ng of Germany in favor of the newly constituted Polish state of the important economic region of Silesia, the forced cession of other former Prussian territories to create the Polish Corridor between Germany and East Prussia and the loss of Germany's prewar colonial territories. Germany was left with no submarines, armor, airforce or U-boats and an army of only 100,000 men. Under the 'war guilt' clause Germany (and Austria) were stated to be responsible for the outbreak of World War I. Germany was required to pay the Allies reparations originally set at $33 billion in 1921 and subsequently scaled back substantially. France was given the right to exploit the coal mines of the Saar for 15 years and the Rhineland was to be demilitarized, with the French having the right to occupy the west bank of the Rhine until 1935.
Motivating Factors. The peace terms reflected the strong anti-German antagonism which was aroused in the Western democracies by the catastrophic and traumatic effects of the First World War as well as the chaos, disorders and revolutions in Central Europe which followed in its wake. The war exacted a fearsome toll, including more than seven million men killed in action, over 16 million wounded and nearly 2.3 million civilian deaths (Chickering 195). Northern France and Belgium experienced devastating civilian suffering, physical destruction and economic destruction. The total costs of the war were more than $200 billion (Mee 100). Britain emerged from the war a debtor nation. The Allied blockade which remained in effect until the Treaty was signed produced mass starvation in Germany. The Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian Empires collapsed. According to Kennan, among the peoples of all the warring powers, "as hostilities ran their course, hatreds congealed, one's own propaganda came to be believed, moderate people were shouted down and brought into disrepute, and war aims hardened and became more extreme" (62-63).
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