Blog discussion day on the Treaty of Versailles. The Big Four were United States, France, Italy, and Great Britian. Wilson's fourteen points did not mention Germany once. It said, "All countries should disarm, etc." France called for Germany to be split up into different zones. There were two different Germany's, east and west, until a certain date. Vittorio Orlando of Italy thought someone should get more land from someone.
Territorial Changes
Germany lost about 12% of land. France and Great Britian got all of African land. They lost their colonies over seas. The land that they lost was very valuable land. Once they lost their land, some of the people in Germany didn't to leave, so they joined the Big Four. Russia lost alot of land to Germany. Austria-Hungary kind of disappared into different countries after WW2.
The following land was taken from Germany:
-Alsace-Lorriaine(to France)
-Eupen and Malmedy(to Belgium)
-Northern Scheswig(to Denmark)
-Hultschin(to Czechoslovakia)
Military Consequences
The Germany military was reduced to 100,000, could not have a navy, could only have six battleships, and no air force. Germany was not allowed to communicate with Austria-Hungary. The army was not allowed to have tanks. The west of the Rhineland and 50 kms east of the River Rhine was made into a demilitarized zone (DMZ). No German soldier or weapon was allowed into the zone. The Allies were to keep an army of occupation on the west bank of the Rhine for 15 years. Germany was breaking every single one of these "rules" somehow.
Financial Consequences
Germany paid 33 billion dollars to Great Britian and France. Historians say its a pretty typical amount of money to be paid in that concept. In effected Germany's economy and sent it way way down after World War One. Germany was also forbidden to unite with Austria to form one superstate.
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