The German Reaction to the Treaty of Versailles

The Germans were disgusted at the terms of 'The Treaty of Versailles'. Before WW1, all countries were waging for war, all believing that they would win. The German public were oblivious to the fact that they had lost. They thought that the German government had agreed to a 'ceasefire'. This lead even more to the shock of the terms to their treaty.. Germans were furious at having to accept such a harsh treaty without even the right to a comment. They refused to sign at first, but this meant for another war, and Germany, being a defeated country, had no chance of winning.
However, bear in mind the German treaty against Russia in 1918 (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) was much harsher.. so was this the right decision?

Let's look closer into their reactions at each term.

The Territory Term

Their main industrial areas were taken away from them, which left them with nothing industrially-wise. What was a major blow to their pride even more was the fact that Britain and France took German territories in Africa, Turkey and the Middle East for themselves.

The Reparations Term

German economy was already at a loss. They were afraid that this would destroy them even further.. and it did with hyperinflation where the cost of even bread raised to over the price of a house.

The Term for Disarmament

Woodrow Wilson, the leader of America, had aimed to make all countries disarm, but this didn't happen due to the lack of international trust. This resulted in Germany being the only vulnerable country. They only had a tiny army for a country that was quite large. Before signing the treaty, they had tried to protest by sinking it's own ship, but they had to sign it reluctantly

The War Guilt Clause

The Germans were furious with Clause 231. As I said before, they thought that the German governments had agreed to 'ceasefire'.. so why were they being treated like a defeated country? This clause didn't lead to peace but a growing vengeful attitude in Germany, which leads on to Hitler and the Nazis.

The League of Nations to be set up..

Germany felt insulted that they weren't permitted to enter the League. They had aspired to be a powerful country but here, they were being the complete opposite. 

After the League had taken their countries as mandates, they became even more upset.

What do you think?

There is no right answer to the question "Was the treaty of Versailles fair?" but there are many sources which can be argued for either opinion. 

People may think that it was fair as it was proven that if Germany won, they would have made an even harsher treaty. It was also proven that Germany were so confident they'd win the war, that they did not even save money to pay for their own reparations, but planned for the defeated countries to (which is why their economy was so bad).

Alternatively, other people may think that it wasn't fair. A British cartoonist had predicted, at the time, that the treaty would lead to another world war in 20 years- and guess what? - He was out by 1 year!!