TOV

Treaty of Versailles

• • Signed on 28 June 1919

  • Germany had to accept being the loser of WW1

    • War Guilt Clause (Article 231)

      • Meant Germany was to accept accepts full responsibility of starting the war and the consequences it brought

      • Also accepting that other terms of TOV are acceptable - validated the Allies’ (unfavourable and cruel) actions

    • Territorial losses

      • Had to give Alsace-Lorraine back to France

      • Saar region - 15 years to France, plebiscite afterwards

      • Rhineland - Demilitarised as buffer zone, occupied by Allied Forces

      • All overseas colonies were lost

      • Germany and Austria forbidden to form a political union (Anschluss)

    • Military Disarmament

      • Forced to disarm and only allowed to have: 

        • No more than 100, 000 soldiers

        • Conscription was not allowed

        • No more than 15,000 men, 6 battleships and some smaller ships for Navy

        • No airforce

        • No submarines, tanks or airplanes

        • Allies wanted to make sure Germany would not be able to start a war again

    • War Reparations

      • Had to pay 6,650 million pounds

• Germany's reactions: 

  • Reacted negatively

  • Felt TOV was unreasonable, unjust and unfair

  • Felt it was a diktat  (imposed peace)

    • Not involved in negotiations

    • Was ordered to sign the treaty or face invasion

    • All criticism were ignored by Allies

  • War Guilt Clause

    • Objected to being the scapegoat

    • There was actually a ceasefire so there were no losers

    • Germans did not lose the war and should not be made to accept all the blame

    • Unclear and debatable how WW1 broke out. All involved countries had a part to play too

    • Felt that Allies had forced the Clause on Germany so that Germany would be liable for all charges

  • Military disarmament

    • Germany was the only country forced to disarm

    • Restriction of 100,000 soldiers was insufficient to defend itself

    • Was vulnerable without airforce, as it was landlocked

    • Countries did not had the intention to disarm although they had agreed

    • Surrounded by countries that did not disarm

  • War Reparations

    • Debt was crippling

    • Loss of industrial areas (Saar) made it difficult to pay

    • Germans had to resort to annual installments

    • Caused resentment for Allies, who were counting on Germany to pay their war debts to USA

  • 14 Points

    • Many of the TOV's points were not the same as 14 Points

    • However, it was never accepted