Treaty Of Versailles Too Harsh Essay

While many claims that Germany deserved to be punished even harsher than it was, the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh because of the war guilt clause. The war guilt clause was a clause in the Treaty of Versailles that placed full blame on Germany. The clause completely stripped Germany of its power and humiliated the country. The war guilt clause has remained heavily debated on whether it was too harsh or justified and is a focus of many historians. It is credited for starting World War II, and while harsh, many argue that the clause was not enough. Boden, Micheal A states, “War Guilt clause,” is seen as an insult to national pride permanently discrediting the Republic that accepted it…at the same time, Versailles left the essential elements

The Treaty of Versailles stole a significant amount of territory from Germany, including offering the Alsace-Lorraine area to France, and other neighboring areas to Poland. This imposed intense economic struggles for Germany and cut off its power significantly. The loss of territory only fueled the hatred towards the Allied powers, and contributed to their economic struggles, as the loss of territory affected their trading. An article from Gale on the Treaty of Versailles states, “Germany lost 13 percent of the territories it had before World War I, which included 10 percent of its population” (Treaty of Versailles, Gale). Because Germany was forced to give up 13% of its territory and lose 10% of its population, German people were enraged. Humiliated and destroyed, the Treaty of Versailles had managed to take even more from Germany; its people. The same article states, “The harshness and lack of enforcement of the provisions of the treaty enraged the Central Powers and allowed Germany to regain its power” (Treaty of Versailles, Gale). Because of the strictness written in the Treaty, the German people, and more importantly, Hitler, were given a reason to riot and take back their strength. Due to their loss of territory caused by the Treaty of Versailles, it is safe to say that the treaty was written too harshly and was the cause of much more violence and hatred in both