German criticism of the Treaty of Versailles
Here’s a follow up on the last essay on the Treaty of Versailles…
To what extent were the German criticisms of the Treaty of Versailles justified?
The German criticisms of the Treaty of Versailles are to a large extent justified, and to a small extent unjustified.
The War Guilt Clause is one of the major arguments by the Germans that can be justified. The clause had claimed that Germany and her associates were SOLELY responsible for the outbreak of war. Because of this, she had to shoulder all the responsibility and had to pay reparations. The paradox of this was that war has to be fought among two or more parties. There is no war if there is only one party involved. Therefore it can be said that war is a collective responsibility of all belligerents. So, the Germans’ criticisms on this clause can be largely justified.
Another German criticism that can be justified is the one on disarmament. The disarmament clause requires Germany to disarm, restricting her army to…
The full essay can now be found at: http://fusedthought.com/archives/german-criticism-of-the-treaty-of-versailles/
For a detailed, but compelling exploration of the Treaty of Versailles and its consequences, do see my wonderful new book, “A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today [ http://www.ashatteredpeace.com ], just published by Wiley !
All the best,
David
I am writing an essay critiquing the treat of versailles for school.
i found this very helpful as a source for my essay.
it would be great if you could include an alternative agreement that would have been better for all the countries, and if you could also mention how the treaty of versailles affected history.
The essay is targeted at the question I was given… so having an alternative agreement would be out of the context of that question.
On that note, the Treaty of Versailles affected the German’s more than the rest due to its disarmament clause. Thus the focus on Germany.
If needed, probably you can mention about the Treaty being seen as a victor’s treaty. The part about not following Wilson’s 14 points can also be taken as a argument for other countries..
EDIT: On how it affected history, probably its worth a mention that it did affect how WWII was handled after it ended as no one wanted a repeat of the repercussions the Treaty of Versailles had caused.
well then it was very well done
Although I find this article somewhat useful (relative information and analysis provided), but the introduction and conclusions are VERY shallow:
“So, the Germans’ criticisms on this clause can be largely justified.”
“I feel that Germany has a very strong case against this clause.”
“Thus, the Germans has a very strong point against this.”
“Therefore Germany did not justify its criticisms against the reparations.”
Okay…. Can you give an example or suggest what might be a better answer? It would be more helpful for the readers.