What were the responses to the Treaty of Versailles?

Answer 1

The Allies loved it but Germany hated it. It is a classic case of to the victor belongs the spoil. Versailles was loved mostly by France. Being close to Germany with Germany disarmed, was like a pit of fangless snakes guarding the coal scuttle of Europe. Since most of the fighting was done on French soil and the horrors of trench warfare (corpses being eaten by huge rats, etc) was still in their minds, they proceeded to get even with Germany anyway. While it is true that Germany started the war, the unrealistic war reparations demanded of her caused grief in the German soul. Germany is a land poor in Natural Resources and what they do have is not enough for them. The French were angry about not enough coal coming their way when Germans were freezing in their homes! America realized that a strong democratic Germany would be a better friend in the future and wanted an easing of the Treaty of Versailles, but France would not have it. They wanted their pound of flesh at any cost. Even when German industry did rebuild the drag on it by reparations kept it in foment. The seeds of discontent were sown, The water of greed applied and the growth of Nazism sprang up. Hitler used the Treaty of Versailles as a battle cry for a new Germany and got a lot of milage out of it. After 10 years he slithered into the Chancellory and begain the darkest days of German history. There is a lot to be gained from magnanimous victory. The United States is the only country in history to beat other people on the battleground from wars they started and to give them a hand up to rebuild. If the Treaty of Versailles had been realistic maybe democracy could have taken root and the horrors of WW2 avoided. I concur with the previous speaker :-) The US wanted to ease the treaty, but France were reluctant. Of course the US understood that an economic stronger Germany would be a great trade partner as well. Still, France just wanted to have their part of victory. Nevertheless, with Hindenburg (former General) elected president at a certain point, Germany always stayed the same Prussia army like nation it was. At the point Hitler decided to get his army into the Rhineland (the demilitarized zone) in 1933, France were to yellow to interfere and (I think) for sure prevent WWII, as Hitler was not ready a that time for whatever opposition. I must agree, most of the fundements for WWII were in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 2

the Germans did not like the idea of the treaty of versialles

but the french and the british and the polish liked the idea of it

when Hitler took the position of chancellor in Germany he broke all of the laws of the treaty of versialles

Hitler broke

not to build an army no aircraft or sea army not to invaded the rindeland

HITLER IS A BAD BAD MAN

Answer 3

While the Allied powers were largely satisfied with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the defeated Central Powers felt hard done by. They did not find it fair that they alone would have to compensate the loss suffered by other countries in the war.

Answer 4

American: So disgusted by European intranscience to work and cooperate with each other, the US leaves the League of Nations it itself had proposed. However, America does take its fair share of German War Reparations in order to be compensated for Germany's debt to the US.

British/French: There was a general feeling of, "Now they've gotten what they deserve!" initially. But after the Depression (which started long before it hit the US) and the horrors wrought by the war on Britan's own men was witnessed, many people began to feel that the Treaty was in fact unjust, which led to a feeling of sympathy towards the Germans, which in turn would lead to dangerous consequences as the Nazis assumed power.

Austria-Hungary: ceased to exist, so a reaction is hard to guage. The Hapsburgs were overthrown, and the various provinces of the Empire gained independence. Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary all became separate and independent nations. Czechoslovakia was given its independence by the international community as were several new/restored countries in Europe like Poland. In Czechoslovakia however, this period is still remembered as a golden age of Czech culture, when the Czechs finally achieved independence again. It was a time of massive economic growth despite the world wide Depression, literary and other artistic forms of expression in Czech, and one of the first successful Central European democracies. Austria had lost her preeminent position in the world and over her former Slavic territories, which may have played a part in Austrian participation in the Anschluss with Germany in 1938.

Ottoman Empire: also ceased to exist. After the war, a civil war began in which Ottoturk consolidated his power and turned Turkey into a republic, which is still the first independent republic of a predominantly Muslim country in the Middle East. The Ottomans signed the armistace, but did not sign the treaty until after the Republic had been established.

Russia: the empire and the Tsar were gone, gunned down by Bolshevik authorities (no, no member of the Romonov ruling family survived. If the Bolsheviks were anything, they were thourough when it came to eliminating those who disagreed with them), and the country was now embroiled in a civil war known the world over for its incredible brutality. The Red Army created by Trotsky would eventually destroy the White Russian resistance however and established a Communist regime that was to last until 1991. The Soviet Union was born although no other member of the international community recognized their existence. The Civil War though meant that Russia was too busy with her own concerns to care too much about the West and its politics.

Germany: was distraught and destroyed by the treaty. For one, the massive reparations could never hope to be repaid, and many of the regions rich in natural resources and/or industrial capabilities were made off limits to Germany, further increasing the stress of paying the reparations. Germany lost all of her overseas colonies, the vast majority going to either Britain or France, but with a few islands in the Pacific going to the Japanese. Moreover, the infamous "fault clause" in the Treaty essentially declared Germany bore all the blame for the conflict. While Germany was clearly an aggressive power at the time, so was every other power involved in the war. Many Germans felt that in addition to being robbed of their money and possessions, now they were being robbed of their honor and dignity; all of which helped lead to the rise of Nazism.

Answer 5

maybe you could state the viewpoints of 'the big three'. what they thought. or do the opposing veiwpoints of USA and France, i.e France wanted it harsh and USA was more lenient - 14 points