Essay 3.

• Essay Question - Was treaty of Versailles too harsh?
• Neither German govt/public opinion had a clear idea of scope of terms to be imposed
• E. Troeltsch → “people hoped for lenient, 'Wilsonian' peace conditions.”
• • After armistice, German govt began preparing for peace negotiations.
  • Experts engaged in collecting material/working up a basis
• • P. Kruger → thoughts concentrated on how Germany's economic potential could be preserved as a power factor; object was to make country's defeat inoperative in the economic sphere 
• • Period of illusions ended, treaty presented to German delegation.
• Nation reacted with indignation - agreed in rejecting.
• • Allies did not permit oral discussion - 14 days to formulate written observations. 
• • Attacked basis of treaty:
  • (1) Wilson's peace programme, together with German-American exchange notes, October 1918. 
  • Germans argued, constituted a preliminary treaty binding on both sides, and the Allies could therefore not rely on any absolute right conferred by victory
  • (2) ‘War guilt' thesis. 
  • Rebutting assertion of Germany's guilt for war they attempted to destroy the moral basis of the Allied terms in general and especially as regards reparations.
• • 20th, Scheidemann's Cabinet resigned = New gov. formed next day
• • 22 June, new govt declared willing to accept terms with proviso that it did not acknowledge responsibility
  • Rejected 
  • Under threat of resumption of military operations, National Assembly passed a resolution - authorised to sign.
• • 28 June Foreign Minister, Minister of Communications signed 
• • Ensuing months peace treaties with other defeated states were signed.
  • Austria at St Germain Oct. 1919
  • Bulgaria at Neuilly Nov. 1919
  • Hungary at Trianon Jun. 1920
  • Turkey at Sèvres Aug. 1920 (Lausanne 1923)
  • Limit armed forces, pay reparations, cede large amounts of territory.
• • Austria

  Recognize independence of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, and cede Eastern Galicia, the Tyrol south, Trieste.
• • Bulgaria

  Lost access to Aegean Sea to Greece
• • Turkey

  Dissolution of Empire.

  Greece fell to Eastern Thrace, Aegean islands, Smyrna

  France acquired Syria

  Italy gained Rhodes

  Br gainted Iraq, Palestine

  International control of straits (occupation of constantinople, financial/military control by allies)
• • Hungary

  After Ottoman Empire, lost the greatest proportion of territory.
• • Too severe, since Germany could do no other
• • K.D. Erdmann → Too lenient, because Germany was not so far weakened
• • Treaty = nature of a compromise: not generous 'Wilsonian peace' that had hoped for. 
• • M. Berg → Wilson's "deceit" was in reality self-deception on part of Germans about outcome”
  • Neither was it a 'Carthaginian peace'
• • Germany continued to be a great power with longer-term prospect of playing active part in European affairs, and with greater freedom of movement than had in 1914.
• • G. Ritter → “Long-term future offered best opportunities for a patient German policy, fact that missed chance and, in impatience, threw ourselves into arms of a violent adventurer is greatest misfortune”