was the treaty fair?

• Wilsons aims in establishing the treaty

  • dont pusnish Germany harshly: he didnt want them to seek revenge
  • strengthen democracy in defeated countries: views of people were important as they wouldn't let another war happen
  • international cooperation: wanted to achieve world piece
  • self determination to small countries that had once been a part of the European empires: he wanted people of eastern europe to rule themselves
• 14 points 


  they were the basis of peace negotiations at the end of WW1. they included things like

  • free access to the sea in peace or war time
  • League of Nations to be established
  • all countries work against disarmament
  • no secret treaties
• why were people doubtful of Wilsons ideas

  they didnt seem achievable. self determination, for example, would be very hard to achieve as people in eastern europe were scattered across many countries.
• did Lloyd and Wilson think alike

  he agreed with Wilson about his Germany should be punished lightly , as lloyd was concerned harshness would lead to a communist revolution. he also wanted to trade with Germany. but Wilson wan ted Germany ti lose navy and colonies because they threatened the British empire
• did clemenceu agree with Wilson?

  he agreed for fair and lasting peace. but they disagreed over Germany. France wanted to cripple and punish Germany so they could never attach Germany again. clemenceu wanted to demilitarise the Rhineland so German troops wouldn't threaten France.
• eventual terms of the treaty

  • war guilt: article 231, Germany had to accept the blame for the war
  • reparations: germany had to pay £6.6bn in reparations for damages to allies.
  • German territories and colonies: France and Britain controlled most that were taken away. Alsace Lorraine to France, West Prussia and upper Silesia to Poland, and all colonies were taken away.
  • German armed forces: 100,000 men in the army, conscription was banned, no aircraft allowed, and navy consisted of 6 battleships. Rhineland became demilitarised
  • League of Nations: Germany was banned from joining
• German unhappiness about the treaty

  they felt they didnt start the war, and that paying reparations was unfair as their economy was severely weakened. losing their territories was a blow to their pride and economy. disarmament was bad as having an army of 100,000 was small for a country as big as Germany. they disliked their govt and president Ebert, as they handled the economic crisis badly in Germany. Germany also signed armistice, causing them to lose the war. they further felt Wilsons 14 pts weren't applied to Germany, as Germans in other parts of europe were ruled by non germans.
• difficulties for Germany from the treaty up to 1923

  Freikorps, right-wing groups, protested the Treaty of Versailles, which ordered their disbandment. Political violence and assassinations continued. In 1923, after Germany failed to pay reparations, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr, seizing raw materials. Workers went on strike, but French forces killed and exiled many. This led to hyperinflation, as Germany printed money to pay reparations in worthless marks, benefiting from the worthless marks.
• was the treaty fair

  • germany was operating as a double standard . they called for fair treatment yet didnt square with the harsh ways they treated Russia in the treaty of brest-livestock
  • economic problems were partly self inflicted. kaiser's govt didnt raise taxes to pay for wars, allowing debts to mount up as it planned to pay Germany's war debts by extracting reparations from defeated states
• was the treaty unfair

  it placed full blame on Germany for war, leading to humiliation and resentment. reparations were seen as excessive and contributed to economic hardships in the country