Was the Treaty of Versailles harsh? Explain your answer. [12]

Introduction:

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 to restore peace and order in Europe. Yet the peace established by the treaty only lasted 20 years before the Second World War would break out.


Main Body:

From the perspective of the Germans, the treaty seemed to be very harsh. The terms of the treaty appeared to be aimed at punishing Germany. Firstly, the military restrictions made it almost impossible for the Germans to defend themselves. With no tanks, no air-force, no submarines and only 100,000 soldiers, Germany would be vulnerable. With Rhineland demilitarised as well, Germany would be in a state of insecurity. This was a far cry from the days when Germany was a great military power, as seen in its ability to fight against 3 other major powers during the First World War. Thus, the military restriction was humiliating to many Germans. Secondly, the War Guilt Clause forced Germany to accept the full blame for causing the First World War. This was deemed unfair as all the major powers were involved in the war and Germany was merely fulfilling its obligations to an ally, just like Russia. On top of that, the reparations were set at £6.6 billion. Such a large sum of money would not only prevent Germany from recovering but it would also keep Germany poor for a long time. Thirdly, Germany lost all its colonies, which meant that Germany could no longer claim its position as a Great Power. This was a humiliation. Lands were also given away to Poland and Czechoslovakia. This resulted in many Germans living in foreign countries and thus, they had been deprived of the right to self-determination. All these caused many Germans to view the treaty as an act of revenge rather a peace treaty.

From the perspective of the Allies, the treaty did not appear to be harsh. Firstly, when it was compared with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which Russia signed after surrendering to the Germans, Russia suffered greater losses. For instance, Russia lost 25% of its territories in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk while Germany lost only 13% in the Treaty of Versailles. Russia also lost 80% of its coal mines in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk while Germany only lost 16% in the Treaty of Versailles. Thus, the Allies did not feel that they had been unfair to Germany, considering that the Germans had been harsher to Russia when Russia surrendered. In addition, German conduct during the war had been quite dishonourable. According to the French President, this included the use of poisonous gas and the attack on innocent and unarmed women and children. Therefore, imposing a very restrictive treaty on Germany was seen as a just and fair approach towards the Germans rather than a harsh measure.