Treaty Signed; War Over. The Evening World.
On June 28, 1919, World War I came to a close with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The Allied powers negotiated the reassignment of German boundaries and "assigned liability for reparations"(Kaiser). Germany was included in these negotiations, but was excluded from making any of the decisions. Throughout the months beginning half of 1919, the treaty's terms were arranged in Paris. The negotiations were split between France and the British and Americans. France "wanted to dismember Germany to make it impossible for a new war," while the British and Americans "did not want to create pretexts for a new war"(Kaiser). The treaty was comprised of fifteen parts and 440 articles. "The amount of territory Germany was to lose exceeded the most pessimistic predictions; the requirements for demilitarization would leave an army that looked more like a police force and render Germany incapable of defending itself"(202-203). Germany would also be liable for reparations. The specific figures were not clearly stated in the Treaty, only that "Germany [must accept] the responsibility of itself and its allies for the losses and damages of the Allies 'as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies"(Kaiser). The "War Guilt Clause," Article 231, forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I(Treaty of Versailles, 1919). Other financial obligations were also required. Germany was also required to conduct war crimes proceedings. These would be held against the Kaiser and other leaders for wagging aggressive war. The Leipzig Trials, as they were known, resulted largely in acquittals, and were viewed as a sham(Treaty of Versailles, 1919).
Treaty of Versailles
The reaction from the Germans was vehement opposition. Philipp Scheidemann, a German politician for the Social Democratic Party Germany, publicly refused to sign the treaty. He felt that the should be major concessions granted. The National Assembly, eventually, signed the treaty. They were under pressure by the Allies, who blockaded food supplies and threatened to resume hostilities if they did not consent to the treaty unconditionally.
The stab-in-the-back legend
Two representatives of the German government went to Versailles to accept the consequences of defeat. The signing ceremony took place in the same room, the Hall of Mirrors, that "the founding of the German Empire had been declared and William I proclaimed kaiser not fifty years earlier"(204). The right-wing German parties took this "attack" as a betrayal by the German government. This led to terrorists assassinating politicians that they considered to be responsible(Kaiser).
"Allied delegates in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles witness the German
delegation's acceptance of the terms of the Treaty Of Versailles, the
treaty formally ending World War I. Versailles, France, June 28, 1919."(Treaty of Versailles, 1919)
The Treaty of Versailles would play a vital role in the future destiny of the Weimar Republic. Many Germans felt that the "unjust terms were being forced on a defenseless country"(204). As stated in the book, Germany: A New History, the Allies chose a "destructive middle course"(204). Instead of breaking up the empire, like the French generals wanted, or accepting the Weimar Rupublic into the Western democracies, the Allies chose a much darker path. The treaty placed Germany "under legal sanctions, deprived [them] of military power, economically ruined [them], and politically humiliated [them]"(204). To the Germans, the new order of peace in Europe and democracy were alike; they were seen negatively. "[Politicians] who now called for moderation and rational compromise with the former enemy [were] automatically vulnerable to accusations of weakness, or even betrayal"(205).
The Kapp Putsch march in 1920
The treaty would, coupled with the Great Depression, would cause hyperinflation to the mark. This would severely undermine Germany's economic stability, wiping out middle class savings and causing massive unemployment(Treat of Versailles, 1919). This economic chaos would leave Germany desperate for a solution; one that they would unfortunately find through Adolf Hitler.
In the late 1920s, Adolf Hitler reviews stormtroopers at a Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
Kaiser, David. "Treaty of Versailles." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web.
Schulze, Hagen. Germany: A New History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. 202-05. Print.
"Treaty of Versailles, 1919." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States
Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web.
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