"The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles..."
An international agreement signed at the end of World War I, which imposed heavy penalties on Germany and laid the groundwork for the Interwar period.
Overview of World War I: A brief discussion about the causes and events of World War I that led to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
The Fourteen Points: A speech given by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson that outlined his plan for peace and post-war order.
The Wilsonian Idealism: A discussion of Wilson’s vision for international relations, which consisted of promoting democracy and self-determination.
The Paris Peace Conference: A forum attended by representatives of the victorious Allied powers to negotiate peace settlements with the Central Powers.
The Big Four: A group of four leaders of the Allied powers, consisting of Wilson, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando.
The Treaty of Versailles: The peace treaty that ended World War I, signed in Versailles, France on June 28, 1919.
War Guilt Clause: Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which assigned responsibility for causing World War I to Germany and its allies.
Reparations: The financial compensation that Germany was required to pay to the Allied powers as part of the Treaty of Versailles.
Disarmament: The demilitarization of Germany required by the Treaty of Versailles, including limitations on the size of Germany’s military and restrictions on the production of weaponry.
League of Nations: An international organization established by the Treaty of Versailles to promote peace and resolve disputes between nations.
The Treaty of Versailles (1919): This was the main treaty that ended World War I and imposed harsh penalties on Germany.
The Treaty of Saint Germain (1919): This treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and Austria and dealt with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Treaty of Trianon (1920): This treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and Hungary and dealt with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Treaty of Neuilly (1919): This treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and Bulgaria and dealt with the penalties imposed on Bulgaria following World War I.
The Treaty of Sèvres (1920): This treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire and dealt with the partition of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of new states in the Middle East.
The Treaty of Lausanne (1923): This treaty was signed between the Allied Powers and Turkey and dealt with the settlement of the Turkish War of Independence.
The treaties of Riga (1920): These treaties were signed between Poland, Soviet Russia, and Ukraine and ended the Polish-Soviet War.
The treaty of Tartu (1920): This treaty was signed between Estonia and Soviet Russia and dealt with the recognition of Estonia's independence.
The treaty of Moscow (1921): This treaty was signed between Soviet Russia and the republics of Central Asia and dealt with the recognition of their autonomy.
The treaty of Rapallo (1922): This treaty was signed between Soviet Russia and Germany and dealt with economic and military cooperation between the two countries.
The treaty of Locarno (1925): This treaty was signed between Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, and Czechoslovakia and dealt with the normalization of relations between Germany and the rest of Europe.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): This was a multilateral treaty signed by 62 countries, including the United States, France, and Germany, and dealt with the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy.
"Germany was not allowed to participate in the negotiations; it was forced to sign the final treaty."
"The United States never ratified the Versailles treaty and made a separate peace treaty with Germany."
"The most critical and controversial provision in the treaty was: 'The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage...'"
"Article 231 became known as the War Guilt clause."
"The treaty required Germany to disarm, make ample territorial concessions, and pay reparations to certain countries."
"In 1921, the total cost of these reparations was assessed at 132 billion gold marks..."
"Prominent economists such as John Maynard Keynes declared the treaty too harsh, styling it as a 'Carthaginian peace', and saying the reparations were excessive and counterproductive."
"Prominent Allied figures such as French Marshal Ferdinand Foch criticized the treaty for treating Germany too leniently."
"The result of these competing and sometimes conflicting goals among the victors was a compromise that left no one satisfied."
"The problems that arose from the treaty would lead to the Locarno Treaties, which improved relations between Germany and the other European powers. The reparation system was reorganized resulting in the Dawes Plan, the Young Plan..."
"The treaty's terms against Germany resulted in economic collapse and bitter resentment which powered the rise of the Nazi Party, and eventually the outbreak of a second World War."
"Most of the negotiations were in Paris..."
"The 'Big Four' meetings taking place generally at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Quai d'Orsay."
"...it took six months of Allied negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty."
"Exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which led to the war."
"The treaty required Germany to disarm..."
"The treaty required Germany to... make ample territorial concessions..."
"The problems that arose from the treaty would lead to the Locarno Treaties, which improved relations between Germany and the other European powers."
"Although it is often referred to as the 'Versailles Conference', only the actual signing of the treaty took place at the historic palace."