Impact of WW1 : Treaty of Versailles (UNFAIR) Flashcards
German Humiliation
One reason why the Treaty of Versailles was unfair because of German humiliation. Germans felt humiliated that they had to accept total blame for the war. For example, the War Guilt Clause in Article 231 stated that Germany had to accept total blame for the war. The people felt that they should not have to accept total blame, but the Weimar Government had to no choice but to accept or continue fighting. Germans felt that it was a dictated peace (diktat) and resented it. Germany did not surrender but was merely an armistice. Therefore, the humiliation that the German felt having to suffer the consequences of the treaty was too much to bear. Thus the Treaty of Versailles was unfair as it was designed to purposefully humiliate and weaken Germany.
German Territorial Reductions
Another reason why the Treaty of Versailles was unfair because of German territorial reductions. Germany had to suffer territorial reductions as part of the Treaty of Versailles. For example, Germany had to surrender its overseas colonies such as the Southern Pacific Islands, Tanganyika, and the Cameroon. Germany also lost 13% of its total land. They lost a coal-rich industrial area called Saar, and also Alsace-Lorraine. Rhineland was also demilitarised and was occupied by the League of Nations. Germany was also forbidden to forge with Austria its neighbour to weaken their influence on Europe. Therefore, the Treaty of Versailles was indeed an unfair treaty as it humiliated Germany even further by injuring the pride of Germans. Germany ability to recover financially from the war was also damaged.
German Military Reductions
The Treaty of Versailles was unfair because of German military reductions. It aimed to weaken Germany’s military significantly, so to ensure that Germany would not start another war and will not be able to defend itself against allied attacks. For example, in Article 160. Germany’s army was reduced to 100,000 men. The constructions of submarines, tanks, and airplanes were forbidden. Wartime weapons were also melted to metal scraps. Also in Article 428, Rhineland was to be demilitarised and occupied by the League of Nations so that Germany would not be a threat to France. Conscription in Germany was also banned. Therefore, Germans felt humiliated that they could not even defend themselves from external attacks and felt vulnerable. Hence, Germans had to suffer which makes the Treaty of Versailles indeed an unfair treaty.
German Economic Weakness
The Treaty of Versailles was unfair because of German economic weakness. Germany’s economy was weakened as they had to pay heavy reparations and surrender coal at certain intervals. For example, in Article 232 Germany had to pay 132 billion gold marks as war reparations mainly to France and Belgium. Ruhr industrial was also taken over by France when Germany could not pay its reparations. Therefore, with Germany’s economy already struggling with high unemployment and loss of industries, the treaty had worsened the Germany’s economy even more. As a result, Germans were very bitter about the treaty was it was seen as a way to ruin Germany and put her further in economic debt. Thus the Treaty of Versailles was not a fair treaty.
Self-determination and creation of new boundaries
The Treaty of Versailles was also unfair due to self-determination and creation of new boundaries. This allowed people of Austria-Hungary to gain their independent states. For example, Austria-Hungary Empire was broken up and many nationalities gained their own countries, and grouped together like Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The German city of Danzig also became a free city and was taken under protection of the League of Nations. However, this policy was not practical because there were many ethnic groups in the newly created groups and some were clearly unhappy with the majority decisions. Thus Germans in Czechoslovakia and Danzig found themselves unable to return to Germany. They found that the self-determination policy of the treaty only benefitted the victors of wars. Thus the Treaty of Versailles was unfair.
