Also, the treaty of Versailles was in no way unusual for the time. Fellow Central Powers Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire lost far more than Germany did. Hell, the Germans imposed a harsher treaty on Russia in very same war
I had a history teacher who argued that the real problem of the treaty of Versailles was that neither the US nor the UK were willing to actually back it. The US wanted nothing to do with European politics and even refused to join the League of Nations, while the UK was afraid of France taking too much of a lead as a European power. The result was France feeling isolated and wanting to crush Germany’s spirit to protect itself rather than striving for compromise.
All of this, of course, should be taken with a big grain of salt since the teacher in question was French right-winger who had every reason to find excuses for France
Also, the treaty of Versailles was in no way unusual for the time. Fellow Central Powers Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire lost far more than Germany did. Hell, the Germans imposed a harsher treaty on Russia in very same war
I had a history teacher who argued that the real problem of the treaty of Versailles was that neither the US nor the UK were willing to actually back it. The US wanted nothing to do with European politics and even refused to join the League of Nations, while the UK was afraid of France taking too much of a lead as a European power. The result was France feeling isolated and wanting to crush Germany’s spirit to protect itself rather than striving for compromise.
All of this, of course, should be taken with a big grain of salt since the teacher in question was French right-winger who had every reason to find excuses for France