Originally Posted by Gregory Lauder-Frost

There are umpteen books with the details. Especially in the Documents on British Foreign Policy (HMSO). Having forced Germany to accept the guilt for the entire war (upon pain of recommencing hostilities) The Reparation Commission announced in 1920 they wanted 269,000 million gold marks over a thirty five year period. (1000 million gold marks then being equivalent to £50 million). In January 1921 Germany had already paid 21,000 million. but the figures were then dispute, mainly by the French, at the San Remo and Spa Conferences, although the original figure was reduced to 132,000 marks. The Germans said they simply did not have that amount of gold after a major war and an ultimatum was issued on 3rd March 1921 following which Ruhrort, Dusseldorf and Duisburg were occupied. the industries were taken under Allie control. Rampant inflation followed in Germany ruining most middle and working class people. The French ansd the Belgians then occupied the whole Ruhr forcing the Germans to pay for their own coal and other products. The Americans then offered the Germans loans - so that they could recommence reparations! In 1932 at Lausanne the German governmen finally got the amount owning rreduced to 3000 million but the following year Hitler was elected and that sum was not paid. However, in the decade after the war vast amounts of produce and raw materials were simply commandeered by the French.



The Treaty was so fundamentally unjust that it laid the foundation stones for a future conflict.



That was much later and in any case, in real terms, just a PR exercise. The German navy was miniscule compared to ours.



Yes, I think the limitation was on tracked vehicles, but the treaty specifically said all tanks and similarly armoured vehicles which may be used in an offensive manner.



I can't remember now but it may be true. Certainly they provided the Poles with a very large air force but the Germans demolished most of it on the ground.



Indeed, but there were other ethnics thrown into this new state, such as the Slovakians and Ruthenians. None of them liked the Czechs, who proceeded to nationalise and confiscate all major enterprise that was not Czech owned. they knew no-one liked them so they oppressed everyone. Small wonder they had a problem.



The treaty was a mess on Poland and the claims made by the Polish delegations (which included at least two nationalist fanatics who had spent most of their adult life in the USA). I cannot see what right the Western Allies had to interfere in matters as far back as the late 1700s in which they were not involved. Poland did not exist as a sovereign country during The Great War and their position after it must be considered extraordinary. But Wilson had a very large Polish lobby to consider int he USA, and France wished to encircle Germany with client states.



Certainly the Bolshevik leaders were making expansionist noises and Poland had Imperialist ideas about the former Lithuanian/Polish Commonwealth lands in Russia. It was a stupid war and the Poles underestimated Trotsky and his forces. The Poles almost lost with the Bolsheviks at the gates of Warsaw. Poland lost land.


Not sure what you mean by that but the Poles laid claim to the province of Vilna which was in Lithuania, invaded it, and annexed it, despite protests from the West. In turn the Lithuanians, seeing that the West appeared impotent, invaded and annexed Memel, the northernmost city in East Prussia and German since the 1200s.



A major error. Wilson's interference was catastrophic as was the French support for it. The loony argument by the Poles that Danzig should be Polish because it is at the top of the Vistula led to even Lloyd George remarking that the Germans might then claim Rotterdam as it is at the top of the Rhine. As for the population issue, its worth noting that in the plebiscite in Allenstein & Marienwerder, the majority of the ethnic Poles voted to remain in Germany. There has been a lot of movement in Europe over the past 1500 years and making new borders based on ethnic lines is a stupid yankee idea. It led to monstrous persecution by the Poles.


It is a fascinating subject. Once you get into it you realise what a lot of rubbish we've been fed so that our side looks in the right. I recall at college (many moons ago) that I was constantly asking a variety of questions about what we were being taught because an awful lot of it did not make sense. I was just told to put my head down and shut up.

Originally Posted by angelman

Yes - is there a good book that you would recommend?