Unit 1 Section 6:

The End of the War - The Treaty of Versailles

The Talk Drags On
Each country held a position upon what should happen during negations and
for the future of Germany. These positions caused the discussion to become
drawn out and unproductive. Each country fought for its own vision of the
treaty, and this caused strained relations between the Allies. Both England and
the United States were unhappy with the proposals of France. Long negations
over the future of Germany led to a breakdown in the talks.

President Wilson became so frustrated that he packed his bags and returned
to the United States. He had been away for many months and he needs to
work on problems faced inside of his country, not the problems of Europe.

The departure of Wilson had the effect of scaring Clemenceau into relaxing his
position. His fear of having to face Germany alone, without the support of
England and the United States, prompted him to change some of his
demands. Once Clemenceau was prepared to concede part of his position, the
negations were able to proceed relatively quickly.

The biggest reason why Clemenceau was prepared to give in came as a result
of a promise by England and the United States. France dropped its demand
for a buffer country carved out of Germany because the United States and
England promised to come to the aid of France if Germany attacked.

With French fears reduced over facing Germany alone, the negotiations
moved to the ideas of President Wilson. Wilson was able to win over the
people to the plan for a League of Nations where future problems would be
solved without fighting. Final details for the treaty were completed by 7 May
1919. It had taken from 18 January to 7 May (five months) to finalize a
document for the German delegation to sign.
Germany Signs the Treaty
The Germans were invited to sign the document on 28 June 1919. Upon
reviewing the treaty, the Germans immediately began to consider going to
war, as they believed the treaty was too harsh. The return to war was not a
serious option as the Allies had continued to blockade Germany since the
Armistice, and thus its civilian population was being starved to death.

The treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, just
outside of Paris. The treaty was signed there on purpose to insult the
Germans. Bismarck had used the same room to insult the French by declaring
the creation of Germany after the Franco-Prussian War. Now the French
returned the favor by punishing Germany with the treaty of Versailles in the
same room.

https://youtu.be/o1IFePaNENQ

Overview of the Treaty

The treaty consists of many pages and articles (terms) outlining conditions
that Germany was forced to agree to. The key aspects of the treaty are
identified below:

1. The German Army was limited to only 100,000 men of all ranks.
2. No large artillery pieces, tanks, or aircraft were allowed for the German
military.
3. Limits on German Army Reserves. Men who joined the German Army
had to stay in for twelve years and officers had to stay in for twenty-five
years. This meant that only a limited number of men in Germany would
have military training.
4. No General Staff was allowed. The purpose of a General Staff was to
plan for war. This was where Von Schlieffen had developed his plans,
therefore, no General Staff equals no war plans, then no war.
 5. The German Navy was limited to six battleships and some smaller ships
for port duties.
6. Submarines were completely forbidden. The threat of these weapons
during the war caused serious problems for the Allies.
7. The Allies were to occupy the Rhineland for 15 years in an area called
the “demilitarized zone.” Germany was to pay for the cost of the Allied
troops stationed in this area. This condition was to help limit French
fears of fighting on French soil.
8. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France. This was a sore spot for France
because Bismarck had taken the provinces away after the Franco-
Prussian War.
9. Parts of Germany that were occupied by Polish people were given to the
new country of Poland. This was part of Wilson’s Fourteen Points to
create countries made up of ethnic groups, not run by foreign powers.
10. All German overseas colonies were divided up and given to France,
England, and in the Pacific to Japan.

The last condition has been considered historically the most controversial
condition of the Treaty of Versailles. The Allies declared that Germany was
responsible for the war and therefore had to pay reparations (compensation
for damages). The total cost was to be calculated as equal to the damages
caused by the war to civilian property. A special committee was to be established
to set the price for the German government to pay.

Germany was very upset by the conditions laid out in the treaty. The unhappiness
caused by the Treaty of Versailles was to have far-reaching implications upon
European history a short twenty years later.

Austria-Hungary and Turkey

Separate treaties were written and signed by all other countries that fought
with Germany. Austria-Hungary was broken into a number of smaller nations
including Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia. The Turkish Empire was also
broken up and new countries were created from areas under her former
control. The conditions placed upon these countries were considered less
harsh than upon the Germans, who the allies believed had started the war.