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Allied delegates in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles witness the German delegation's acceptance of the terms of the Treaty Of Versailles, the treaty formally ending World War I. Versailles, France, June 28, 1919. See more photographs |
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TREATY OF VERSAILLES, 1919 |
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In the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the victorious powers of World War I (the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and other allied states) imposed punitive territorial, military, and economic treaty terms on defeated Germany. German representatives were not permitted to participate in the treaty negotiations and the terms were non-negotiable. Germany reluctantly signed the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, even as German leaders publicly rejected the treaty's contents. The terms of the treaty required Germany to make territorial concessions, to restrict its military forces and installations, and to pay reparations. Under the territorial provisions of the treaty, Germany's national boundaries were reduced. In the west, Germany was required to return Alsace-Lorraine to France (Germany had annexed the area after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871); Belgium received Eupen and Malmedy; the Saar region was placed under international administration until 1935; and, after a plebiscite, northern Schleswig was returned to Denmark. |
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In the east, the partitions of Poland during the eighteenth century were reversed. A resurrected Poland received most of the former German provinces of Posen (Poznan) and West Prussia, a "corridor" to the Baltic Sea (which separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany) and parts of Upper Silesia after a referendum. Czechoslovakia received the Hultschin district from Germany. The largely German city of Danzig was declared a "free city" within the Polish customs union. Memel, a small strip of territory in East Prussia along the Baltic Sea, was ultimately placed under Lithuanian control. All of Germany's overseas colonies were ceded to the victorious powers to be organized as mandates of the League of Nations. In sum, Germany forfeited 13 percent of its European territory (more than 27,000 square miles) and over one-tenth of its population (between 6.5 and 7.3 million people). The victorious powers wanted to ensure that Germany would never again pose a military threat. The Treaty of Versailles contained a number of provisions to that end. Among them was the requirement that all of Germany west of the Rhine River and up to 30 miles east of it was to be demilitarized. Strict limits were placed on the size and composition of Germany's armed forces (100,000 men). The manufacture of military aircraft, tanks, submarines, and poison gas was prohibited. The German government was also precluded from ordering military conscription. |
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Finally, the treaty contained a "war guilt clause." Germany accepted responsibility for causing World War I and was required to pay for all civilian damages caused during the war. The final figure was to be imposed on May 1, 1921. In the interval, Germany was to pay five billion dollars. The remainder would be paid in 30 years. |
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The Treaty of Versailles took effect on January 10, 1920. Most Germans viewed it as a "victors' peace." Demands for its repudiation became a central theme for politicians across the political spectrum, but especially among radical right-wing parties, such as the Nazi party, which blamed democratic parties for accepting the terms of the treaty. Over the years a number of the treaty's provisions were amended, mostly in favor of Germany. With the occupation of the Rhineland on March 7, 1936, all military restrictions (which had already been violated before Hitler's accession to power) became null and void. Further Reading Boemeke, Manfred F., Gerald D. Feldman, and Elisabeth Gläser, editors. The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment After 75 Years. Washington, DC: German Historical Institute, 1998. Henig, Ruth B. Versailles and After, 1919-1933. London: Routledge, 1995. MacMillan, Margaret. Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World. New York: Random House, 2002. |
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