To What Extent Do You Think That The Treaty Of Versailles Was Unfair On Germany?

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Lewis Wood

To What Extent Do You Think That The Treaty Of Versailles Was Unfair On Germany?

The Paris Peace Conference opened on 12th January 1919, meetings were held at various locations in and around Paris until 20th January 1920. Leaders of 32 states representing about 75% of the world's population, attended. However, negotiations were dominated by the five major powers responsible for defeating the Central Powers: the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Japan. Important figures in these negotiations included Georges Clemenceau (France) David Lloyd George (Britain), Vittorio Orlando (Italy), and Woodrow Wilson (United States).
          Eventually five treaties emerged from the Conference that dealt with the defeated powers. The five treaties were named after the Paris suburbs of Versailles (Germany), St Germain (Austria), Trianon (Hungary), Neuilly (Bulgaria) and Serves (Turkey).

The Treaty Of Versailles is often seen as the key treaty from the Paris Peace Conference, it contained many rules and regulations to be set upon Germany due to the First World War. To these rules and regulations there is speculation over the fairness of the Treaty and have it’s aims. The main terms of the Versailles Treaty were: the surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations mandates; the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France; cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania, the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia, Poznania, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland; Danzig to become a free city; plebiscites to be held in northern Schleswig to settle the Danish-German frontier;
occupation and special status for the Saar under French control; demilitarisation and a fifteen-year occupation of the Rhineland;  German reparations; a ban on the union of Germany and Austria;
an acceptance of Germany's guilt in causing the war; provision for the trial of the former Kaiser and other war leaders; limitation of Germany's army to 100,000 men with no conscription, no tanks, no heavy artillery, no poison-gas supplies, no aircraft and no airships; the limitation of the German Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons, with no submarines.

It is clear that the Treaty Of Versailles was harsh and from a German point of view nearly all if not all the terms of the Treaty would seem unfair, no country likes to loss prestige, land and power. Some Germans would say that the Treaty had crippled them. There are many reasons why they have the right to argue that the Treaty was unfair.

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Military and Naval terms saw Germany having their armed forces strictly limited and affected. The German Navy were forced to hand over many submarines and ships, the entire Germany sea force was completely cut down to no more than 1500 officers and warrant officers. The future German army was limited and prohibited to use tanks, military aircraft or heavy artillery. Much debate occurred from the main powers of the world over the actually size and terms of the German army.  The French wanted Germany to have an army the size of 200,000 men based on annual conscription, however Lloyd George ...

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