers
869
views
Compulsion for Germany to accept the Treaty of Versailles?
At first it is difficult to understand why Germany would have accepted the Treaty of Versailles.
The armistice had been agreed upon 11 November 1918 and was explicitly based on the terms of Wilson's ...
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Were discrepancies from the 45th parallel in the US-Canadian border ratified?
The treaty of 1783 between the United States and Britain said that the boundary separating Quebec from the states of Vermont and New York was to be at the 45th parallel of north latitude. (The state ...
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why did so many countries agree to the Non-Proliferation Treaty?
The Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 contains (among others) provisions that amount to the following:
There are five countries (the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China) that ...
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What's the oldest treaty still being enforced?
The title pretty much says it all. What is the oldest treaty (of any type) still being enforced between two political entities (i.e., nation-states, cities, etc.)?
6
votes
1
answer
287
views
Was there anyone involved in the negotiations of New Territories (Hong Kong) lease still alive at the time of the negotiations of its return to China?
As well explained by this answer, I know the usual confusion among the previous cession in perpetuity of Hong Kong versus the lease of the neighboring New Territories.
For all effects, China got the ...
5
votes
1
answer
185
views
What share of refugees crossed borders during WW2 and its aftermath?
The Geneva convention of 1951 gives refugees from foreign countries certain rights.
One might think that it was a response to the tens of millions of displaced persons from the second world war. But ...
5
votes
1
answer
358
views
18th-century land surveyors Valentine and Collins
These gentlemen are not to be confused with the 21st-century football players.
The Peace Treaty of 1783 between the United States and Britain said that a big part of the boundary between Quebec and ...
5
votes
1
answer
548
views
What was the contemporary popular opinion of the Anglo-Irish Treaty?
After the Irish War of Independence (also known as The [Black and] Tan War), the Irish and British signed a treaty in 1921, which created the Irish Free State and started the process of gradual ...
4
votes
2
answers
541
views
Did the Vatican punish France for rejecting Tordesillas?
The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) divided up all new discoveries between Portugal and Castile, so establishing the position of Brazil. Pope Alexander VI's deal excluded the other Catholic states. ...
4
votes
0
answers
187
views
Why was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed there?
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican-American War was signed "at the main altar of the old Basilica of Guadalupe", or possibly in an adjacent building. This is a major Catholic ...
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How was Germany involved in the Russian Civil War after the Paris Peace Conference?
What was Germany's involvement in the Russian Civil War after the Paris Peace Conference? After signing the Treaty of Versailles, Germany's economy was pretty much in ruins, but which side of the ...
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
When did the German people learn that they had a large, powerful military, in violation of the Versailles Treaty?
According to the terms of the Versailles Treaty at the end of the First World War, Germany's military was limited to a force so tiny as to be utterly irrelevant in any major conflicts. When Hitler ...
3
votes
1
answer
141
views
What is meant by "state people" in this context? (Governments of new Balkan states post-WWI)
I'm reading The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, but since my background is science I find the history a little hard to follow. What is the meaning of state people in the following quote?
...
2
votes
2
answers
381
views
Articles 3 & 5 of the Tripartite Pact are unclearly formulated. Was this standard for the period?
Tripartite Pact: ARTICLE 3 and ARTICLE 5
ARTICLE 3. Japan, Germany, and Italy agree to cooperate in their
efforts on aforesaid lines. They further undertake to assist one
another with all ...
2
votes
1
answer
180
views
Why wasn't the Treaty of Waitangi framed in terms of a feudal exchange, rather than a surrender of sovereignty?
So, I've been doing a bit of reading on Wikipedia about the Treaty of Waitangi and the ensuing New Zealand Wars that resulted when members of both sides broke the terms of the treaties, and I saw that ...
2
votes
1
answer
709
views
How was the Washington Naval Treaty enforced?
In view of Pearl Harbor, I would be interested to know how the Washington Naval Treaty was enforced - if at all? - given that this was before the establishment of the UN.
Would the the signatories ...
1
vote
1
answer
295
views
Has there ever been a great power that offered a major concession to a non-great power from a position of strength?
Per title. I'm aware "great power" & "major concession" aren't well defined, so as long as some reputable historian calls them so that suffices for me.
There are plenty of ...
1
vote
1
answer
245
views
Historical Examples of Child Exchange between cultures or nations [closed]
Are there historical examples of a noble or other representative of a nation-state exchanging his own child or other children from his nation-state with those of an enemy, in order to solidify a ...
1
vote
1
answer
136
views
Where to read the "Agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Parameters of the Division of the Black Sea Fleet" of May 28, 1997?
I don't know if 1997 is history, but...
Article 4.1 of the 28 May 1997 "Agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Status and Conditions for the Stay of the Black Sea Fleet of ...
1
vote
1
answer
198
views
The nature of the Preliminary Articles of Peace of 1782
The Preliminary Articles of Peace appear to be identical to the peace treaty usually said to be dated 1783 and ratified in 1784.
Since they are verbatim the same, what is the difference between the "...
1
vote
1
answer
122
views
Which 4 states were not present to ratify the treaty of Paris on January 14th, 1784?
Which 4 states were not present to ratify the treaty of Paris on January 14th, 1784
1
vote
0
answers
138
views
What promises were not fulfilled (meaning were not done) in the Indian Removal Act?
I was genuinely wondering what promises were actually fulfilled in the Indian Removal Act. Out of these, it would be especially nice if I could find out whether the 2nd and 8th one were actually ...
1
vote
1
answer
136
views
Did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo intend for Mexicans to live in the USA but under Mexican law? [closed]
The text of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo seem to have allowed Mexicans living in California and New Mexico to make some choices: (1) leave or stay and (2) become a US citizen or remain a Mexican ...
0
votes
1
answer
152
views
California land cases to the US Supreme Court
After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in the early 1850s, the U.S. Congress created a land commission to review claims of land ownership predating California's accession. Hundreds of claims were ...
0
votes
1
answer
269
views
Where can I find an English translation of the text of the Belovezh Accords?
It is reported in many places on the internet that the decision to abolish the Soviet Union was made in the Belovezh Forest in Belarus, near Poland, by the heads of government of three of the Soviet ...
-1
votes
1
answer
133
views
Was there any treaty during WWI and II with the world countries and Sir Henry Dunant's Red Cross to respect those with Red Cross?
Sir Henry Dunant created the assembly of Red Cross to help the victims of a battle zone.
During WWI and II was there any treaty with all the countries to respect the volunteers and employees of Red ...
-3
votes
1
answer
92
views
When did the United States ratify the Non-Proliferation Treaty? [closed]
According to Wikipedia the United States are a signatory state of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was signed on 1968-07-01 and came into effect on 1970-03-05. But when did the USA ratify it?