The end of World War One and the Treaty of Versailles

• World War One ended on 11 November 1918, when Germany surrendered to the allies.
• Delegates from 32 countries met in Versailles in June 1919 and signed a peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles.
• The terms of the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany for their involvement in starting World War One.

In late October 1918, sailors in Kiel refused to follow orders from the German government. Strikes spread throughout Germany as people became frustrated with food shortages. Germany and their allies realised it was no longer possible to win the war. The German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm, abdicated and fled to Holland on 9 November 1918.

A government was formed in Germany, known as the Weimar Republic and led by Friedrich Ebert. With the Kaiser gone, the government surrendered to the allies. After four years of conflict between Germany and the allies, World War One ended at 11am on 11 November 1918. This became known as Armistice Day: the day Germany signed an armistice, causing the fighting to stop.

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace agreement that marked the end of World War One. The treaty was signed on 28 June 1919.

Discussions about what the treaty should include began in January 1919. In June, delegates from 32 countries met at the Palace of Versailles near Paris to make peace after World War One - the peace they hoped would ‘end all wars’.

No Germans were invited to the conference while decisions were made, but they were expected to agree to and sign the treaty. This later made some Germans come to resent the treaty because they felt that decisions were made about them, not with them.

The Versailles conference was dominated by David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson: the leaders of the UK, France and America, often known as the ‘Big Three’.

Each of these leaders had contrasting aims.

• French President George Clemenceau wanted Germany to be severely punished. He wanted Germany to be weakened so they would not be able to pose any threat to France in the future. The two countries had a history of conflict and bordered each other.
• British Prime Minister David Lloyd George was wary of punishing Germany too severely, but he was aware the British people wanted Germany to be made to pay for the war.
• American President Woodrow Wilson was focussed on long lasting peace. He saw a strong Germany as key to helping Europe to rebuild. He arrived at the conference with 14 points, outlining his ideas which he believed would avoid future war and build a prosperous Europe.

Germany was severely punished by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The key points were:

• Germany had to accept full blame for the war. This was known as the ‘war guilt clause.’
• Germany had to pay full reparations for the damage caused by the war. This was later calculated to be £6.6 billion.
• Alsace-Lorraine, which had been taken from France by Germany in the 1871 war, was returned to the French.
• Germany was only allowed to have 100,000 soldiers, no tanks and no air force. Their navy could only have 6 battleships.
• The Rhineland, an area of Germany on the border with France, was demilitarised.
• Anschluss was banned.
• Woodrow Wilson’s idea for a League of Nations was agreed. Its aim was to avoid the mistakes that helped cause World War One, although it was largely seen as unsuccessful.

The surrender of World War One was met with opposition by some in Germany, who believed they should have carried on fighting the war. Many German people had hoped the Treaty of Versailles would be based on Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points, which were based on rebuilding and recovery. They were horrified at what they saw as unfair punishments. They called the newly formed Weimar government the ‘November Criminals’ for the surrender, and said the German army had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by the terms of the Treaty.

They were angry that their new government signed the treaty, although in reality they had little alternative. Friedrich Ebert described the terms as “unrealisable and unbearable”, but his government had to agree to the treaty. Ebert asked his armed forces if they would be able to fight off an invasion from the allies, but was told it would not be possible.

You can find out more about the challenges faced by Germany after World War One in this guide.