The Treaty of Versailles, the agreement that ended the First World War, was signed on June 28, 1919 in a suburb of Paris, in a former royal residence.
The truce, which actually ended the bloody war, was concluded on November 11, 1918, but it took the heads of the warring states about another six months to work out the main provisions of the peace treaty together.
The Treaty of Versailles was concluded between the victorious countries (USA, France, Great Britain) and defeated Germany. Russia, which was also a member of the coalition of anti-German powers, earlier, in 1918, concluded a separate peace with Germany (according to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk), therefore, it did not participate either in the Paris Peace Conference or in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It is for this reason that Russia, which suffered huge human losses in the First World War, not only did not receive any compensation (indemnity), but also lost part of its origin alterritory (some regions of Ukraine and Belarus).
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
The main provision of the Treaty of Versailles is the unconditional recognition of Germany's guilt in "causing war". In other words, the full responsibility for fueling the global European conflict fell on Germany. This resulted in unprecedented severity of sanctions. The sum of the total indemnities paid by the German side to the victorious powers amounted to 132 million gold marks (in 1919 prices).
The last payments were made in 2010, so Germany only managed to pay off its "debts" of the First World War only after 92 years.
Germany suffered very painful territorial losses. All German colonies were divided among the countries of the Entente (anti-German coalition). Part of the original continental German lands was also lost: Lorraine and Alsace went to France, East Prussia to Poland, Gdansk (Danzig) was recognized as a free city.
The Treaty of Versailles contained detailed demands aimed at the demilitarization of Germany, preventing the re-ignition of a military conflict. The German army was significantly reduced (to 100,000 people). The German military industry was actually supposed to cease to exist. In addition, a separate requirement was spelled out for the demilitarization of the Rhineland - Germany was forbidden to concentrate troops and military equipment there. The Treaty of Versailles included a clause creating the League of Nations- an international organization similar in function to the modern UN.
The impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the German economy and society
The conditions of the Versailles Peace Treaty were unreasonably harsh and harsh, the German economy could not withstand them. A direct consequence of the fulfillment of the draconian requirements of the treaty was the complete destruction of German industry, the total impoverishment of the population and monstrous hyperinflation.
In addition, the insulting peace agreement touched upon such a sensitive, albeit intangible substance as national identity. The Germans felt not only ruined and robbed, but also wounded, unfairly punished and offended. German society readily embraced the most extreme nationalist and revanchist ideas; this is one of the reasons why a country that just 20 years ago ended one global military conflict with grief in half, easily got involved in the next one. But the Versailles Treaty of 1919, which was supposed to prevent potential conflicts, not only failed to fulfill its purpose, but also to some extent contributed to the incitement of World War II.
