Out of the Big Three nations at the treaty of Versailles, France the country which suffered by far the worst during the Great War achieved her aims the best. The French set out to achieve a number of goals, which mainly fell under two categories, security and revenge against Germany.
Just like most countries which fought in this war, France was a country which was dragged into it through the allied system. The difference between France and other countries that went to war is that when France went to war it was on her own soil. Most of the fighting was done inside the boundaries of France. After the war was over France s damages bill ranked higher than any other country that fought in this war. They blamed the defeated Germans for all the suffering that was inflicted on their homeland. France argued that none of damages would have been made and none of the suffering would have happened if it were not for Germany. Therefore, Germany must be severely punished for all the pain France has had to undergo.
Georges Clemanceau, the prime minister of France wanted to avoid future wars and at the same time make Germany pay dearly for starting this war, which caused so much damage to his beloved homeland. Clemanceau wanted to ensure that Germany would never again have enough strength to invade France. A harsh treaty is what the French had desired and a harsh treaty is what the French had gotten in Versailles.
Great Britain and the United States, the other two nations of the Big Three had also wanted to punish Germany for starting this war but to a lesser extent than to what the French wanted. Due to the degree of harshness towards Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, it is easily shown that France got what she wanted. France was justified in wanting to weaken Germany more than the other nations in the Big Three , simply because France had suffered the most throughout the Great War, with most of the fighting being done on her soil. As far as the French were concerned, Germany was getting what she deserved.
The Essay on Britain And France War Germany Time
At the time that the pact was signed, it was in both Germany's and the USSR's interest not to get involved in a war with one another. For Germany with its plans of European domination, a war on the Eastern (USSR) and Western fronts at the same time would break the effectiveness of the German Wehrmacht, whilst for the USSR war was not feasible because of the state of unpreparedness that both the ...
Weakening Germany s military, industrial and economic capabilities through the Treaty of Versailles was France s way of getting security and revenge. Germany s military which once had a proud three million soldiers would be limited to stand at only one hundred thousand soldiers. A country which once had an elite air force was now not allowed to have one of any kind. The large, strong German navy would be limited to a smaller, less powerful one. Germany would have to give up her rights and titles to overseas possessions, such as colonies in Africa and East Asia. A war guilt clause must be signed by Germany to show that she fully accepts responsibility for the war. Reparations must be paid to the allied countries at their discretion for damages suffered during the war. Also, to pay back for destroyed coal mines in the north of France, Germany must turn over its coal mines in the Saar Basin to the French for the fallowing fifteen years.
In the end France got all terms previously mentioned and more. The Germans were now weak, defeated and it was all because France had her way in the Treaty of Versailles.
