Plausbility: How harsh a Versailles?

Typo

Banned
Realisticly how harsh a treaty of Versaille to Germany can come out of Paris in 1919?

The allies weren't even up to enforcing the OTL's version of the treaty, how harsh a treaty are the Allies willing to not just sign but enforce?
 
Realisticly how harsh a treaty of Versaille to Germany can come out of Paris in 1919?

The allies weren't even up to enforcing the OTL's version of the treaty, how harsh a treaty are the Allies willing to not just sign but enforce?

Typo

Could have been a hell of a lot harsher, Despite post [WWI] German propaganda it was actually a fairly moderate treaty, especially given the bitterness of the fighting and also some of the things the Germans had done. Not to mention German propaganda was predicting, whichever side won, far more draconian treaties with the losses virtually annexed out of existence.

Especially given the lack of an eastern balance to Germany with the collapse of both Russia and Austria-Hungary France wanted security guarantees and was talking about splitting off the Rhineland and establishing a French protectorate. If that had been done it would probably have seemed local to go the whole hog and seek to split up Germany. Could see Prussia split into 3, with only its eastern heartland facing reparations, divide and rule type tactics, along with restoring full independence for states such as Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover etc.

If this had been accompanied by lower levels of reparations you might have had a much more stable peace settlement. Despite in being in some ways much harsher.

Steve
 
The Allies weren't too willing to enforce Versailles OTL. Look at what happened with Germany.

I think that OTL Versailles is the harshest you could and be possible for the Allies to enforce (even though they didn't).
 
It's a nice plausible option to balkanize Germany in the Versailles treaty, maybe or maybe not dividing it into all the original confederation states (Bremen, Hannover, Prussia, Bavaria, etc.).
 
It's a nice plausible option to balkanize Germany in the Versailles treaty, maybe or maybe not dividing it into all the original confederation states (Bremen, Hannover, Prussia, Bavaria, etc.).

Not really. The Allies are simply unable to enforce Germany's deunification. They just can't stop the Germans from re-reuniting, and they probably would push for it.
 
What the Allies could not enforce were LONG-TERM macro requirements, especially reparations where the sum decided upon would have ruined Germany's economy and thus prevented them from paying the sum itself - it was trying to balance this which led to French and Belgian action on the one part, MacDonald's conferences, US bankers etc on the other.

Then into the 1930s it becomes a lot more difficult to enforce the disarmament clauses once peace has existed for a substantial amount of time - it also begins to seem illogical to threaten war to enforce disarmament. Additionally, it began to seem that long-term stability required German reaccession in full rights to the community of nations, hence the London Naval agreement designed to place Germany within the context of the Washington Naval Treaty

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Just curious: Could some of the rearmament they allowed in the 1930s have been the result of worrying a little about the Soviets, and thus thinking, "Well, we'll have Germany as a buffer, and maybe it'll be better for us if Germany is able to defend itself"? Or, weren't they that concerned about the "red menace" at that point? Obviously, the Allies tried to support the Whites a little during the Russian Civil War, though given how exhausted they were from the fighting they couldn't do a lot.

If it was, could it be argued that the splitting up of Germany into the origina confederation kingdoms is totally implausible because - along with the lack of enforceability - they wanted a large state in Germany to provide a buffer against the Soviets? Or, weren't they worried about Trotsky's Red Army in 1919? (I can imagine they might not be, since Trotsky hadn't even won the RCW at that piont.)
 
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