The Peace of Versailles was a mixed bag of terms, they said,
The nations defeated could not un-do their dead,
In particular, Germany was in chaos and thoroughly vanquished.
The peace plan claimed not to exercise any vengeance,
But compromises included, for many, too great a loss.
Land losses were hard, but worse was the disgrace
Of being blamed and then billed what were enormous costs
For reparations – unpayable due to war losses apace:
Such that debtors begrudged their new ruination,
Sewing new seeds of hatred while delaying repairs,
While fascists and communists vied for revolution,
And common men wondered, ‘How could this be fair?’
Peace was not cheap, although new nomenclature,
“Collective security,” would punish aggressors in the future.
June Edvenson 