Treaty of Versailles is the name given to the peace treaty signed between European countries and that symbolized the end of the first world war, which took place between 1914 and 1918.
The Treaty of Versailles began to be developed in November 1918, being consolidated only in June 28, 1919, when the German minister, Hermann Müller, signed the document. With the creation of the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles was amended in 1920.
From that treaty, it was established that Germany was solely responsible for the conflict and it would be incumbent on her to repair the damage caused by the war. The terms of the treaty were extremely harsh and considered humiliating by Germany.
The population's dissatisfaction with the consequences generated by the treaty was one of the main causes ofSecond World War.
Versailles Treaty Summary
The Treaty of Versailles was negotiated over months by the leaders of the rival countries of Germany during the First World War and was signed at the Palace of Versailles during the Paris conference.
These countries were the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Italy. Italy soon withdrew from the negotiations for not accepting the conditions imposed by other countries.
In addition to these countries, delegations from 25 other countries participated in the Paris Conference, including Brazil.
Delegations gathered in the hall of mirrors at the Palace of Versailles to sign the treaty.
Germany did not have the opportunity to participate in the negotiations, even after requests. Philip Scheideman, German chancellor at the time, resigned from his post in order not to sign the treaty.
The treaty consisted of 15 parts and 440 articles. The main article, No. 231, blamed Germany entirely for the conflict:
Germany and its Allies are responsible, as they caused them, for all loss and damage suffered. by allied governments and their associates, as well as by the citizens of these countries, as a result of war.
Learn more about First World War.
Main points of the Treaty of Versailles
As it was held responsible for the conflict, Germany was forced to cede parts of its territory to enemy countries. In addition to paying heavy indemnities and being forced to reduce its army and military power.
territorial losses
The Treaty of Versailles reduced German territory by 13%, which also represented a loss of 10% of its total population. Furthermore,
- THE Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France;
- Malmedy, Moresnet and Eupen were delivered to Belgium;
- The Saar coal zone was dominated by France;
- A strip of land that crossed German territory was ceded to Poland;
- Memel was delivered to Lithuania;
- Germany lost all colonies that had in Africa.
military losses
To weaken Germany and avoid further conflicts, the negotiating countries of the Treaty of Versailles took steps to stifle Germany's military capacity:
- Prohibition of military recruitment;
- Limitation of the army to only 100,000 soldiers;
- Ban on the navy and aeronautics in the country;
- They were forced to destroy machine guns, rifles and planes.
financial losses
Germany was forced to pay huge indemnities, leaving the German economy, which was already fragile, in a major economic crisis. France and England demanded from the country an indemnity that exceeded the 200 billion DM.
Consequences of the Treaty of Versailles
The harsh impositions of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany plunged the country into a major crisis, with high rates of hyperinflation. Dissatisfaction was growing among the German population, who considered the measures of the treaty humiliating.
The feeling of revanchism shared by the German nation and the dissatisfaction with the economic crisis that took hold in the country after the loss of the war meant that, under the leadership of adolf hitler, Germany returned to attack some of the main powers of Europe.
Hitler cheered by Germans after being named Chancellor of Germany.
This general dissatisfaction also allowed the emergence of radical political ideologies, which culminated in the Nazism and 20 years later, at the outbreak of World War II.
Learn more about Nazism and fuhrer.
