Versailles does not become fair simply because other punitive settlements were harsher. The post-Napoleonic agreements associated with the Congress of Vienna provide a stronger historical benchmark because they produced a long period of relative peace. They were not perfectly equitable, since every negotiator still protected national advantages. For naval treaties, durable security depends on a settlement that former opponents can live within rather than one that merely records victory.
Notable Point · 1:49:15-1:50:08
The Congress of Vienna as a benchmark for equitable peace
The long peace after the Napoleonic Wars makes the Vienna settlement a more useful comparison than punitive treaties imposed on defeated powers.