The German Question, Part Ninety

"A Divisive Treaty" Part Two-"Guilt or Responsibility?"

The Treaty of Versailles had many parts and articles; far too many to cover in this series, but I will attempt to lay out the most important and often the most controversial aspects of the treaty, together with the reasons behind the provisions and the reasons for any controversy, in the next articles.

Let's face it, the main reason for the treaty was to formally end the war which had started in the summer of 1914. The actual Versailles Treaty, while it served as a blueprint for treaties with other countries that were allied to Germany, was a treaty only between the Allied Powers and Germany, although Germany's allies are mentioned in the treaty, but usually simply as "Germany and her allies."

No one knows the number of wars fought since the time mankind set foot on this planet, but often there are "winners and losers," but also, at times, the results are more muddled. In the case of the "Great War," later known as "World War One," or as "The First World War," there was no question about which side won and which side lost, but because of the armistice of November 1918, there was no "knock out" punch delivered against Germany and the other Central Powers; rather, more of a "technical knock out," or "TKO," to use some boxing terminology. This will become important as we move along, as right wing politicians used the fact that there had been no "knock out" delivered, to incite Germans' anger against the treaty and against "liberal" politicians;* that is, those who tried to end a hopelessly lost war, to save their countrymen from starvation, to bring fundamental democracy to the Germany, and to promote respect for German workers.

One of the controversial provisions of the Versailles Treaty had "Germany and her allies" accept responsibility for damages to the Allied nations and to their citizens, brought about by "the aggression of Germany and her allies."** Germans saw this as blaming them and their allies for the entire war, with no acceptance of responsibility by any of the Allies. While some historians have tried to say this was not the case, their arguments are silly to me. That's exactly what the provision meant, and in pretty straight-forward terms. Let's be honest here, too; throughout history victors have imposed conditions on the losers, just as Germany did with France in 1871. Fair, unfair, whatever; that's what happens. I fully understand the intellectual argument that these various countries kept going tit-for-tat, with one country winning, and then the other wanting "to get even." Anyway, by laying blame to "Germany and her allies," this set up the framework for Germany to pay reparations, mainly to Belgium, France, and to a lesser extent, Italy. Let's not forget, Germany invaded Belgium, a NEUTRAL country, and the southern portion (especially) of the little nation was a battlefield for much of the war, suffering terrible devastation.

To be continued.....

* The circumstance whereby Germany and her allies were not truly "knocked out" of the war in a definitive way, certainly influenced the Allies in the later World War Two era to demand "unconditional surrender;" thus making the various Axis nations admit to defeat. This policy too had consequences, as Germany and Japan, especially, fought on, as they saw no way to negotiate peace, causing further casualties and destruction. More about this during the segments on World War Two, but it does show, seldom, if ever, do things work perfectly.

** This was one of the provisions that also went into the separate treaties with Austria and with Hungary.

WORD HISTORY: 

Wedge-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain. It does trace back to Old Germanic "wagjaz," which meant "wedge," so that the same basic meaning has continued for many centuries. This then gave Anglo-Saxon (Old English) "wecg," which later became "wegge," with the final "e" being pronounced "eh," and then the modern form with the softened "dg" sound. Dutch has "wig," Danish has "vaeg," Norwegian has "vegg," Swedish has "vägg," and Icelandic has "veggur," the Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic forms all mean "wall" (a "wedge" between rooms or spaces). German has "Weck," "Wecke," "Weckle," and "Wecken" (from the Old High German form "weggi"), but they have come to mean "(bread) roll" in certain dialects (Get it? Rolls are "wedge-shaped"). Just to show you the great variations in German dialects (although the actual shapes and sizes of the "rolls" can vary, too), the standard German word for a "(bread) roll" is "Brötchen" (which is literally "a small bread"); the forms related to English "wedge," "Weck" and "Wecke," are used in certain western parts of Germany, like Hessen, where it is common in compound forms, like in Frankfurt, where it is more commonly called a "Wasserweck" or other parts where it is a "Doppelweck" (literally a "double roll," as they are larger, with two rolls baked together); Weckle" is used in the region around Stuttgart, where the dialect is called "Schwäbisch;" and nearby it is "Wegg," then "Wecken," is used more in some parts of southern Germany and Austria, but in the Hamburg area it is called a "Rundstück" (literally a "round piece"), in Berlinerisch (Berlin dialect) it is a "Schrippe," and in most of Bavaria and Austria it is a "Semmel." Trust me, there are even more forms, but this covers most of the terms. "Apparently" neither Low German nor Frisian uses a form of the word "wedge" any longer.