Treaty of Versailles

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Gauge the moods of the European people and statesmen as Woodrow Wilson arrived to forge an end to World War I

Examine how the Allied powers dismembered the Central Powers of World War I by a treaty that failed to prevent World War II

Nazi-led rally against the Treaty of Versailles

What were the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles?

For Students

Treaty of Versailles summary

Treaty of Versailles

Q: What was the Treaty of Versailles?

The Treaty of Versailles was the primary treaty produced by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I . It was signed on June 28, 1919, by the Allied and associated powers and by Germany in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles and went into effect on January 10, 1920. The treaty gave some German territories to neighbouring countries and placed other German territories under international supervision. In addition, Germany was stripped of its overseas colonies, its military capabilities were severely restricted, and it was required to pay war reparations to the Allied countries. The treaty also created the League of Nations .

Q: Who were the key people involved in drafting the Treaty of Versailles?

The chief people responsible for the Treaty of Versailles were U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson , French Premier Georges Clemenceau , and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George . Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando was a delegate but was shut out from the decision making. Wilson sought to create an egalitarian system that would prevent a conflagration similar to World War I from ever occurring again. Clemenceau wanted to make sure that Germany would not be a threat to France in the future, and he was not persuaded by Wilson’s idealism. Lloyd George favoured creating a balance of powers but was adamant that Germany pay reparations.

Q: What were the main provisions of the Treaty of Versailles?

The Treaty of Versailles gave Germany new boundaries. Alsace-Lorraine was given to France and Eupen-Malmédy to Belgium . Territory in eastern Germany was awarded to a reconstituted Poland . Memelland was placed under French supervision, and Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations, but France was given control of its coal. In addition, a demilitarized zone was created between Germany and France. Germany was required to accept responsibility for causing all the damage of the war that was “imposed upon [the Allies] by the aggression of Germany…” and to pay an unspecified amount of money in reparations.

Q: What were the results of the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles under protest, and the United States did not ratify the treaty. France and Britain at first tried to enforce the treaty, but over the next several years a number of modifications were made. Germany ignored the limits that the treaty placed on its rearmament. Payment of reparations proved ruinous, and the attempt was abandoned after the advent of the Great Depression . The League of Nations lasted for 26 years and had some initial successes but failed to advance a more general disarmament or to avert international aggression and war. It did, however, lay the groundwork for the subsequent founding of the United Nations .

1919

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 2, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Date:: June 28, 1919

Participants:: Austria-Hungary; Bulgaria; France; Germany; Italy; Japan; Ottoman Empire; Portugal; Soviet Union; United Kingdom

Key People:: Georges Clemenceau; Matthias Erzberger; Hermann Müller; Woodrow Wilson; Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey

On the Web:: Portland State University - PDXScholar - Edith Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles (Dec. 02, 2024)

See all related content

What was the Treaty of Versailles?

Who were the key people involved in drafting the Treaty of Versailles?

What were the main provisions of the Treaty of Versailles?

What were the results of the Treaty of Versailles?

Treaty of Versailles, peace document signed at the end of World War I by the Allied and associated powers and by Germany in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, France, on June 28, 1919; it took force on January 10, 1920. A brief treatment of the Treaty of Versailles follows. For full treatment, see international relations: Peacemaking, 1919–22. When the German government asked U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson to arrange a general armistice in October 1918, it declared that it accepted the Fourteen Points that he had formulated and presented to the U.S. Congress in January 1918 as ...(100 of 1064 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.