was the treaty of versailles a good settlement to ensure the peace and help europe recover from the war?

No.

Explanation:

This was one of the worst ways you could settle for peace. The German government had been extremely angry as they believed the armistice was a pause to the war, not a surrender. The Treaty of Versailles had crippled Germany and collapsed the Austrian-Hungarian and Ottoman Empire. Germany later in the future would eventually defy the treaty-making the country extremely hostile. The Treaty put German society into massive poverty and the new democratic government was weak and could not manage the massive war reparations. This is one reason Hitler rose to power, he advocated for the defiance of the Treaty of Versailles and promised the German people to make the nation prosper again. The League of Nations established by the Treaty had done virtually nothing good for the World as Japan was still focusing on her ambitions in East Asia and the new dictator of Italy had successfully been established.

the authority to tax.