Treaty of Versailles

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The Treaty of Versailles (French: Traité de Versailles) was a peace treaty between the nations of Japan, the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1919, after World War I. Germany, Austria and Hungary did not participate in writing the treaty. Germany had the choice of signing it or facing its occupation by Allied troops.

Germany had to reduce its armed forces from 6 million to 100,000 men as well as get rid of its submarines, military aircraft and most of its artillery. It was allowed to keep only navy battleships.

Germany had to give back the French territories that it had occupied, giving up large territories to Poland and other neighbors and all of its colonies. It also had to pay huge reparations for the damage that had been done to Allied countries, especially France, during the war by German troops. The sum would be very large but was not yet fixed. Many gold marks had to be paid only as the first part of the German debt.

The treaty set up the League of Nations, which was intended to make decisions and to keep the peace after the treaty had been signed. The League solved some international disputes without war but could not stop World War II.

The treaty can be seen as a one-sided peace, which was dictated to Germany. The British economist John Maynard Keynes thought that it was a great mistake to force such harsh measures on the German people, but his advice was ignored.

Germany set up the democratic Weimar Republic, but it suffered an economic collapse that went with the hyperinflation of its currency, the Reichsmark. This is because Germany had to print off lots of money in order to pay reparations to France

Adolf Hitler became the German chancellor and got rid of the treaty. His actions would eventually lead to World War II.