Reaction to the Treaty of Versailles Essay Flashcards
Introduction
Background Sentences
The Treaty of Versailles was a compilation of agreements and demands that Germany was forced to sign by the Allies in 1919, which was the formal ending of WWI. When the Treaty was revealed to the German public, it was met with widespread shock and anger.
Introduction
Factors
Within this essay I will discuss the reparations, military and territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles and how the Germans responded to these terms.
Introduction
Line of Argument
This essay will argue that the German response to the Treaty of Versailles was an overreaction. This overreaction was largely based on the fact that Germany was not invited to the making of the Treaty, rather than the actual terms of the Treaty themselves.
Introduction
Historiography
Some historians such as Storer believe that the Germans were justified in their view that the Treaty of Versailles was an unfair act. However, historians such as Lee argued that the Germans weren’t justified in their view of the Treaty of Versailles.
Reparations and War Guilt
What were the reparations?
In 1922, it was set that Germany had to pay £6.6 billion in reparations, to the Allies to pay for the damage suffered by Britain and France caused by the war. These reparations were to be paid in small chunks.
Reparations and War Guilt
What is Article 231?
To be able to include the reparations payment in the terms which solely pertained to Germany, the Allies had to include Article 231- the war guilt clause. This clause stated that Germany had to accept all the blame for causing and starting the war as well as the damage caused to the Allies by Germany’s aggressive nature in the war alongside Germany’s allies.
Reparations and War Guilt
Analysis
This significantly contributed to the German response of outrage because the real damage of the war guilt clause was that it hurt Germany’s pride. In terms of reparations, many Germans felt that such a huge sum was unmanageable for a country recovering from the war. In this respect, Storer’s argument about the terms being an insult to the country as a whole as well as its pride, appears convincing.
Reparations and War Guilt
Analysis +
However, on the other hand, the reparation payments were supposed to be 7% of their annual income paid per year, however Germany never paid more than 3% of their GDP, which meant that Germany was never financially in debt. WIth regards to the war guilt clause, Germany’s aggressive nature as well as their part in persuading Austria to go to war, was the reason they were deemed the sole cause of the start of the war and needed to take accountability for their decisions.
Reparations and War Guilt
Historiography
It is on this point that that historical debate arises. Lee’s view that Germany came to see themselves as a victim disagrees with Storer as he emphasises that most of the terms were broadly fair and Germany was not as victimised as Storer argues that they were.
Reparations and War Guilt
Evaluation
Overall, in terms of reparations and war guilt, it can be argued that the German people’s response to the Treaty of Versailles was an overreaction. Neither war guilt clause nor reparations was hugely damaging to Germany’s ability to actually recover from the war. Both were seen as injustices by the German people, but that is perhaps more due to the fact that Germany played no role in the making of the Treaty, so therefore viewed every term as a dictated term, which made them view the treaty as more unfair than it actually was.
Military Defeat
How did French Premier Clemenceau restrict Germany’s military progress?
French Premier Clemenceau wanted to make sure that Germany would never again pose a military threat to the rest of Europe, and the treaty contained a number of demands to guarantee this aim. For example, Germany had to control and limit the number of tanks, submarines and airplanes that they had. Another demand that was a part of the treaty was that the German army was reduced from 13 million men to 100,000 troops. These demands were set in place to limit Germany’s potential to regain their economic superiority.
Military Defeat
What happened to the Rhineland?
The land in Germany which was the Rhineland was to be demilitarised. Rhineland was found to be near the French border which allowed France to invade Germany easily if the German government breached the terms of the Treaty.
Military Defeat
Analysis
These terms were met with anger due to the feeling that they left the country vulnerable to attack and unable to defend themselves. This was a particular worry given their poor relationship with France, highlighted by Clemenceau’s actions, at this time.
Military Defeat
Analysis +
Contrastingly, the German response can be viewed as an overreaction because future peace, at least temporarily, had been guaranteed by the League of Nations. In addition to this, the financial status of France, Russia and other European states meant that they were in no position to attack Germany at this time.
Military Defeat
Evaluation
Overall, in terms of military terms, it can be argued that the German people’s response to the Treaty of Versailles was an overreaction. Germany no longer required a massive army and this allowed Germany to more easily pay off the reparation payments. Yet again, it is the dictated nature of the terms, rather than the terms themselves that seem to evoke the anger of the German people.
