Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919 was a peace treaty that officially ended World War I. It was signed at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. The treaty was signed after months of argument as to what the treaty should contain.

The actual fighting ended after the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918; however, it took several months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude a peace treaty. Leaders of 32 states attended the conference which opened on January 12, 1919. Negotiations, however, were dominated by the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Japan. Important figures in these negotiations included President Woodrow Wilson of the United States, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Britain and Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau of France.

The main points of the Treaty can be summarized as follows:

• a) Germany and its allies had to accept full responsibility for causing the war.
• b) Germany had to pay reparations for the damage done during the war.
• c) Germany had to disarm. The country was forbidden to have submarines or an air force.
• d) Germany had to make substantial territorial concessions.

The Germans were not consulted by the Allies on the contents of the Treaty. This lack of consultation angered the Germans, but they were still forced to sign the Treaty because the country was no longer in a position to continue the war.