THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE & TREATY OF VERSAILLES


SSWH17: ​Demonstrate an understanding of long-term causes of World War I and its global impact.

World War I, The Great War, the war to end all wars, ended in November of 1918, after almost five years of death and destruction. Years of fighting on two fronts and shortages caused by the British blockade of Germany finally crushed the Central Powers ability and will to fight. Bulgaria surrendered to the Allied Powers first on September 29, 1918. They were followed by the Ottoman Empire on October 30th, Austria-Hungary on November 3rd and finally Germany on November 11th.
Shortly after the surrender of the Central Powers the victorious countries met at Palace of Versailles (the lavish estate of King Louis XIV) in France to discuss the terms for peace. Representatives of the twenty-seven victorious countries attended the conference. The defeated Central Powers were not invited, nor was Russia. Russia withdrew from the war early in 1917 because of massive losses and unrest at home. Many of the Allies saw this as a betrayal and did not feel that Russia deserved a seat at the conference.
The meeting to establish the terms of peace at the end of WWI is known as the Paris Peace Conference; the document signed by those in attendance is known as the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty contains 440 articles, below are the principal items:
• Germany has to cede Alsace-Lorraine to France.
• Germany has to cede the coal mines in the Saar-area to France.
• Germany has to cede the main part of West-Prussia and almost the whole province of Posen to the new state of Poland.
• Germany has to cede all colonies: territories in Africa, islands in the Pacific and possessions in China.
• All German properties in foreign countries are confiscated.
• Germany has to cede all war materials to the Allies.
• German compulsory military service is abolished.
• Germany is not allowed to have tanks, airplanes, submarines, large warships and poison gas.
• For 15 years, Germany cannot station troops along the border of the Rhine River.
• Germany’s army cannot exceed 100,000 men.
• Germany’s navy cannot exceed 15,000 men.
• Germany cannot participate in the League of Nations.
• Austria has to cede South-Tirol to Italy.
• Turkey (the Ottoman Empire) has to cede all foreign possessions. England gets Iraq, Palestine and Trans-Jordan. France gets Syria and Lebanon.
• Germany has to cede to the Allies all seagoing ships with a carrying capacity exceeding 1600 Brt, 1/5th of its fishing fleet, and 2/5ths of the inland navigation fleet.
• Germany has to cede large amounts of machinery and building materials, trains and trucks.
• Germany has to deliver certain amounts of coal, chemicals, dye and fuel for many years.
• All German subocean telegraph cables are confiscated.
• Germany has to pay 33 billion in reparations.


1. What’s the name of the meeting and agreement to end World War I?

2.​According to the beginning of the first paragraph, what are two other names for World War I?


3.​What factors finally crushed the Central Powers’ will to fight?




4.​Although Russia was on the “winning side” in terms of World War I, why was the country not invited to the peace conference





5.​The first four bullets mention the word “cede.” Based on the context, what does “cede” mean?



6.​List the countries that Germany ceded land to. Of those, which are new countries…meaning they did not exist prior to World War I?







7.​List 5 restrictions placed on Germany’s military.












8.​Besides Germany, what other countries had to cede land? List and explain.