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German Objections to the Treaty of Versailles
'What we will lose!' reads this 1919 German poster. '20% of our production regions. 10% of the population. A third of coal production. A quarter of bread, wheat and potato production. Four-fifths of iron ore. All our colonies and merchant navy.'
Each point of that treaty could have been engraved on the minds and hearts of the German people and burned into them until sixty million men and women would find their souls aflame with a feeling of rage and shame.

From Adolf Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, published 1925-26, where he recorded his thoughts on the Treaty of Versailles.

Objection

Arguments for

Counter-arguments

Diktat - Peace was dictated to them
  • Germany was not invited to participate in proceedings.
  • It was a ‘Victors’ Peace.
  • Took no account that Germany had become a democratic republic.
  • They were given only 3 weeks to review the terms.
  • Forced to sign under the threat of ‘occupation’
  • Germany had ‘diktated terms’ to the Russians in January 1917 in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
War Guilt
  • The causes of war were too complex to blame Germany alone.
  • It was the old Kaiser’s War NOT the new Democratic Republics. Would weaken the new democracy politically.
  • Germany had proposed a formal inquiry into war guilt - the Allies rejected this. Therefore, guilt was not proven - it was asserted.
  • The Weimar Government was only set up at the end of the War.
  • Germany’s ‘blank cheque’ to Austria-Hungary was ‘evidence enough’ of German war mongering.
  • Germany invaded neutral Belgium!
Territorial losses
  • Germany lost c 12% of land and population
  • (72000 Km sq / 1.5 million Germans under foreign rule)
  • East Prussia was cut off (by Polish Corridor).
  • Mandating German colonies - Britain + France taking advantage .
  • Self-determination was not being applied to Germany.
  • The Polish corridor was mainly populated by Poles
  • The Treaty of Brest Litovsk saw Russia lose 1 million Sq miles to the Central Powers
  • Losses could have been worse if not for Wilson’s ‘moderate position’
Military restrictions
  • The limits were too harsh - barely sufficient to defend Germany’s borders.
  • All countries pre war had engaged in an ‘arms-race’ - not unreasonable for all countries to disarm - as per Wilson’s 14 Points
  • French security needs were understandable and paramount given Germany had been at war twice in 50 years
  • 1870/71 Franco Prussian War + WWI
Reparations
  • If war guilt wasn’t proven - reparations on the scale ‘planned’ was unjustified.
  • losses of industrial land (e.g Saarland) / resources + colonies would make it impossible for Germany to pay.
  • Was ‘short-sighted’ - a strong German economy would help all of Europe recover.
  • Hypocrisy!
  • German had imposed a 5 billion indemnity on France after the Franco-Prussian war (which France paid by 1873) France deserved compensation for damage done - especially after Germany’s scorched earth ‘retreat’.
  • German had imposed an indemnity on Russia of 6 billion marks for German losses)
  • German economic problems were self-inflicted: they had hoped to pay for war by imposing indemnities of the defeated had they won it!
  • Britain had a £7 billion deficit for a war they didn’t want to fight! (…and owed USA )
League of Nations
  • It was against Woodrow Wilson’s spirit of Internationalism to prevent Germany from joining the League. (Especially now Germany was ruled democratically)
  • The League was merely a ‘victors’ club - Germany was being made a ‘pariah’ (Outcast)
  • It was reasonable for Germany to have to prove herself before being permitted to join.