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The Treaty of Versailles

History: OCR A GCSE Cold War & International Relations, topic 1.1.1

The Paris Peace Conference

27 countries met at the Palace of Versailles (France) in 1919. They were made up of the victorious allies.

The end of the war

The end of the war

  • The First World War ended, and the German Kaiser (king) abdicated.
  • The Kaiser fled to the Netherlands.
  • Many Germans felt that as he was to blame for losing the War and because he fled, that was the punishment over.
The Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles

  • 27 countries met at the Palace of Versailles (France) in 1919.
  • They were made up of the victorious Allies.
  • Germany was not present at this conference.
  • They met to decide how to deal with the losing countries.
The Conference

The Conference

  • One of their aims was to prevent another war from happening again.
  • Out of all of the countries that attended, there were 3 leaders who were the most powerful and influential.
    • These were the leaders of France, America and Great Britain.
    • They were known as the ‘Big Three’.
  • The conference lasted 12 months.

The Treaty of Versailles (TOV)

After negotiations at the Palace of Versailles, the Treaty of Versailles was drawn up by the Allies. An easy way to remember the TOV is to use the term ‘TRAWL’.

The Treaty

The Treaty

  • After negotiations at the Palace of Versailles, the Treaty of Versailles was drawn up by the Allies.
  • The Treaty aimed at weakening Germany financially, economically and socially so that another war launched by Germany would seem impossible.
Choice

Choice

  • The Germans were given no time to negotiate. They had to accept the terms as set out in the Treaty.
  • The Germans were given only the choice to sign the treaty or if not the Allies would resume the war.
TRAWL

TRAWL

  • An easy way to remember the TOV is to use the term ‘TRAWL’:
    • Territory.
    • Reparations.
    • Armaments.
    • War Guilt.
    • League of Nations.

Test yourself on The Treaty of Versailles

  • Which country was not present at the Paris Peace Conference?

  • How long did the Paris Peace Conference last?

  • Which countries were known as the ‘Big Three’?

  • Remembering the Treaty of Versailles

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