The First World War destroyed the old European balance of power. In the heart of the continent, a basically strong and probably dangerous Germany remained. English and French Security, indeed European and world stability critically depended upon the containment of the Reich. How could a new equilibrium be devised, especially in the absence of a friendly Russian Great Power to the east and in view of America’s uncertain course in world politics? This book treats on a board canvas one vital aspect of the German Problem in 1919: the redistribution, through territorial change, of the elements of power between Germany and the victors.
This study and its conclusions are offered as a tentative reappraisal in the light of a new, fuller evidence and of longer perspectives on the subject.