Unit 3 Essay In 1919, Germany was presented with the peace terms of the Treaty of Versailles to end the gruesome World War I with two choices: to sign the treaty, or to be invaded and face yet another war. If they choose to sign, this would mean that they were solely “responsible” for the damage World War I had caused worldwide and would have to face the appropriate penalty for doing so. It was with great difficulty that Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles. Although a percentage from the German government were open to continuing the war, the German military was not prepared for it. The Germans had little choice but to accept to the treaty. This treaty humiliated Germany in the sense that it took approximately 10% of their land away, limited
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The incoming government, the Weimar Republic, was faced with the pressure of the treaty shortly after they were elected as the new German government. German delegates from the Weimar Republic stated, “The deeper we penetrated into the spirit of this Treaty, the more we became convinced of its impracticability. The demands raised go beyond the power of the German Nation....” (document I). The Germans thought that the treaty was overwhelming and unreachable. Although the delegates tried to reject the treaty, they signed it because it was better than going back to another war. However, this led to many people distrusting the Republic and were unwilling to support it. Without support from the public, the Weimar Republic faced challenges during this time, especially in regards to their …show more content…
This was article 231 of the treaty, also known as the War Guilt Clause. This was the most economically substantial part of the treaty towards the Germans because it stated that, “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage…[to the war]...”, (Document F). This is saying that Germany was solely responsible for the start and damage of World War I, and therefore had to pay billions in reparations and war debts. As shown by document A, the amount of reparations that Germany had to pay was very high. Germany did not have enough money to pay the Allied powers,and, as a result, printed more and more money. This, however, resulted in hyperinflation, meaning that German currency substantially lost its value. Shown by document J, the treaty also took 10% of Germany’s land away. This land was occupied by over half of Germany’s coal production industry, as shown by document B. This document showed that coal production decreased by 40% in just the 10% that was lost. This suffered Germany’s economy because since their coal production decreased, they could not make any money. Meanwhile, almost all other countries involved in World War I had to rebuild their economy because of how much the war cost. This, along with the reparations Germany had to pay and the
The incoming government, the Weimar Republic, was faced with the pressure of the treaty shortly after they were elected as the new German government. German delegates from the Weimar Republic stated, “The deeper we penetrated into the spirit of this Treaty, the more we became convinced of its impracticability. The demands raised go beyond the power of the German Nation....” (document I). The Germans thought that the treaty was overwhelming and unreachable. Although the delegates tried to reject the treaty, they signed it because it was better than going back to another war. However, this led to many people distrusting the Republic and were unwilling to support it. Without support from the public, the Weimar Republic faced challenges during this time, especially in regards to their …show more content…
This was article 231 of the treaty, also known as the War Guilt Clause. This was the most economically substantial part of the treaty towards the Germans because it stated that, “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage…[to the war]...”, (Document F). This is saying that Germany was solely responsible for the start and damage of World War I, and therefore had to pay billions in reparations and war debts. As shown by document A, the amount of reparations that Germany had to pay was very high. Germany did not have enough money to pay the Allied powers,and, as a result, printed more and more money. This, however, resulted in hyperinflation, meaning that German currency substantially lost its value. Shown by document J, the treaty also took 10% of Germany’s land away. This land was occupied by over half of Germany’s coal production industry, as shown by document B. This document showed that coal production decreased by 40% in just the 10% that was lost. This suffered Germany’s economy because since their coal production decreased, they could not make any money. Meanwhile, almost all other countries involved in World War I had to rebuild their economy because of how much the war cost. This, along with the reparations Germany had to pay and the