Treaty clauses: • Territorial• Military

• Reparations• War guilt

There were 15 parts in the Treaty of Versailles, covering

440 separate articles.

The most important agreements related to:

• Territorial changes

• Germany’s military

• Reparations and War Guilt

• International changes

Territorial changes

Germany was required to give up land, and also control of its

overseas colonies.

In total, Germany lost 25,000 square miles of European

territory, removing 7 million people from its control. It was

also forbidden from Anschluss with Austria.

German lost land such as:

• France – given control of Alsace-Lorraine

• Poland – Germany cut in two to create ‘Polish Corridor’

• Belgium – given control of Eupen-Malmedy

• Denmark – Northern Schleswig voted to join Denmark

In the Rhineland, Germany was allowed to keep control of

the land had to de-militarise (no fortifications or soldiers).

Germany was also forced to give up its overseas colonies,

passing African land to Portugal, France, Britain, South Africa and Belgium. Shandong

in China went to Japan.

Germany’s military

Germany’s Reichswehr (armed forces) were

significantly reduced by the Treaty.

This had two aims:

• prevent Germany from launching any future attacks

• encourage other countries to reduce their militaries too

Germany’s army was to be reduced to 100,000 soldiers and conscription banned. It was not allowed any tanks.

Germany was also stopped from taking parts in the

international arms trade and there were limits placed on the amount and type of weaponry

they could hold.

Germany was forbidden from having a military air force.

The navy was also limited:

• Maximum of six battleships, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats

• No submarines were allowed

• 15,000 sailors maximum

War Guilt and Reparations

Article 231 required Germany to accept the full blame for the First World War taking place.

Germany was then required to pay reparations for the costs of war (physical damage, war

pensions, etc). A 1921 commission eventually set this

at 132 billion gold marks.

International changes

Countries signing up to the treaty agreed to set up the

League of Nations, although at first Germany was not allowed

to join.

This aimed to stop war by setting up a global organisation

to arbitrate on disputes between countries.