Exam 24: The First World War

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According to the Treaty of Versailles,Germany had to surrender the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to France.It also was forced to give up its territories in the north to Denmark and most of Prussia up to the new state of Poland.Germany lost its coal mines in the Saar area to France for fifteen years and then could only buy them back.This penalty was especially crippling to German industrialism,the economy,and even to German householders,who used coal to heat their homes.Germany lost the port of Danzig and was completely disarmed.Most important to the French was the provision of "war guilt" in which Germany was held responsible for all losses of the war and forced to pay a crippling reparation of $33 billion.Economists warned that such harsh reparations would doom the European economy,but the propaganda disseminated during the war by both the French and the English made settlement with Germany difficult.To keep up morale and to uphold their involvement in the war,leaders had promised the destruction of Germany.To settle for anything less in peace talks could spell rebellion at home.The success of the Russian rebellion made such a risk a reality,and the European powers were determined to claim their promised crushing victories,though at the expense of the economy and German oppression and enmity.