Treaty Of Versailles Summary

The historian Sally Marks uses her article “Smoke and Mirrors: In the Smoke-Filled Rooms in the Galerie des Glaces” to argue that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were moderate and only appear severe because they are clouded with ambiguity. In her article, Marks discusses how the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were not as harsh on Germany as most historians believe. The politicians representing the Allies were under tremendous pressure to please the public who expected Germany to pay for civilian damages the war costs. These representatives were conscious that Germany could not pay all the war costs, and so to satisfy their nations, they Germany only theoretical responsibility for the war costs though article 231. Article 231 was not intended to be a war guilt article, but since the treaty was
Furthermore, when the Allies failed to agree over a set value for the reparations and postponed discussing critical questions, Germany appeared wronged since the high end of suggested estimates were astronomical. Marks also highlights that, unlike France in 1871, Germany did not feel the effect of the war and lived in “the dreamland of the Armistice period” where they denied their defeat and felt humiliated when they had the reparations imposed on them. Consequently, to avoid paying, the German government exaggerated its impoverishment and used heavy propaganda to convince the international community of the injustice the Allies imposed on them. Marks argues that Germany’s willingness to pay existed as long as it did not harm their economy, as a result, they only agreed to the reparations for Belgium and France. The historian emphasizes that people tend to view the Treaty of Versailles through the cloudy lens of propaganda and the superficially heavy reparation that Germany only paid a fracture