A summary of the Peace Settlement

Signing of the Treaty of Versailles

In January 1919, delegates from 32 countries met at the Palace of Versailles near Paris to make peace after the First World War - the peace they hoped would 'end all wars'. The conference was dominated by David Lloyd George, Georges Clemençeau and Woodrow Wilson: the leaders of Britain, France and America, often known as the 'Big Three'. No Germans were invited and this later made them come to resent the treaty because they felt that decisions were made about them, not with them.

The First World War had ended when Germany signed the Armistice. However, a long and lasting peace was another matter entirely and would not be achieved simply by the end of the fighting. There were still many problems to sort out, such as what would happen to the countries that were liberated, what would happen to Germany and who would take control of the Sudetenland and Alsace-Lorraine (which Germany had taken control of in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War).

There was a lot to be discussed and the main topics were:

• What would happen to Germany?
• What would happen to the contested territories?
• How would peace be retained in the future?