Austria-Hungary's Treaty Losses: What Land Was Lost?

The Treaty of Versailles was the primary treaty produced by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. It was signed on 28 June 1919, in the Palace of Versailles, France, and went into effect on 10 January 1920. The treaty gave some German territories to neighbouring countries and placed other German territories under international supervision.

Austria-Hungary was dissolved as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the separation of different parts of the empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had also been weakened over time by a widening gap between Hungarian and Austrian interests. The remaining territories inhabited by divided peoples fell into the composition of existing or newly formed states. The dissolution was formalised in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye with Austria in September 1919 and the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary in June 1920.

The Treaty of Versailles stripped Germany of 65,000 km2 of territory and 7 million people. It also required Germany to give up the gains made via the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and grant independence to the protectorates that had been established. The treaty contained the Covenant of the League of Nations and, as a result, was not ratified by the United States. The US made a separate peace treaty with Germany, albeit based on the Versailles Treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919, five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, was the primary treaty produced by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. It was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which had led to the war. The treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles by the Allied and associated powers and by Germany in the Hall of Mirrors.

The treaty imposed a number of strict conditions on Germany, including:

• Demilitarisation and disarmament
• The extradition of alleged war criminals
• The acceptance of responsibility for the losses and damages caused by the war
• The payment of reparations to the Allied powers
• The recognition of the independence of states whose territory had previously been part of the German Empire
• Territorial concessions, including the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France and the cession of parts of Upper Silesia to Czechoslovakia

The Treaty of Versailles also created the League of Nations, an organisation for the arbitration of international disputes.

The treaty was highly controversial and had far-reaching consequences. Critics, including John Maynard Keynes, argued that it was too harsh on Germany and would lead to resentment and a desire for revenge. This resentment ultimately contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party and the outbreak of World War II.

The Treaty of Versailles was also significant for Austria-Hungary, which dissolved as a result of the war. The empire was divided into several new or existing states, including the Republic of Austria, the Kingdom of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on 10 September 1919, and the Treaty of Trianon, signed on 4 June 1920, formalised the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and established the new borders of Austria and Hungary, respectively.

The treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles, in the Hall of Mirrors

The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, formally ended the First World War. The treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles, in the Hall of Mirrors—a grand Baroque-style gallery intended to illustrate the power of the absolutist monarch Louis XIV. The Hall of Mirrors is one of the most emblematic rooms in the Palace of Versailles, located near Paris, France.

The Hall of Mirrors was built between 1678 and 1684, replacing a large terrace and several smaller salons facing the gardens. The hall is flanked by the Salon of War in the north and the Salon of Peace in the south. Both salons are accessible via wide passageways from the Hall of Mirrors and were assigned to the king's apartments in the north and the queen's apartments in the south. The hall and the two salons were identically decorated and furnished, forming a stylistic and functional unit.

The Hall of Mirrors is one of the largest rooms in the palace, measuring 73 metres in length, 10.5 metres in depth, and 12.3 metres in height. It features 17 windows that open towards the park and an equal number of mirrors on the opposite inside wall. The mirrors served an aesthetic function, reflecting the garden view and candlelight in the evenings, as well as subtly conveying the king's wealth and the efficiency of the French economy, as mirror glass was an expensive luxury product in the 17th century.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors, bringing an end to the First World War and marking a significant moment in history. The hall has been the setting for several other notable events, including the Proclamation of the German Empire and the establishment of the Second German Empire in 1871.

The treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers

The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, was the most important treaty of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers, five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which had led to the war.

The treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles, by the Allied and Associated Powers, and by Germany. It was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which had sparked the war. The Central Powers on the German side signed separate treaties.

The Treaty of Versailles required Germany to disarm, make territorial concessions, extradite alleged war criminals, and recognise the independence of states whose territory had previously been part of the German Empire. Germany was also required to pay reparations to the Entente Powers.

The treaty was not ratified by the United States, which instead made a separate peace treaty with Germany. The United States had entered the war in April 1917 as an Associated Power.

The Treaty of Versailles was drafted in the spring of 1919 during the Paris Peace Conference, which was dominated by the national leaders known as the "Big Four": David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom, Georges Clemenceau of France, Woodrow Wilson of the United States, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy.

The treaty subjected Germany to strict punitive measures. It required the new German government to surrender approximately 10% of its pre-war territory in Europe and all of its overseas possessions. It placed the harbour city of Danzig (now Gdansk) and the coal-rich Saarland under the administration of the League of Nations, and allowed France to exploit the economic resources of the Saarland until 1935. The treaty also limited the German army and navy in size, and allowed for the trial of Kaiser Wilhelm II and other high-ranking German officials as war criminals.

