What was the Versailles Peace treaty really about punishment or peacemaking?

Answer 1

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were intended as punishment. In the weeks leading up to the signing of the treaty, there had been much discussion of a 'settlement in which all parties joined' but in the end, there had been no negotiations between the interested nations; the Germans were given the choice between accepting the terms of the treaty 'as is' or face a military invasion. Germany lost 70,000 kilometers of territory, which contained 7.3 million of its population and a significant amount of the nations raw materials, such as coal and iron ore. The left bank of the Rhine River was occupied, the military limited to 100,000 men and the air force was disbanded. Article 231, also known as the German War Guilt Clause, states, "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." By signing the treaty, Germany was given full responsibility for causing the war and was to be made to pay reparations which were designed to off set ALL allied costs, both military and civilian, subsequent to the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. This type of reparation payment was without precedent and the German economy, as was widely accepted, would not be able to pay them without significant hardships on her population.

However, the punitive nature of the treaty can be seen in the actions of the Allied nations. Upon the signing of the armistice in November, the German population were starving due to a British blockade which had been in place since 1914. The blockade was lifted on Christmas Eve 1918 but reimposed on December 31st. Even Herbert Hoover, who was President Woodrow Wilson's Food Administrator declared it a "insensate and wicked action". Many saw this action as a egregious violation of justice (the Germans were starving and it must be remembered that the Influenza Epidemic was in full swing at this point) and the armistice had been in effect for over a month. To many, it proved that reconciliation between the nations of Europe was not very high on the Allied nations priority list.

Yet it must be admitted, that had Germany won the war, Germany's terms to the Allied nations would probably have been equally as harsh. But as this never took place, we can only analyze the facts of the treaty which actually emerged. The Treaty of Versailles was an inherently flawed document, which the United States Senate even refused to ratify. None of the parties were wholly satisfied with the terms of the final treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles was as controversial in 1919 as it is today, Many of the provisions contained therein were oppressive and contrary to the values proclaimed as universal when the nations entered 'negotiations'. The lack of negotiation, which was seen as divisive at the Treaty's signing, provided a platform from which an insignificant ultra-nationalist group in Munich could proclaim German oppression and call for a restoration of a former glory. While the Treaty of Versailles cannot be directly blamed for the rise of the National Socialist Party in Germany or the outbreak of World War II, it should have been obvious to diplomats at the time that the provisions of the Treaty were contradictory to a 'generous peace', insufficient for the establishment of true peace, and misguided in application.

(The above is an adaptation of a much longer paper I wrote for my Origins and History of World War I class at my university, so I apologize for its length. But I sincerely hope it helped clear a few things up :-)