Was the Treatty of Versailles fair? Edited by Lloyd Yeo

The Treaty of Versailles were fair in terms of its military, territorial and economic terms. But it was grossly unfair when it came to forcing her to sign the war guilt clause.

The military terms were fair because Germany was still left with 100,000 to defend herself. All they did was to disarm her and make her less dangerous. This explains why she was not allowed to have an airforce or submarine fleet. It also explains why the navy was limited to 6 battleshipts and a smaller fleet. It was however still fair because Germany was still allowed to have a basic self defence force.

The territorial terms were fair because before the Treaty of Versailles was signed, it should be remembered that Germany treated Russia very harshly at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. At the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Germany had taken away 25% of Russia’s territories. In contrast, at the Treaty of Versailles, the Allies had taken away only 10% of Germany’s lands. The Rhineland may have been demilitarized but Germany was still allowed to keep the iron, coal and steel factories there. The Saar coalfields may have been taken over by France for 15 years but 15 years later, the residents in the Saar area would still be given a pleblescite (national elections) to decide if they wanted to remain under French or German control.

Some have claimed that the economic terms were grossly unfair to Germany because Germany had to pay 6.6 billion pounds. It was beyond what she was able to pay. It was almost impossible for Gemany to pay this amount to the Allies also because the coal mines in the Saar was lost to France for ten or so years. Germany also had strikes and demonstrations. The German ports were also blockaded and 6.6 billion pounds was simply too much! Yet it should also be remembered that German economy was still able to recover in the late 1920s under the leadership of President Gustav Stressemann. This shows the economic terms wasn’t as crippling in the long term.

The biggest injustice was the war guilt clause. The war guilt clause was grossly unfair for Germany because according to article 231 of the Versailles Treaty, Germany was forced to admit that they were responsible for starting World War I. Yet, in 1914, it was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was assassinated in Bosnia which led to the start of World War I. It was Austrian insistence that Serbia pay indemnity and surrender their provinces which led to the war. It was also Serbian terrorists which had assassinated the Archduke. It was also Russia which supported Serbia and mobilized her army first. These events show that Austria-Hungary, Serbia and Russia were equally responsible for the war. Yet, at the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to admit that she, and she alone, was responsible for starting World War I. The war guilt clause was grossly unfair because the Germans would call it a ‘dictated peace’ and call for ‘vengeance’. They felt the Weimar politicians had stabled the German nation in the back and felt angered. It would also ultimately lead to the start of World War Two in 1939.

Therefore, in conclusion, the Treaty of Versailles were fair in terms of territorial, military and even economic terms. The war guilt clause was however grossly unfair. The moral injustice would be remembered and eventually enable Hitler to mobilize and use those ill-feelings to start World War II .