Why Did the Versailles Settlement Upset Various Sections of the German Population?

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Alex Mik 10D

Why Did the Versailles Settlement Upset Various Sections of the German Population?

An armistice was signed on November 11th 1918 at Compiegne to end the First World War. Germany did not feel they had lost the war and so expected a fair and negotiated deal. Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points backed this view. However, this was not to be and the treaty of Versailles that followed greatly angered and upset the German people.

        The men formerly in the military services were very angered by the treaty of Versailles, the armament restrictions in particular as it left most of them without employment. The army was cut down to 100000 men and conscription was banned. The air force was disbanded and tanks and submarines were also banned. Germany felt that because they had lost the war and suffered disarmaments they could not defend themselves and were now an insignificant power.

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        The German public hated the treaty, especially the ‘War Guilt’ clause, as they did not feel that they had lost the war. They felt that the treaty was a ‘Diktat’ in that it was dictated to them and they had no say. They were very upset by the reparations because of the aforementioned reasons. The public felt let down by the government, who were socialist, because they signed the treaty and they were labelled the ‘November Criminals’.

        The German Industrialists and Businessmen were also very angered by the payment of reparations, the occupation and the losses of vital industrial land ...

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