The Fairness of the Treaty of Versailles

The Fairness of the Treaty of Versailles

'The Treaty of Versailles' was the peace settlement that ended World

War One in 1918. The treaty itself was actually signed on the 28th

June 1919 at the former palace of Versailles, just outside Paris, by

Germany and the Allies. The treaty was a compromise between the

countries, trying to satisfy each demand - but was it overall fair to

Germany?

Germany was affected considerably by the terms of the Treaty, both in

material and image. Firstly, she was forced to accept full

responsibility for the war; establishing a foreground for a huge

reparations bill. As it was decided that the entire war had been the

fault of Germany and Germany alone, much to the outrage of the German

citizens, she was expected to pay reparations to the countries

affected; the Allies - to provide money to account for damaged land,

compensation, etc. Two more terms from Versailles that largely

affected Germany were the loss of land and army; around 10% of German

land was taken away, including all overseas colonies, resulting in the

loss of 12.5% of her population, and her military was cut down to a

mere 100,000 men in the army - from over 2 million, to 36 ships in her

navy and no U-boats or dreadnoughts, Germany was no longer allowed to

have an air force, all wartime guns and weapons were to be melted down

as scrap metal, and any future alliances with Austria-Hungary were

forbidden.

Overall, the entire ordeal infuriated the country and was seen by her

as unjust and unfair. There was a great uproar in response to Germany

having to take the blame for the war. The Germans pointed out that

other countries, for exampl...

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...he final treaty had

attempted to satisfy each prevailing country's demands; France (French

Premier, Clemenceau) was at the source of the 'harshness' within the

agreement, seeking vengeance for the dire loss of life and land it had

suffered during the war, Britain (Prime Minister, David Llyos George)

wanted to punish the Germans but not to the same degree as the French,

whilst America (President Woodrow Wilson) originally wished for a more

peaceful solution, but ultimately isolated herself from the Allies,

regarding the entire issue with far less concern. Conclusively, the

treaty set upon Germany was very demanding and unfair to the many

citizens of the country who had been against the war or not part of

it; however, the agreement could have been worse, much worse in

comparison if contrasted with German issued treaties.