The Treaty of Versailles and the Potsdam Settlement

The Treaty of Versailles and the Potsdam peace settlement were signed after World War I and II, respectively. A primary goal of the two treaties was to end hostilities between warring parties following the two world wars. The Treaty of Versailles was drafted in Paris, with three major players, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy making key decisions. The treaty exacted heavy reparations on Germany. On the other hand, the World War II Peace settlement in Potsdam was accommodative to Germany, with the allies careful not to repeat the mistakes made in the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty signed in Potsdam was better than the Treaty of Versailles since it did achieve concluded agreements.

Germans considered the Treaty of Versailles harsh based on its findings. Particularly, the treaty’s article 231, the guilty clause, was considered unfair. Under the guilty clause, Germany and Austria were found responsible for starting the war. Germany was required to pay reparations to compensate Allied powers’ governments and their people for the losses incurred during the war (Duiker, 2015). Also, the military and territorial demands in the treaty displeased Germans. Germans were required to reduce their army to 100,000 men, reduce their navy, and completely do away with their air force (Duiker, 2015). The Germans also lost significant territory to the new Polish State, including Alsace and Lorraine, France, and Prussia (Duiker, 2015). These measures were perceived as an act of revenge, leading to the rise of totalitarian regimes and the Nazis.

The war guilt clause fueled economic and political resentment by the Germans. There was a feeling that the Allied powers deliberately imposed heavy reparations that the Germans could not afford to embarrass their government. Having been deprived of 13% economic productivity, Germany’s common citizens grew angrier and were committed to supporting a nationalist regime (Duiker, 2015). On the other hand, the Allies were unable to agree on how to deal with Germany, which did not implement the agreements of the Treaty of Versailles. For instance, Britain, which was heavily engaged in international trade at the time, knew that if Germany had to pay reparations, they could not afford to buy their goods. Since allies could not agree on how to deal with Germany, the country had sufficient time to rebuild economically and politically, leading to World War II.

On the other hand, the Potsdam Conference of 1945 sought to correct the mistakes committed by the Allies under the Treaty of Versailles. The Allies, particularly the US, insisted on avoiding heavy reparations on Germany, which had led to resentment earlier on (Trachtenberg, 1999). The Allies only exacted reparations from their occupied zones, meaning Germans could pay less. Besides, the Allies invited Japan and Germany to the League of Nations, a sign of reconciliation. The settlement avoided feelings of resentment post-war.

In summary, the settlement signed at Potsdam was better than the Treaty of Versailles on many levels. While the Treaty of Versailles imposed heavy reparations on Germany, the Potsdam Settlement only imposed reparations on zones occupied by Allied powers. The Potsdam agreement was reconciliatory as the Germans and Japanese were invited to join the unity of nations despite recently being at the core of World War II. Therefore, the Potsdam settlement was more concerned with creating peace than avenging Germany’s war culpability.