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The formerly German port of Klaipëda was seized by Lithuania in the aftermath of World War One.

World War One Aftermath: 1919 - The Versailles Treaty

Revise your GCSE History knowledge of the Treaty of Versailles, the main terms imposed on Germany, and how this 1919 settlement tried to secure a lasting peace.

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Fascinating Fact:

The treaty forbade Anschluss, a political union between Germany and Austria. This was intended to prevent a larger, more powerful German-speaking state from emerging.

In GCSE History, you study how the Treaty of Versailles reshaped Europe after the First World War. The settlement limited Germany's armed forces, reduced its territory, and demanded reparations from its struggling economy.

Key Terms

Treaty of Versailles: The main peace treaty with Germany in 1919, setting out territorial losses, reparations, and military restrictions after the First World War.
Reparations: Payments Germany was ordered to make to the Allies to help cover the cost of war damage and reconstruction.
War guilt clause: Article 231 of the treaty, stating that Germany and its allies accepted responsibility for causing the war and its losses.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

The treaty took land from Germany, limited its army and navy, banned certain weapons, demanded reparations, and included the war guilt clause. It also created new states and adjusted borders across Europe.

Why did the Allies create the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?

The Allies wanted to prevent another war, punish Germany for the conflict, and reward countries that had fought against the Central Powers. They also aimed to redraw borders and support the new League of Nations.

Why was the Treaty of Versailles unpopular in Germany?

Many Germans saw the treaty as a diktat forced on them without negotiation. They felt territorial losses, reparations, military limits, and bans such as no union with Austria were unfair and humiliating.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Germany's colonies were taken from her, and given to the victorious allies as spoils of victory, although they were under the supervision of the League of Nations in Geneva as mandates. Which of the Western Allies showed no interest in acquiring any of Germany's former African colonies?

France

Great Britain

The United States of America

Belgium

Mandates did not involve outright control. The mandatory powers were expected to lead their territories to eventual independence after a period of development

2 .

A clause in the eventual treaty blamed Germany for the outbreak of the war, and hence responsible for all the loss and damage caused to the Allies. What was this clause called?

Clause 231 (or the "War Guilt Clause")

The War Blame Clause

Admission of Responsibility

The Confession of Guilt Clause

The Germans bitterly resented this clause, and the punitive measures that followed as a result. They were prepared to accept some responsibility, but they detested what they called "victors' justice"

3 .

The Allies were determined that Austria and Germany should be forbidden to unite in one state. What German name was given to such a union?

Anschluss

Wiedervereinigung

Einsiedlung

Deutschtum

Austrians were German-speakers, and Austria itself was truncated following the Treaty of St. Germain, whereby she lost almost all of her non-German population. So in some ways it made sense to unite the two German-speaking powers. But the Allies were not interested in increasing German territory - rather they were looking to reduce it!

4 .

Lithuania seized the German port of Memel on the Baltic, which was intended to have international control. What name did Lithuania give to its new acquisition?

Klaipëda

Kaunas

Kovno

Vilnius

Lithuania was the southernmost of the three Baltic States, now independent as a result of Russia's weakness and Germany's defeat. She seized Memel (the German name of the city), the port that she needed for trade

5 .

When the Allies came to consider the border area between Denmark and Germany, they decided initially to divide the area into two vertical parts. How did they then resolve the problem of where each part should belong to?

Two separate plebiscites (referenda) were held

The northern part was automatically given to Denmark and the southern part to Germany

A plebiscite was held in the north, while the south remained part of Germany

The northern part was ceded to Denmark, while the south held a plebiscite

Plebiscites were a way of determining the wishes of the local population. However they could present difficulties - especially if one or more ethnic groups were mixed within a given area

6 .

The Reparations Commission reported in May 1921 that Germany could and should pay a huge sum to cover the loss and damage caused in the Great War. What was the eventual bill?

£5 billion

£6.6 billion

£1.9 billion

£12.3 billion

The Reparations Commission had a difficult task. How much should Germany have to pay? And how much would she be able to pay?

7 .

Danzig, on the Baltic coast, posed a problem for the Versailles negotiators. What decision was made about this German port with a Polish hinterland?

It remained part of Germany, albeit separated from the rest of Germany by the Polish Corridor

It was given to Poland, to afford the revived Polish state access to the sea

It became a Free City under League of Nations control

It became an independent state, supervised by France and Britain

The Allies were keen to give Poland access to the sea, but they were also anxious to give rights to the German population of the port, and to grant road and rail access to it from the west

8 .

Which German province was granted to France for a period of 15 years, after which its people would vote to decide to which state they should belong? France intended to exploit its coal and iron ore assets while she could.

Upper Silesia

Lorraine

The Ruhr

The Saarland

France intended to make the most of the opportunity to milk this region of its industrial resources, knowing that it would inevitably vote to return to Germany

9 .

The Treaty disarmed Germany, so that she could never again embark on a major war. Which aspect of the armed forces was totally forbidden?

The German navy

Special forces organised as part of the army

The German air force

Enlistment of 100,000 men to serve in the army for 12 years before demobilisation

The Allies - especially France and Belgium - were determined that Germany could never embark on another war. Such armed forces as she still possessed were intended for internal law and order enforcement only

10 .

Which of the major allies insisted that all signatories to the treaty should have to join his brainchild, the League of Nations?

Georges Clemenceau

Vittorio Orlando

Woodrow Wilson

David Lloyd George

The League of Nations was intended to be the guardian of the terms of the peace treaties so all nations should belong - except for the Central Powers (Germany, etc.)

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Paris Peace Treaties and the League of Nations, to 1933

Author: Edward Towne