"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."
The War Guilt Clause was added in order to get the French and Belgians to agree to reduce the sum of money that Germany would have to pay to compensate for war damage. The article was seen as a concession to the Germans by the negotiators. It was bitterly resented, however, by virtually all Germans who did not believe they were responsible for the outbreak of the war. This article was a constant thorn in the side of the Weimar leaders who tried to meet the terms of the agreement while trying to have these terms modified.
How Was Germany Punished At Versailles? Germany was punished severely by the Treaty of Versailles, and in many cases, some of the terms seemed greatly unfair towards Germany. The treaty was put together by Woodrow Wilson who wasn’t very keen on punishing Germany too harshly, as he believed that Germany would be intent on seeking revenge in the future, Georges Clemenceau who wanted to punish Germany for Frances losses, and David Lloyd George Who himself wanted a fair settlement, but also wanted to please the British Public, who were demanding that Germany would be punished for Britain’s losses.
The terms of the treaty were thought unfair by the Germans, but the two representatives didn’t have a choice, as they knew refusing to sign would start the war all over again.
The most unjust term in the treaty was probably the War Guilt clause, where Germany was to accept all the blame for starting the war. The Germans bitterly resented being blamed for the war, as they felt they were getting the blame for losing. The leader of the German representatives had said, An admission that we alone are guilty is a lie, as Austria-Hungary was also responsible for the start of the war, as they first declared war on Serbia.
Other terms included limiting German military strength. The German army was cut to 100,000 men. Only voluntary soldiers could join, conscription was banned. The navy was only allowed 6 battleships, and Germany wasn’t allowed to build any submarines, planes, and tanks. They were also banned from keeping any troops in the Rhineland, and it was agreed that Allied troops would be stationed there for 15 years. German soldiers and sailors weren’t very happy about this; they had wanted to rebuild their forces.
In conclusion, the treaty of Versailles was an unfair treaty to Germany who could not pay the harsh consequences. Perhaps if the big three had been more sympathetic and realistic to Germany, there may have been different outcomes. The Treaty of Versailles was supposed to ensure a lasting peace by punishing Germany and setting up a League of Nations to solve diplomatic problems. Instead it left a legacy of political and geographical difficulties which have often been blamed, sometime solely, for starting the Second World War.
