The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919 in Versailles, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of World War I signed separate treaties. Although the armistice, signed on 11 November 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of Allied negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty. The treaty was registered by the Secretariat of the League of Nations on 21 October 1919.

1. THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
JUNE 1919

2. THE LEAGUE AND SELF
DETERMINATION
1. The peace talks began in January 1919.
2. President Wilson wanted the Conference to set up the
League of Nations.
3. Britain and France agreed.
4. The rules of the League were known as the League
Covenant.
5. The Covenant was included in the treaty and other peace
settlements.
6. Wilson believed strongly in self-determination.
7. People ruled over by French and British demanded
independence.
8. The French and British were unhappy.
9. The idea of self-determination was not applied to the
world empires of France and Britain.

3. Background
 There were in total 6 different problems facing the Big
3 at the Paris Peace Conference:
 How to prevent Germany from attacking again
 How to protect Europe from communist Russia
 There were new governments in Germany/Austria
 Japan and Italy wanted their rewards for fighting in the
secret treaties
 Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia were new
countries that needed help to get established
 The leaders of the victorious countries in WWI (Britain,
France, and the US) did not agree with each other about
the future

4. 1. Versailles (France) was in the middle of the
3 main European powers
A. Why Versailles?

7. A. Why Versailles?
Germany signed an “armistice” (time-out) in France (in
this train).

8. A. Why Versailles?
Versailles was where the treaty of the last war in
Europe was signed (Franco-Prussian War, 1871)

9. B. The Big 3
Woodrow Wilson
(US)
David Lloyd
George (UK)
Georges Clemenceau
(France)

10. B. How were the Big Three different?
 At the end of World War I (then called “the
Great War”), Germany was going to be
punished. The question was, how much?
 Who wanted to punish Germany the most?
Who wanted to punish Germany the least?

11. B. How were the Big Three different?
Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)
 US President (1912-1920)
 Former teacher, Head of
Princeton University
 Presbyterian, very
religious
 Progressive Movement
 First to suggest League of
Nations, collective security
 Nobel Peace Prize, 1919

12. Lloyd George (1863-1945)
 British Prime Minister
(1916-1922)
 Had tried to reduce
military spending before
WWI (Arms Race)
 Promised to make
Germans pay at the end
of the War
 Leader of Liberal Party,
1926-31
B. How were the Big Three different?

13. Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929)
 French Prime Minister
(1906-1909, 1917-1920)
 30 years old in Franco-
Prussian War (‘71)
 Wanted to weaken Germany
forever, take back Alsace-
Lorraine
 Nicknamed “the Tiger”
B. How were the Big Three different?

14. A difference of opinions
 At the end of World War I (then called “the
Great War”), Germany was going to be
punished. The question was how much?
 Who wanted to punish Germany the most?
Who wanted to punish Germany the least?

15. A difference of opinions
A. “I think we should teach Germany a lesson. If
we weaken Germany, she won’t be able to
attack again.”
B. “I think we should forgive Germany and try to
make the world a safer place. The most
important thing is that we prevent another Great
War from happening.”
C. “I want Germany to pay for the damage she
caused, but I don’t want to make the Germans
angry. If there is another Great War, I want my
country to stay out of it.”

16. Lloyd George’s Big Concern…

17. Lloyd George’s Big Concern…
1. Protecting British Empire
2. Using Germany to protect Europe from Russia
3. Not allowing France to dominate Europe

18. Clemenceau’s Big Concern
Georges Clemenceau
“Mark well what I am telling you. In
six months, in a year, ten years,
when they like, as they like, the
Germans will invade us again.
We were attacked. We are
victorious. We represent right,
and might is ours. This might
must be used in the service of the
right” (1919)

19. Clemenceau’s Big Concern
Georges Clemenceau
Franco-Prussian
War, 1871

20. The Mandates
 Britain and France wanted control of German and
Turkish colonies.
 The USA wanted these to be run by the League.
 The colonies were divided up among the winning
powers, but they agreed to look after these territories
on behalf of the League of Nations.
 These lands were to be known as ‘mandates’.
 Through the mandates, France and Britain added
considerably to their world-wide empires.
 The German colonies in Africa were divided among
Britain, France and South Africa.

21. C. Terms of the Treaty
 Blame
 Reparation
 Army
 Territory

22. C. Terms of the Treaty

23. C. Terms of the Treaty

24. GERMANY
LOSS
OF TERRITORY
 Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia became
independent.
 Clemenceau wanted a large and powerful Poland.
 The new Poland took territories from Germany, Russia
and Austro-Hungary.
 Former German land in West Prussia, Posen and part of
Upper Silesia was given to Poland (the Polish Corridor).
 Danzig was turned into a free city, controlled by the
League of Nations.
 Alsace and Lorraine returned to France.
 Saarland was under the League of Nations management.
 Rhineland was transformed into a demilitarised zone.

25. GERMANY LOSSES IN
BELGIUM AND
DANEMARK
 Alsace-Lorraine and the Polish Corridor were
the largest losses of Germany territory.
 Germany lost the small districts of Eupen,
Moresnet and Malmedy to Belgium.
 The treaty ordered a plebiscite in North
Schleswig for people to decide if they want to
be in Germany or Denmark. The decision was
in favour of Denmark.

26. THE 7 POINTS
OF THE TREATY NON ACHIEVED
 1. A ban on secret treaties between states
 2. Free movement of ships in the world
 3. Free trade between countries without import
taxes
 4. General disarmament
 5. Greater independence for colonies
 6. Non-interference in Russia
 12. Independence for the non-Turkish people of the
Turkish Empire.

27.  9. Italian borders to be settled.
 11. Invading armies to leave Balkans.
 14. An effective League of Nations to keep the
peace.
THE 3 POINTS
OF THE TREATY PARTIALLY
ACHIEVED

28.  7. Germany to leave Belgium.
 8. Alsace-Lorraine to be returned to
France.
 10. Independence for the peoples of
Austria-Hungary.
 13. Independence for Poland.
THE 4 POINTS
OF THE TREATY ACHIEVED IN
FULL

29. D. Effects and Reactions
 Britain’s government gradually changed its opinion to
Germany, and allowed Germany to escape some of
the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles in the
1920s
 German people hated Britain and France for the
treaty, and the German government that signed the
treaty
 The United States decided to stay out of all problems
related to the treaty, and became increasingly isolated
in the 1920s - 30s

30. 1918 1940

31. 1940
World War II
Hitler forces France to
surrender in 1940 in
the same train that
Germany had
surrendered in at the
end of World War I.
Adolf Hitler

32. When did Germany finally
make the last reparation
payment?
4 years ago

33. THE LAST PAYMENT
 GERMANY MADE ITS LAST REPARATIONS PAYMENT
FOR WORLD WAR I ON 3 OCT 2010, SETTLING ITS
OUTSTANDING DEBT FROM THE 1919 VERSAILLES
TREATY AND QUIETLY CLOSING THE FINAL CHAPTER
OF THE CONFLICT THAT SHAPED THE 20TH
CENTURY.
 THIS MARK THE COMPLETION OF THE FINAL
CHAPTER OF WORLD WAR I WITH THE END OF
REPARATIONS PAYMENTS 92 YEARS AFTER THE
COUNTRY'S DEFEAT.
 THE SUM WAS INITIALLY SET AT 269 BILLION GOLD
MARKS, AROUND 96,000 TONS OF GOLD, BEFORE
BEING REDUCED TO 112 BILLION GOLD MARKS BY
1929, PAYABLE OVER A PERIOD OF 59 YEARS.