Germans React Angrily to the Treaty

Under each of the following six points briefly explain why Germany reacted so angrily to the Treaty of Versailles.

1. Germans were not aware of the situation in 1919.

• Many of the Germans didn't know how badly devastated the military was during the war
• Really didn't even think that they lost the war - really didn't know
• Thought that Germany had signed a ceasefire and that they were at the Paris Peace Conference
• Angry because they weren't represented at the peace talks
• So much confusion in the citizens of Germany at this time

2. War guilt and reparations

• 'War Guilt Clause' - very hated by the Germans
• German citizens think that the blame needs to be shared with the other involved countries
• Expected to pay for ALL the damage the Allies were faced with
• Economy in Germany was extremely poor at the time making it hard to pay the reparations
• Belgian and French troops seized main industrial area when they couldn't make a payment

3. Disarmament

• Very upsetting - an army of 100,000 was very small
• Germany was a larger country that was suppost to be a world power and couldn't be with such a small army
• Army was a sign of pride - without it/with a small one it made a bad image
• None of the Allies disarmed as much as Germany was forced to do - going against Wilson's 14 points
• Opening doors for Hitler - revamping the army to make the citizens happy

4. German territories

• Lost a lot of territory - another shot to German pride just like the shortening of the army was
• Important industrial areas (Saar and Silesia) were lost
• They had to watch as the Allies took what they wanted from Germany's former territories in Africa and the Middle East
• Less places around the world Germany could control
• This was also a major blow to Germany's pride because it lessened it as a world power because it didn't control many nations around the world

5. Fourteen Points and League

• The people of Germany are feeling very insulted seeing that the treatment of Germany was not keeping on with the 14 Points
• Even though self control was given to some countries German-speaking people were still divided
• They were divided and sent off to live in countries that were ruled by 'non-Germans'
• By not being invited to the League of Nations Germany also felt very insulted

6. Double Standards?

• Nobody cared about Germany's complaints about the Treat of Versailles
• Is Germany operating a double standard? - thoughts of people during the time
• They were complaining that the treaty was way too harsh even though they created one even worse with Russia in 1918 (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)
• Beliefs that Germany's harsh economic issues were self-inflected and it was their own fault - pretty insulting
• Government planning on taxing the defeated countries