According to the authors of Germany’s complaint, how will various provisions of the treaty hurt Germany’s economy?
The complaints of the German delegation help to comprehend the main economic challenges the country faced after the war. First, the League of Nation did not find it necessary to invite Germany and did not make the attempts to add the country to the list of those, who could get a chance to be invited. The peace document that was signed proved the fact that the position of the country is weak in comparison to other representatives.
Therefore, Germany was unable to keep old relations with foreign countries, develop new relations, or get a share in world commerce (Comments of the German delegation to the Paris peace conference, 1919). Germans did not have a chance to use their property because it was confiscated to repair the destructions in other countries. Though peace documents were offered to the country, the economic situation was not properly discussed there, and the German people continued suffered because of their inabilities and challenges caused by the war.
In Germany’s view, how would the country have been treated differently if the principles they attribute to President Wilson had been applied?
President Wilson admitted that there was no single fact that could cause the war and blamed the whole European system for the inabilities to solve misunderstandings and conflicts between different countries (Comments of the German delegation to the Paris peace conference, 1919). The meshes, espionage, and intrigues of the European countries led to the war. Germany, as well as any other country, had to take responsibility. However, regardless the idea offered by President Wilson, only Germany was defined as the initiator of the war. If that idea was taken into consideration, Germany could have more chances to develop new relations with other European countries and abroad the continent and avoid the economic challenged that disappointed all citizens of the country.
To what higher “fundamental laws” does the document appeal to in order to strengthen German assertions?
One of the main laws that was mentioned in the complaint under analysis was the right of every state for self-preservation and self-determination (Comments of the German delegation to the Paris peace conference, 1919). Every country regardless its political and economic positions should have a right to be preserved and determined independently. Germany was blamed and asked to pay an indemnity even if the amount of the debt before the countries that suffered in the war was not identified.
The right of self-determination was the main new law that people had to respect. On the one hand, it should open new opportunities for Germans and other Europeans. On the other hand, according to the Comments of the German Delegation (1919), a number of Germans were torn away from their land. Such evident disrespect of the self-determination right could become the reason for German anger and dissatisfaction with the outcomes of the war.
Do you agree with the authors of the document that Germany was being poorly treated? What response to their complaints might defenders of the treaty have made?
I think that the conditions described in the Comments of the German Delegation, were unfair in regards to Germany. Still, it is a human nature to find one part that should take responsibility for everything bad. It is impossible for people, especially the representatives of the economic and political worlds, to comprehend that there may be the consequences that could hardly be avoided or the activities of more than one group of people that could not be understood by other groups of people.
I think that the best solution that could be offered to Germany and all other countries that believed in German fault was the chance to be self-determined and developed in order to pay its debt before Europe. If Germany got a chance to try its opportunities and develop new relations on a kind of democratic rights, the discontent of the country could help to avoid the World War II.
References
Comments of the German delegation to the Paris peace conference on the conditions of peace. (1919). Web.