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Review: Was the Treaty of Versailles a ‘fair’ Treaty?

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! especially as the German army in retreat deliberately destroyed valuable land, and flooded coal mines. (Scorched earth retreat)
  • 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.