- Germany cannot have any defensives 50km to the East of the Rhine
- Germany is not allowed to have any permanent or temporary military or armed forces in the similar region stated above
- If Germany does do any of the above acts, then it will be looked at as a threat to the peace of the world
- Germany has to pay reparations to France for the damage done in the country. France is allowed to exploit Germany for money, and any money France owed to Germany is now void
- After 15 years of the Versailles Treaty, the people of Saar Basin would be allowed to choose which sovereignty they wanted to be under
- Alsace and Lorraine are returned to France
- Germany cannot align with Austria, and must understand that they are independent
- Germany should also understand that the Czecho-Slovak is also independent. Any “Germans” living there will lose all German identity and will not be Czecho-Slovak
- Poland is independent
- Danzig is a free country, and will be protected by the League
- The League is allowed to take any reparation from Germany on the part of Russia
- Germany loses all colonies
- German army cannot be over 100,000 men. They can only maintain order within their own country
- Factories making weapons must be placed only where the League says so, and the number of factories is also regulated by the League
- Germany cannot conscript
- Number of military schools in Germany should reflect the number of army members allowed
- German navy could only have 6 battleships, 6 light cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines allowed. All other ships can only be used for commercial purposes
- Air force not allowed for Germany
- William II to be taken to “court” due to an offence against morality and the sanctity of treaties
- Germany was to blamed for everything, including anything that its allies did
- League realized Germany doesn’t have resources to survive, but they still have to give compensation for damage done to any of the Allied powers
- Amount of damage was to be done by the Allied powers
- Justice and Humanity to be taken care of by League, who introduced the HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES
- Even though they recognize that labour policies differ by country, there should be a set number of rules for each countries labourers
- Labour not to be looked at as just commodity or “article of commerce”
- Employer and Employee to obey the law
- Employee must be paid enough to be able to survive
- A 40 work week
- Weekly 24 hour rest
- End to child labour
- Men and Women to be paid equal wages for the same jobs
- Each country should inspect to ensure that laws are obeyed for protection
- German land west of the Rhine is now in power by the Allied powers for 15 years
- If Germany does not do everything stated in the Versailles Treaty, the land stated above will permanently become part of the Allied powers
- If they obey all the articles of the Treaty for 15 years, occupying forces will be withdrawn at that time
- Germany to understand and obey all treaties, and to recognize the new countries
The Economic Consequences of the Peace
- John Maynard Keynes was previously economic advisor to Lloyd George at the Versailles Conference
- He knew that the economic articles stated in the treat would leave restlessness in the Germans, and it would leave their economic weak and would destabilize Europe
- Gave his own ideas in the book “The Economic Consequences of the Peace”, which would not only benefit Europe but the USA as well
The Conference
- France made the most extreme proposals
- Clemenceau was the most active member of the Council of Four (from France?)
- He believed that Germans did not understand anything but intimidation
- He said that negotiation is not possible and therefore they must be told what to do
- John believed that the League of Nations was only made to sway the power onto the side of the countries involved in the League
- John stated that Wilson’s thoughts were very theological, but not very intellectual
- Wilson’s programs “displayed a spirit and a purpose so admirable”
- Wilson had no proposals in detail and was ill-informed to the European condition
- John states that Mr. Lloyd George also was ill-informed, but he also states that Wilson’s mind was slow and unadaptable
- Wilson discovered that there were certain very important points in the program of his French, British, or Italian colleague, as the case might be, of which he was incapable of securing the surrender by the methods of secret diplomacy
- Wilson was a man of principle, and even though he knew that compromise was necessary, he stuck to his Fourteen Points
- He would not do anything that was immoral (not honourable, not just and right and nothing that was against his profession and faith)
- The Treaty was set-up in such a way that very subtle words were used to bend the meaning of something
- Wordings were changed by draftsmen to sound more appeasing and to satisfy Wilson
Remedies
- Made the reparations “within limits” so Germany would be able to pay
- Believe that Germany will never prosper
- Germans, Austrians and Hungarians are the “children of the devil” and must be kept impoverished and children must be kept starved and crippled
- Will reject any proposals that suggest helping Germany
The Settlement of the Inter-Ally Indebtedness
- Allies need to prove themselves sincere and trustworthy
- Should waive the reparations for Belgium, Serbia and France and only pay for the provinces which actually suffered invasion
- Europe needs to rely on its own daily bread and not the US’s
- Europe will not work needlessly if they are losing money
International Loan
- Requirement of Europe is immediate
- Being relived of interest payments to England and America would get rid of future anxiety
- Problems in Europe include more imports than exports, adverse exchange and the disorder of currency
- Europe needs some sort of external assistance to “boost” production
Spartacus Manifesto
- Revolution in Germany
- Soldiers were slaughtered for “capitalistic profits”
- Kaiser and Crown Prince have fled the country
- Workers and Soldiers councils have risen up
- Proletariats speaking for other Proletariats
- The Government is the one really guilty for the war
- Their cause has now been justified, and their time has come to reach a settlement with the “capitalist class rule”
- All the proletariats of the world must come together to triumph
- The aim has been forgotten, as the “victorious” countries have “dazzled the eyes of many strata with the external brilliance of this triumph”
- Imperialistic countries have no “understanding”, but for the capitals profit and the only method they know of is violence
- If government in all countries are talking about the League of Nations and its principles, then it is “merely using the customary lying phrases of the rulers for the purpose of lulling people to sleep”
- “Proletariats of all countries! This must be the last war! We owe that to the twelve million murdered victims; we owe that to our children; we owe it to humanity”
- Europe has been ruined by the war
- Humanity has been threatened by the dreadful famine
- “The beast of capital that conjured up the hell of the world war is not capable of banishing it again”
- Treaties that are being signed are nothing but “brutal force from which the hydra of oppression, hatred, and fresh bloody wars raises its thousand heads”-referring to the Treaty of Versailles
- Socialism is the only way to assure peace
- The Treaty of Versailles “must not be allowed to make peace”
- World should go back to the way it was, where everyone was equal
Erich Ludendorff on the New German Government, February 1919
- Power of the state had failed during WWI
- Government caused the fall themselves
- They were not able to understand history, or the signs of time, or be in favour of international and pacifist ideas
- The new government will focus on National Defence
- This new government did worse than the previous
- It could have been predicted, as it was men who had been weakening Germany internally previously and men who doubted the power of the people of the nation
- Wanted to bring in parliamentary rule, instead of emperor rule
- They agreed with Wilson, without realizing that “what the enemy wants can only be bad for ourselves”
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When the Treaty of Versailles had been delivered, they said “Had our army had our workmen, on the 5th and 9th of November, known that peace would have looked that way, the army would not have laid down its arms; it would have held out”. Saying that they would have rather continued to fight the war then agree with the “peace” pact
- Military had warned political leaders about how they would be disarmed
- When the Reichstag had taken over the Kaiser, the fourth note to Wilson they “consummated the political capitulation before the enemy”
- They said that it was a peace of justice
- The main betrayal of the German people was that the “unconquered army” was disarmed and the Treaty was abided by
- “Crime” against Germany
- The Political leadership broke down the military command
