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Treaty
of Versailles Cartoon
"Hey Mister,
could you spare a minute
to do a bit of refereeing?
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Treaty of Versailles Cartoon
The Treaty of
Versailles political cartoon was published in a British
newspaper showing the weight of Britain, France and
Italy crushing Germany, as did the peace Treaty of
Versailles.
Treaty of Versailles for kids: The Armistice
The
WW1
Armistice between the Allies and Germany was the
agreement that ended the fighting in the west of Europe
on the Western Front. The armistice went into effect on
the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh
month on November 11, 1918. The armistice ended the
actual fighting on the Western Front, but it took 6
months of negotiations at the 1919 Paris Peace
Conference before the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
were completed.
What was the 1919 Treaty of Versailles?
The Treaty
of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles in
France on June 28, 1919. The
1919 Treaty of Versailles consisted of 440
Articles setting out the terms for Germany's punishment
after they had taken responsibility for the Great War
that had raged from 28 July, 1914 - 11 November, 1918.
Who signed the Treaty of Versailles?
There were many signers of the
Treaty of Versailles,
the most important being President Woodrow Wilson of the
United State of America, David Lloyd George of Great
Britain, Vittorio Orlando of Italy, and Georges
Clemenceau of France.
The
Effect of the Treaty of Versailles with Germany
The major effect of the
Treaty of Versailles was to force Germany to give massive amounts of
land to the Allies, force Germany to pay exorbitant amounts of
reparation money to the Allies, and limit the size of the German
army to a fraction of its former size.
Treaty of Versailles with Germany: Other Treaties with Austria,
Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey
The Treaty of Versailles
was not the only treaty following WW1. Four other treaties were made
with the countries that had helped Germany during the war (Austria,
Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey). The terms of these four
additional treaties ran along the same lines as the
Treaty of Versailles. The terms of the four treaties were that the
defeated countries had to disarm, pay reparations and cede land as
new countries were formed. The countries, names and dates of the
treaties were as follows:
Treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey
● Austria: Treaty of Saint Germain (10
Sept 1919)
● Hungary: Treaty of Trianon (4 June
1920)
● Bulgaria: Treaty of Neuilly (27 Nov
1919)
● Turkey: Treaty of Sèvres (10 Aug
1920)
The
Major Provisions and Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
The Major provisions
and Terms of the Treaty of Versailles detailed Military
Changes, Territory Changes, War Guilt Provision
(Financial Reparations) and the establishment of the
League of Nations.
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles: Summary of Military Changes
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
detailed the following Military Changes:
Military
Terms
● The terms limited the German army to
100,000 men.
● Germany was not allowed heavy
artillery or tanks.
● Germany was not allowed to have an
Airforce
● The German navy was restricted to
15,000 with six battleships and no submarines were
allowed.
● The Rhineland was demilitarized,
meaning the German army was allowed to go there
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles: Summary of Territory
Changes
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
detailed the following Territory Changes:
Territory
Terms and Changes
● Germany was forbidden to unite with
Austria
● Alsace-Lorraine was returned to
France
● The Territory of the highly
industrialized Saar Basin was to be occupied and
governed by Britain and France for 15 years. The Saar
coalfields were ceded to France for 15 years
● The Germany was required to cede land
to France, Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Poland.
● All of Germany's colonies were taken
and given to Britain and France as 'Mandates'
● Danzig was made a free city under the
control of the League of Nations
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles: Summary of War Guilt
Provision (Reparations)
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
detailed the following War Guilt terms:
War Guilt Provision Terms (Reparations)
● Germany was held solely responsible
for all damages and losses suffered by the Allies during
the Great War
● The terms required Germany to pay
reparations of 269 billion gold marks (later reduced to
132 billion gold marks ($33 billion)
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles: Establishment of the
League of Nations
The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
detailed the following War Guilt terms:
The
League of Nations
● The League of Nations was created but
Germany was not allowed to join
1919
Treaty of Versailles: Article 231 - The War Guilt Clause
Article 231 of the
Treaty of Versailles, often known as the War Guilt Clause,
was the opening article of the reparations section of the Treaty of
Versailles and was one of the most controversial points of the
treaty. Article 231 specified:
"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts
the responsibility of Germany and her allies
for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and
Associated Governments and their nationals have been
subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the
aggression of Germany and her allies."
