[Gordon Pym]

The goal of the Versailles treaty was primarily to restore the "natural balance" of power between France, Germany and Britain - not to deprive Germans of hope.

I would agree with your theory a little more if the European power brokers didn't start carving up the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires under the watchful eye of Woody Wilson. And they took the German representatives on a lengthy tour of war desolation with the clear objective of making it known that "All this is your fault!" There was a clear desire for severe punishment of the German people and an elitist attitude toward the "Barbarians"

[wideawake]

There's no question that one goal was to rub Germany's nose in it and to prevent the formation of German-Austrian Empire.

But if the main purpose was to deprive Germans of hope and destroy Germany, the Allies could have permanently occupied large portions of Germany.