The Physical impact of the Treaty
The Treaty of Versailles radically altered the Geography of Europe. The Treaty had clauses that resulted
in areas of land being taken from Germany. The following maps illustrate the scale of these losses:
From these maps it is clear that Germany suffered large territorial losses. The provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine returned to France; parts of Schleswig were ceded to Denmark; to the east, new countries were
created to roughly match the ethnic balance of the area and finally, 'The Polish Corridor' was created
which gave the Poles a broad strip of land that connected it to the sea - and consequently separated
Eastern Prussia from the rest of Germany. It was not just in Europe that German suffered territorial losses.
All of Germany's overseas colonies were annexed by the Allies, either to become colonies or areas that
were managed until independence could be maintained autonomously. In total, Germany lost over one
millions square miles of land (28,000 of which had previously formed part of European Germany) and 6
million subjects.
The financial impact of the Treaty
The Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for the First World War. As a result of this Germany was also
held accountable for the cost of the war and the Treaty dictated that compensation would have to be paid
to the Allies. These payments, called reparations, would be paid monthly and would total some £6,600
million (This figure was agreed by the Allies in 1921). It is important not to take this figure in isolation
though. remember that the economic might of Germany had been stretched to the limits during the war,
and she would have to reconstruct her own economy at the same time as paying Reparations. In addition,
Germany had lost some of her most precious sources of Raw materials as her colonies, and some of the
areas ceded to other countries, were rich sources of income. These factors would make it harder for the
German economy to cope. Further to this it is important to note the casualties suffered during the war.
Germany lost some 1.7 million men during the war, and a further 4.2 million are listed as being wounded.
The Political Impact of the Treaty
The Treaty triggered a number of political reactions. Firstly the government of the day resigned, having
refused to sign it. The incoming government, the Weimar Republic, had no choice but to sign the Treaty
but was accused by some, General Ludendorff for example, of stabbing the Germany people in the back.
This theory grew in popularity as the economy suffered and many, former soldiers in particular, believed
that the politicians had lost the war rather than the army. (For some it was hard to accept that they could
have lost the war whilst troops were still stationed in France, having not lost the ground that they had
taken in 1914.) This, amongst other things, led to a growth in the number of people who distrusted the
Weimar Republic and were unwilling to support it. This manifests itself in uprisings such as the Kapp
Putsch and the Munich Putsch, though there are other factors which led to these uprisings.
The Treaty also called for the trial of the former Kaiser. This never happened as the Dutch government
refused to hand him over, but this effectively stopped any chance of a restoration of the monarchy in
Germany. In Western Europe the Treaty signaled the beginning of a period of isolation for Germany. She
became an outcast in international politics and was feared and distrusted by the Allies. This had a
significant impact on the role that Germany would, and potentially could, play in European and World
affairs in the early post war climate. However, whilst it is evident that Germany became politically
isolated in the West, some historians would point out that their isolation has been exaggerated by
Westerners (by fuller). The Treaty of Rapello for example shows that there was scope for Germany to
develop relations in the east, in this case with the Soviet Union, and, they would point out, the newly
formed nations were in need of economic partners - with Germany being a likely dominant partner in that
sphere.
What aspects of the Treaty of Versailles undermined the Weimar Republic?
The Treaty of Versailles was a complex document that had many consequences for the people
and Government of Germany. A range of factors combined to undermine the ability of the infant
democratic republic to govern successfully, including: The 'War Guilt' Clause; The requirement
to pay Reparations; terms relating to trading conditions and others relating to the things such as
the armed forces and Germany's empire.
The very fact that the treaty was signed can be seen as undermining the Weimar Republic.
Almost immediately there were claims that the troops had been, 'stabbed in the back' by the
Government. Though this was very much a case of denial on the part of the right wing elite that
had governed Germany through the war, and who were responsible for the manner in which the
war was waged and ultimately lost, this was immediately significant. From day one of its
existence the Government would have to answer these charges and attempt to pacify those
elements of society who couldn't accept that the war had been lost.
