The Treaty of Versailles
What Did the Treaty Do?
The Treaty of Versailles concluded World War I by formalizing the conditions of the armistice and considering other issues. It covered some of the most controversial and long-reaching concerns of the Allies. The treaty addressed critical issues including restricting German power, preventing a second world war, and giving the wounded party (i.e. the victors) reparations.
The largest and most influential of the treaties ending World War I, the Treaty of Versailles had long been debated to have caused the World War II, because it did not address the issues starting the first war and heavily punished Germany to the point where the nation was severely in debt, without allowing the nation much say in its own future.
The largest and most influential of the treaties ending World War I, the Treaty of Versailles had long been debated to have caused the World War II, because it did not address the issues starting the first war and heavily punished Germany to the point where the nation was severely in debt, without allowing the nation much say in its own future.
Who Participated?
70 delegates from 27 nations attended the Paris Peace Conference, but not all of them could make decisions. Only two delegates from each of the five major Allied nations (the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan) making up "the Council of Ten" could decide the terms of the treaty. Russia was not included because of its separate peace with Germany (the harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk). Japan would withdraw and the "Big Four," the four most important diplomats from the four countries, would talk for hours on end in private. Italy mostly kept to its own concerns, so most issues were decided among the "Big Three" delegates: British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Prime Minister George Clemenceau, and American President Woodrow Wilson.
Where Is Versailles?
Versailles, France: