FOURTH YEAR GCSE

RESENTMENT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES - QUICK CHECK

WHY DID GERMANS RESENT THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES?

A good answer might look like the following

Many Germans were angry and resentful at the terms of the Versailles treaty firstly because it was dictated to them (they were not allowed to attend the Conferences or participate in the decisions made), and secondly because the terms of the treaty punished Germany harshly.
Specifically Germany was unfairly blamed for the War under Article 231 of the treaty. Having blamed the Germans the Allies proceeded to punish them in a number of ways.
Firstly the Germans were made to pay reparations for war damage (over 6,600 million pounds). It was impossible for the German economy to sustain these payments and by 1922 the Weimar government had already fallen behind in their payments. Reparations had a severely damaging effect on the German economy being a major cause of hyperinflation. The Germans also had to give up the coal producing region of the Saar and had to provide free coal to France, Belgium and Italy. The economic crisis these measures caused was blamed by many Germans on the Versailles Treaty and the "guilty men" who signed it.
Germans also resented the fact that by the Treaty of Versailles they lost territory, including West Prussia to Poland, North Schleswig to Denmark, Alsace and Lorraine to France and all her foreign colonies. In total Germany lost around 13% of its territory including significant industrial and agricultural regions. It is clear that many Germans deeply resented the loss of territory in the later enthusiastic support given to Hitler's promises to restore German pride and create "lebensraum" for the Third Reich.
Germans also resented the fact that their country was effectively disarmed by the Treaty. The German army was reduced to 100,000, no air force was permitted and severe restrictions were placed on the size of the German navy. German troops were not allowed west of the Rhine River (the demilitarized zone) and an allied army occupied this region for fifteen years