The nature of the Treaty compounded this issue. Issues such as the level of Reparations made it
difficult for the Government to cope with the economic strain that the country faced: this is
illustrated by the level of inflation following the activation of reparations payments: 1 German
Mark to $1 US
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July 1914 1.0
Jan 1919 2.6
July 1919 3.4
Jan 1920 12.6
Jan 1921 14.4
July 1921 14.3
Jan 1922 36.7
July 1922 100.6
Jan 1923 2,785
July 1923 194,000
Nov 1923 726,000,000,000
Wholesale Price Index: Germany, 1914 - 1923.
These figures suggest that the implementation of the terms of the treaty had a massive impact.
The rate at which inflation rises correlates closely with events linked to the terms of the treaty:
Inflation rises rapidly in the months after the first Reparations repayment and following the
French and Belgian occupations of the Ruhr - itself a result of the Treaty, it is the case that the
value of money depreciates by almost 4 million percent in 6 months (inclusive). Whilst it can be
argued that this was fueled by German economic policy, its origins may be traced back to
Versailles.
These two factors link closely with the reaction to the 'War Guilt Clause'. In having to accept that
the Germans were responsible for the war, the Government doomed itself to be open to criticism
from political extremes. Indeed, many ordinary Germans were antagonised by this clause and
this in turn led to a situation in which a large percentage of the population could be considered to
disapprove of the Government and its actions: therefore having a side effect of threatening the
governments stability as a result of its existence.
Now we see a situation in which the Government is accused of stabbing the armed forces in the
back (and they need the support of the army to survive), at a time when the economy is falling
apart - which is often a time when threats, such as the Spartacist Uprising, occur and a large
proportion of the people simply don't trust the government. This however is only part of the
problem for the Weimar Government. In addition to these issues they have to contend with the
clauses that relate to the cuts in the power of the military, which upturns the pre-war balance of
power and the psychological impact of having huge swaths of her assents stripped. Consider the
likely reaction to having an empire dismantled overnight? National Pride, already severely
knocked, plummets to unknown depths. At the same time large and wealthy sector of the upper
middle classes suddenly have their positions and role in society taken away from them and the
Government. The two are linked, and are quite possibly calculated to destroy the Prussian
aristocracy that the Allies held responsible for the war. This resulted in movements such as the
Freikorps having widespread support, the Right Wing gained support and was decidedly antidemocratic: this is evident throughout the existence of the republic, note the role of the
Freikorps, the Kapp and Munich Putsches, the election of Paul von Hindenburg and even some
of the ideas espoused by supposedly moderate politicians such as Gustav Stresemann.
A Government will, under most circumstances, struggle to cope with pressures such as the ones
outlined already. It is possible to pacify groups and to incorporate old fashioned views and
traditions within a governmental structure: even if they are comparatively limited in scope.
However this is less likely to happen when the Government is also a pariah on the International
scene. This was the case for Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. Trade was restricted
and pointed in specified directions under the economic clauses, areas of the nation state were
occupied by French and Belgian troops to ensure that goods were used for Reparations payments
and the Government of Germany was excluded from membership of International organisations
such as the League of Nations until it was deemed 'safe'.
Versailles was, in the eyes of some historians, designed to shatter the Prussian elite and ensure
that they could never wage war again. Whether this was deliberate or not, the treaty did conspire
to create circumstances for the new German Government that were almost intolerable: something
that was accepted by some, the English economist Keynes for example, almost instantly. AntiDemocratic groups were given grounds to object to the nature of Government as a result of some
clauses; the Government was undermined by its inability to manage international trade and the
Treaty resulted in a mass of anti-democratic (and therefore Government) feeling. Each of these,
though sometimes an indirect result of the Treaty, contributed to the undermining of the
democratic experiment in Germany in the early 1920's and again following the Wall Street
Crash.