USA HISTORY

What was the most significant flaw in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I?

(A) The treaty did not punish Germany

(B) the treaty divided up Germany into too many occupation zones

(C) ** the treaty inflicted too much punishment on Germany

(D) most countries did not ratify the treaty

Concept note-1: -One of the most controversial terms of the treaty was the War Guilt clause, which explicitly and directly blamed Germany for the outbreak of hostilities. The treaty forced Germany to disarm, to make territorial concessions, and to pay reparations to the Allied powers in the staggering amount of $5 billion.

Concept note-2: -The treaty forced Germany to surrender colonies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific; cede territory to other nations like France and Poland; reduce the size of its military; pay war reparations to the Allied countries; and accept guilt for the war.

Concept note-3: -The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany harshly because Allied powers, Great Britain and France especially, blamed Germany for starting the war and the subsequent death and destruction.

Concept note-4: -From idealism to punishment The treaty itself was predicated on Germany’s guilt for the war. The document stripped Germany of 13 percent of its territory and one tenth of its population. The Rhineland was occupied and demilitarized, and German colonies were taken over by the new League of Nations.