The Treaty of Versailles: What Actually Happened
Picture this: it's 1919, and the victorious Allied powers are meeting at the fancy Palace of Versailles to decide Germany's fate. The Treaty of Versailles became the document that would reshape Europe and punish Germany for starting the Great War.
The treaty's terms can be remembered using TAAW: Territory, Armaments, reparations (A), and War guilt. Germany lost 10% of its land, including the Polish corridor and the industrial Saar region. The Alsace-Lorraine region was returned to France, whilst Germany's overseas empire was handed to the League of Nations.
Germany's military was slashed dramatically - only 100,000 soldiers, 6 battleships, no submarines, and no air force whatsoever. The Rhineland was completely demilitarised, creating a buffer zone.
Key Point: Article 231 forced Germany to accept full blame for WWI and pay massive reparations of $6.6 billion - money they'd be paying until 2010!
