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The Versailles Treaty

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The Versailles Treaty
The Treaty of Versailles was the PEACE settlement signed after World War I ended in 1918 and in the shadow of the Russian Revolution and other events in Russia. The treaty was signed at the vast Versailles Palace near Paris between Germany and the Allies. The three most important politicians were there David Lloyd George of Britain Georges Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of the United States. The Versailles Palace was considered the most appropriate venue because of its size many hundreds of people were involved in the process and the final signing ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors could accommodate hundreds of dignitaries. The Paris Peace Conference opened on 12th January 1919, meetings were held at various locations in and around Paris until 20th January, 1920. Leaders of 32 states representing about 75% of the world's population, attended. Negotiations were dominated by the five major powers responsible for defeating what was called the Central Power the United States, Britain, France Italy and Japan.
Eventually five treaties emerged from the conference that dealt with the defeated powers. The five treaties were named after the Paris suburbs of Versailles of Germany, St Germain of Austria, Trianon of Hungary, Neuilly of Bulgaria and Serves of Turkey.
The main terms of the Versailles Treaty were:
(1) the surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations mandates.
(2) the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.
(3) cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania, the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia.
(4) Poznania, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland.
(5) Danzig to become a free city.
(6) plebiscites to be held in northern Schleswig to settle the Danish-German frontier.
(7) occupation and special status for the Saar under French control; (8) demilitarization and a fifteen-year occupation of the

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