Under the terms of the treaty, Germany accepted responsibility for causing all the damage of the war and agreed to pay financial reparations to the Allies. The amount was determined by the Inter-Allied Commission in 1921 as 132 billion gold Reichmarks, or 32 billion US dollars, on top of the initial $5 billion payment demanded by the treaty.

The Treaty of Versailles did not satisfy all parties, and the US Senate strongly opposed it. The US government signed a separate peace treaty with Germany, the Treaty of Berlin, on 25 August 1921.

The treaty contained the Covenant of the League of Nations

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors on 28 June 1919, contained the Covenant of the League of Nations. The Covenant was the charter of the League of Nations, and was integrated into the Treaty of Versailles and all other peace settlements signed in Paris after World War I. The Covenant was made up of a preamble and 26 articles, and defined the main function of the League as promoting "international co-operation" and achieving "international peace and security".

The original members of the League of Nations were the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, and other states named in the Annex to the Covenant. Any fully self-governing state, dominion, or colony not named in the Annex could become a member of the League if its admission was agreed to by two-thirds of the Assembly. The Assembly consisted of representatives of the members of the League and could deal with any matter within the sphere of action of the League or affecting the world's peace. The Council, meanwhile, consisted of representatives of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, along with representatives of four other members of the League, selected by the Assembly.

The Covenant stated that the League's action would be effected through the instrumentality of the Assembly and the Council, with a permanent Secretariat. The expenses of the League were to be borne by its members in the proportion decided by the Assembly, and the seat of the League was established at Geneva. The Council could, however, decide to establish the seat elsewhere.

The Covenant also outlined the process for a member of the League to withdraw, stating that any member could, after two years' notice of its intention to do so, withdraw from the League, provided that all its international obligations and those under the Covenant were fulfilled.

The Covenant further stated that all positions under or in connection with the League, including the Secretariat, were to be open equally to men and women. Representatives of the members of the League and officials of the League were to enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities when engaged on the business of the League. The buildings and other property occupied by the League or its officials, or by representatives attending its meetings, were to be inviolable.

The Covenant also included statements on the reduction of national armaments, the manufacture of munitions and implements of war, and the interchange of information on armaments, military, naval and air programmes, and the condition of industries adaptable to warlike purposes.

The Covenant outlined the process for dealing with disputes between members of the League, and between a member of the League and a non-member. It also outlined the process for dealing with disputes between non-members of the League.

The Covenant also included statements on the treatment of colonies and territories that had ceased to be under the sovereignty of the states that formerly governed them, and were inhabited by peoples not yet able to stand alone under the strenuous conditions of the modern world. It stated that the well-being and development of such peoples formed "a sacred trust of civilisation", and that securities for the performance of this trust should be embodied in the Covenant. The tutelage of such peoples was to be entrusted to advanced nations that could best undertake this responsibility, and that this tutelage should be exercised as Mandatories on behalf of the League.

The Covenant also included statements on labour conditions, the treatment of native inhabitants of territories under League members' control, the supervision of the traffic in women and children, and the trade in arms and ammunition. It also included statements on freedom of communications and transit, and equitable treatment for the commerce of all members of the League.

The Covenant was amended in 1924, with Articles 4, 6, 12, 13, and 15 being amended.

The treaty was not ratified by the United States

The Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended World War I, was rejected by the US Senate for ratification. The treaty was drafted by President Woodrow Wilson, who sought to create a new world order with a league of nations to ensure peace. However, the treaty faced opposition from Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, who believed it threatened American sovereignty. Lodge became the Senate Majority Leader and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the 1918 midterm elections, and he added numerous "reservations" and amendments to the treaty. Wilson refused to negotiate, and his stubbornness, combined with a physical collapse during a cross-country tour, further diminished his political judgment.

Lodge's committee sent a treaty with 14 reservations to the Senate floor, but Wilson's continued refusal to compromise led to the Senate's rejection of the treaty on November 19, 1919. This was the first time in its history that the Senate had rejected a peace treaty. Wilson's idealism clashed with Lodge's realism, and their rivalry intensified during World War I. Wilson sought a "peace without victory," while Lodge demanded Germany's unconditional surrender.

Wilson made several missteps, including not inviting Republicans or senators to the Versailles Peace Conference and not consulting Lodge before departing for Paris. He needed Lodge's support for Senate approval of the treaty and its provision for a League of Nations, but he chose to ignore him. Wilson's refusal to negotiate and his stubborn commitment to his idealistic vision ultimately led to the treaty's rejection by the United States.

The Treaty of Versailles was not the only treaty related to World War I that the United States did not ratify. The Treaty of Trianon, which dictated the new borders of Hungary and formally ended the state of war between Hungary and the Allies, was also not ratified by the United States. Instead, the US negotiated a separate peace treaty that did not contradict the terms of the Trianon Treaty.

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