Besides the obvious discontent such a provision would cause in any nation, German governments used it to rally their people against the Allies in combination with the controversial French occupation in the western regions of Germany, most notably Hitler in the 1930s. (11) In addition, although David Lloyd-George supported the clause, Great Britain throughout the 1920s and 1930s showed their ironic guilt over the provision by their continuing policy of appeasement. (12) Hitler proved to be the greatest benefactor of that guilt in the 1930s as he invaded Austria and then Czechoslovakia.The Reparation Settlement imposed on Germany by the Allied Powers grew to be hated by the German people. The basis for the reparations (which became a euphemism for indemnities) was that Germany was obligated to compensate for the civilian and property damage inflicted upon the Allies, as stated in Article 232 of the treaty. (13) The Reparation Settlement was the worst condition set upon Germanythe country could not possibly hope to meet its demands and maintain financial security at the same time. Chambers et al state, Germany was made liable for sums unspecified and without foreseeable end (14) John Maynard Keynes describes the most crippling of the reparations. Germany had to relinquish to France complete possession and rights to the Saar Basin coalmines for fifteen years. After that period, if the people of the region voted to reunite with Germany, Germany had to repurchase the mines at a price payable in gold. (15) This condition was a slap in the face: the Saar Basin had been a German region for the better part of 1,000 years. (16) The economic effects of this confiscation of Germanys vital resource were devastating.The second most crippling reparation concerned Germanys merchant marine ships. The Allies forces the German state to give up all ships above 1600 tons, half between 1000 and 1600 tons, and one quarter of its fishing boats and ...
