	Another significant factor that detracted from the worth of the Treaty of Versailles was disarmament. While it made sense at the time for the Allies, disarming Germany would only further upset its people. Defending oneself has always been a basic human right that we hold dearly, and more so defending one’s home and country. With a slashed military and loss of weapons, Germany was deprived its basic rights and further dishonored and incensed. A possible alternative that may have reduced tensions between Germany and the rest of Europe would be to gradually allow Germany to increase its military and number of weapons over time, as trust was restored. The fact that no changes were ever made to the Treaty meant that Germany had to keep a small military and felt vulnerable, and naturally wanted to break with the treaty.
	As we look back through the lens of time, it is crucial to remember not to apply the same standards we would use to judge a country’s actions now, outside of the context of the time. After the horrors endured by millions in the First World War, I absolutely understand the animosity the Allies held towards Germany. Clemenceau had a clear focus on punishing Germany and preventing anything like the war from ever happening again, which is very reasonable given the Western Front was mainly in France. I empathize the most with President Wilson, though, who despite his best efforts, would never achieve a true League of Nations in his lifetime. It wouldn’t be until the United Nations was formed that there would be a united front against wars breaking out across the world. Wilson understood the gravity of the First World War, and had his eyes set on the future, one where Germany would have a thriving economy and have a place on the world stage. Wilson knew that stunting Germany’s infrastructural and economic revitalization would only harm all parties in the long-term. Unfortunately for the world, Great Britain and France did not share this view, and decided that vengeance was the priority which would spell ruin for Europe. This angered Germany and largely fed into the German propaganda machine that would feed popular support for World War 2. 
	I firmly believe that the Allies should have gone to greater lengths to accommodate Germany’s place in the post-war world. A defeated country is of no use to anybody if it is not helped back onto its feet. Instead of lending help, France and Great Britain sought to take as much as possible from Germany, as if everybody hadn’t lost enough already. The morale of the German population was at an all-time low, and the Allies ensured the Germans would cling to their mutual hatred for decades to comes, particularly because of the war guilt clause. Had the Allies setup a payment plan agreement with Germany that allowed them to make reparations within a reasonable timeframe, perhaps Germany would have been more cooperative and eager to stay peaceful. When someone loses a great deal, the last thing one should want to do is take more from that person. The humane thing to do, rather, is to offer your hand to help them get back on their feet.  This is precisely what the Allies did in the Treaty of Versailles, and consequently became one of the main rallying cries for World War 2 in Germany. The fact that the alliance between The United States, France and Great Britain was never formalized after the war meant the world was still at risk of conflict and had no safeguard in place to stop them early on. There are a multitude of ways the Allies could have formed the Treaty of Versailles in a way that didn’t wholly punish Germany and hurt its ability to bounce back from the war. Their cruelty and failure to consider the future are the core reasons I cannot in good conscience agree with the Allies’ decisions for Germany’s handling following the war. The Allies had the power to hear out Germany and work with them to compromise on more points, primarily the policy for making war reparations. Forcing their demands onto a defeated Germany was not the ideal way to solve the post-war challenges, and only set the stage for future struggles.
