Was the Treaty of Versailles Fair? - Conflict and Tension

Question 1

evidence that the treaty was unfair?

Answer 1

• the causes of the war, such as the arms race, were complicated and were not just Germany’s fault, yet the Germans were made to take all of the blame
• the Germans signed the armistice thinking that the treaty would be based on Wilson’s 14 points - but it wasn’t and they couldn’t negotiate
• 6 million Germans ended up living in new often hostile countries - this gave Germany an excuse to reclaim the land it had lost
• the new countries created by the Paris Settlement often grouped together often grouped together people who did not want to share a country, which caused unrest - in 1993 Czechoslovakia split in two and Yugoslavia eventually collapsed into civil war in 1991
• the Treaty of Sevres was so harsh it caused a revolt and was overturned - this showed that the treaties could not be enforced
• at the time the settlement was signed, many people - including Wilson and Lloyd George - thought it was too harsh and would lead to another war

Question 2

evidence that the settlement was fair?

Answer 2

• the Austrian and Turkish empires were broken up by demands for Independence, which the allies accepted to weaken their enemies - this meant that the agreement had to be made as quickly to prevent instability
• Germany had already agreed to several of the terms of the treaty at the armistice - including the payment of reparations
• Germany only paid a fraction of the reparations it owed - and was able to rebuild its military and economy enough to start another war within 20 years
• the Paris Peace talks came at the end of a war that had caused a huge amount of death and devastation, especially to France - expecting Germany to pay for the damage wasn’t unfair
• it was normal for the losing side to be treated harshly - if Germany would have one they may have treated the allies harshly too

Question 3

what were the changing views on Versailles?

Answer 3

• in 1919, the treaties sign at the Paris peace conference were fairly popular outside Germany - many felt that Germany deserved to be punished and needed to be prevented from attacking its neighbours again
• throughout the 1930s, opinions began to change and after WW2 the peacemakers were heavily criticised and blamed for the conditions that led to war breaking out again