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Date Posted: 20:21:21 10/11/04 Mon
Author: Mr John D Clare
Subject: Was the Treaty of Versailles unfair
In reply to: lola 's message, "was the treaty of Versailles fair?" on 17:20:54 10/10/04 Sun

This link will give you some ideas:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/other/sos/history/conflict_and_co-operation/conflict_and_co-operation_1.shtml

ALWAYS answer this kind of question as a 'debate with yourself'.

First, suggest that there is lots to be said for the argument that it WAS unfair. You will get some ideas of what the German thought about it at
http://www.johndclare.net/peace_treaties5.htm
but there have been many other people (eg Keynes, Nicolson, Chamberlain) who agreed with them.

Second, suggest that the Treaty was NOT unfair at all. At the end of the day, the Germans only paid about $1bn - about an eighth of the money that America loaned them under the Dawes Plan, and a seventh of the money that Britain had to pay back to America in loan repayments after the war. The Treaty of Versailles was MUCH less harsh than the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that Germany had forced on defeated Russia in 1917. And the final agreement on the demilitarisation of the Rhineland and German armed forces was much less harsh than France had wanted.

Finally, suggest what you think is the answer to the question: was it fair. I would go for a conclusion which suggested that the Germans didn't think it was fair because they had expected to win the war, and any treaty which said they'd lost would have been unacceptable. And I think many British and Americans agreed with them because they were disillusioned - they had gone to Versailles hoping to make the world a better place, and all they had done was thrash out a compromise agreement; again, they would have thought any treaty which didn't make everyone happy unfair.

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