Unit II - The Treaty Of Versailles

The treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty the officially ended the first world war. It took six months for the treaty to be negotiated. It was finally signed on November 11, 1918 by Britain's Prime minister David Lloyd George, United States' President Woodrow Wilson, France's Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and Italy's Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. Having been defeated, Germany, Austria, and Hungary were excluded from the negotiations. This treaty gave Germany full responsibility for causing the war. Germany was forced to give up land and to pay reparations. There was also a limit on the size of military that Germany was allowed to have. Germany however undermined the treaty starting in 1922 and by the mid thirties was ignored completely.

The treaty evoked an angry reception in Germany from the moment it was made known. The They did not feel that they were responsible for starting the war nor did they feel as though they had lost. The Germans thought that the treaty would be one of peace, not one of surrender. German navy sank its own ships in protest of the treaty.

I don't know if the cause of the war should have been placed only on Germany's shoulders. I think that the conditions of the treaty were a little harsh. If the treaty was going to make Germany repay for what they had done, someone should have made sure that Germany was following the rules. Germany started to rebuild its army straight away. I think the treaty of Versailles was a major cause of World War II.