1919
Treaty of Versailles for kids: Important Articles of the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles
consisted of 440 Articles. The most important
articles are summarized in the following table:
Important Articles of the Treaty of Versailles for kids
Articles 1-26: The Covenant of the League of Nations
- Germany was not allowed to join.
● Article 21 was amended to
include the "racial equality clause"
Article 42: The Rhineland was demilitarized
Article 45: The rich coalfields of the Saar were
given to France for 15 years.
Article 51: Alsace-Lorraine was returned to
France.
Article 80: Germany was prohibited from uniting
with Austria.
Article 87: The rich farmlands in eastern Germany
were given to Poland.
Article 100: Danzig was made a free city under the
control of the League of Nations
Article 119: All of Germany's colonies were given
to Britain and France
Article 160: The German army was restricted to
100,000 men.
Article 181: The German navy was restricted to 6
battleships and no submarines.
Article 198: Germany not allowed to have an air
force.
Article 231: Germany was held responsible for
causing all the loss and damage caused by the war.
Article 232: Germany were required to pay
reparations
Important Articles of the Treaty of Versailles for kids
1919 Treaty of Versailles for kids: The U.S. Senate Rejected the
Treaty of Versailles - "The Irreconcilables"
The Treaty of Versailles
was rejected by the US Senate.
President Wilson's
Fourteen Points for peace had been scuttled by the
Allies in the treaty who believed that they were far too
lenient on Germany. There were other concerns,
especially the terms relating to the League of Nations.
The Senators who raised the objections were nicknamed
"the Irreconcilables" in the press. These critics, "the
Irreconcilables" feared that the League of Nations would
supersede the power of Congress to declare war and that
the US might be forced to fight in foreign wars.
1919 Treaty of Versailles for kids: The U.S. Senate Rejected the
Treaty of Versailles - "The Reservationists"
A larger
group of Senators, nicknamed "the Reservationists",
supported the League of Nations but would only ratify
the Treaty of Versailles with amendments that would
preserve the nation’s freedom to act independently.
1919
Treaty of Versailles for kids: President Woodrow Wilson's reaction
President Wilson was
obviously extremely disappointed in the Treaty of
Versailles but feared the changes required would
defeat the basic purpose of the League of Nations
and insisted that the Senate ratify the treaty
without changes. The president believed he could
defeat the opposition to the Treaty of Versailles,
including the League of Nations, by winning public
support and traveled the USA making speeches.
His tour was stopped when he suffered a stroke. The
Senate voted in November 1919 and again in March
1920, but refused to ratify the treaty. The USA
negotiated separate peace treaties with each of the
Central Powers after President Wilson left office in
1921.
US Peace Treaties
following WW1
The United States Congress passed a
resolution on June 4, 1926 that officially recognized
the end of WW1 and announced the commemoration
of Armistice Day as a legal holiday dedicated to the
cause of world peace. The United States never joined the
League of Nations
although, ironically, it was America's original
idea.
1919
Treaty of Versailles for kids - President Woodrow Wilson Video
The article on the Treaty of Versailles provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Woodrow Wilson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 28th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921.
1919 Treaty of Versailles
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Interesting Facts about Treaty of Versailles for kids and schools
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Key events
and Treaty of Versailles for kids
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The 1919 Treaty of Versailles, a major
event in US history
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Woodrow Wilson Presidency from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921
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Fast, fun facts about the Treaty of Versailles
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Woodrow Wilson
●
Woodrow Wilson Presidency and
1919 Treaty of Versailles for schools,
homework, kids and children |
