As the title says, what do you guys think a “fair” Treaty of Versailles / Paris Peace Conference look like?
Basically let’s imagine at the end of WWI – keeping the POD around the time of the armistice in November 1918 - the Allied leaders got a sudden spurt of enlightenment and did their best to take everyone into account during the Paris Peace Conference in order to build a lasting and balanced peace (i.e. a “fair” Treaty of Versailles, St-Germain, Trianon, etc.)
This would include inviting Germany and the defeated Central Powers to the negotiations, and an attempt to keep a semblance of the old order, while trying to keep their promises to most of the Arab and Central European Minorities, and an cohesive strategy on how to deal with revolutionary Russia.
I reckon:
More reasonable reparations imposed on Germany. However Germany’s borders would be similar as OTL, although Danzig / Gdansk might stay German.
Germany would still lose its colonies regardless. But the repartition would be different with Japan getting a better deal from Germany’s Pacific Colonies.
Czechoslovakia would likely still happen, but Southern Bohemia could remain part of Austria.
Hungary gets a much better deal, possibly keeping Northern Transylvania, and Southwestern Slovakia. Depending on how much the Powers want to keep the old order and avoid Germany annexing Austria; could the Hapsburgs be allowed to remain Emperors of a reduced Austria-Hungary?
No Yugoslavia, but three or four separate states for Slovenians, Croatians (with part of Bosnia), Serbs (with the majority of Bosnia as compensation) and in possible union with Montenegro.
Further east I’m not so sure about; the Baltic states probably do get recognized though, and if the Brits and French keep their promises we’d see a different treaty of Sevres with a united Arab state emerging.
And if they get seriously, and I mean near-ASB, enlightened, they could accept Japan’s racial equality clause. But turn it around on them as an argument for Korean independence.
I’m pretty sure, this has been discussed plenty of times. But I’d like to know your thoughts.
Basically let’s imagine at the end of WWI – keeping the POD around the time of the armistice in November 1918 - the Allied leaders got a sudden spurt of enlightenment and did their best to take everyone into account during the Paris Peace Conference in order to build a lasting and balanced peace (i.e. a “fair” Treaty of Versailles, St-Germain, Trianon, etc.)
This would include inviting Germany and the defeated Central Powers to the negotiations, and an attempt to keep a semblance of the old order, while trying to keep their promises to most of the Arab and Central European Minorities, and an cohesive strategy on how to deal with revolutionary Russia.
I reckon:
More reasonable reparations imposed on Germany. However Germany’s borders would be similar as OTL, although Danzig / Gdansk might stay German.
Germany would still lose its colonies regardless. But the repartition would be different with Japan getting a better deal from Germany’s Pacific Colonies.
Czechoslovakia would likely still happen, but Southern Bohemia could remain part of Austria.
Hungary gets a much better deal, possibly keeping Northern Transylvania, and Southwestern Slovakia. Depending on how much the Powers want to keep the old order and avoid Germany annexing Austria; could the Hapsburgs be allowed to remain Emperors of a reduced Austria-Hungary?
No Yugoslavia, but three or four separate states for Slovenians, Croatians (with part of Bosnia), Serbs (with the majority of Bosnia as compensation) and in possible union with Montenegro.
Further east I’m not so sure about; the Baltic states probably do get recognized though, and if the Brits and French keep their promises we’d see a different treaty of Sevres with a united Arab state emerging.
And if they get seriously, and I mean near-ASB, enlightened, they could accept Japan’s racial equality clause. But turn it around on them as an argument for Korean independence.
I’m pretty sure, this has been discussed plenty of times. But I’d like to know your thoughts.