Paris Peace Conference: Treaties and German Reactions
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Paris Peace Conference
The conference took place in the Palace of Versailles, in France, and it lasted from 1919 to 1920 (12 months). The participants were the Prime Ministers or Presidents of the winning nations.
Five treaties were drawn up at the conference. The Treaty of:
- Versailles (Germany)
- Sevres (Ottoman Empire)
- Trianon (Hungary)
- St. Germain (Austria)
- Neuilly (Bulgaria)
All the important decisions on the fate of Germany were taken by Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France), Woodrow Wilson (President of the USA), and David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Britain).
Neither Russia nor the defeated countries were invited.
The cause of this conference was that the Allies wanted to establish peace and discuss what to do with the defeated countries.
German Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles
Germans were horrified by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles because:
They considered it a diktat, as they were forced to accept responsibility for the war, although they considered other countries, such as Britain or France, had also participated in the outbreak of the war. They also felt the Treaty was unfair because they had not been given the chance to negotiate the terms at the Paris Peace Conference.
They considered they were signing a blank check, as their government had agreed to pay without knowing the exact amount. Besides, their economy had been weakened by the loss of important industrial areas that would not allow them to recover their economy.
They also believed the Allies were operating a double standard, due to the fact that they were the only country forced to disarm while Wilson promoted world disarmament in his 14 points. In addition, they thought that the principle of self-determination was respected with some nations (such as Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania); nevertheless, German people in the lost territories were forced to be ruled by other governments.
Arguments Supporting the Treaty's Fairness | Arguments Supporting the Treaty's Unfairness |
Some people considered it fair because of the way Germany treated Russia during the Brest-Litovsk treaty. Germans were asking for a fair treaty while they had not been flexible with Russia, forcing it to lose one of its most valuable steel and industrial land. Some people considered the Treaty to be fair as Germany’s economic problems had been self-inflicted. While other countries had raised taxes to pay war debts, Germany had planned to force defeated nations to pay reparations. | It was considered unfair because the Treaty had been dictated. Some people considered it unfair that Germany had to take full responsibilities for the outbreak of the war. It was considered unfair because most of German armed forces where taken away while none of the Allies had disarmed. Many Germans considered it unfair due to the fact that they had to pay high reparations but at the same time their economy was weakened as industrially rich land had been taken away (such as the Saarland). |