After World War I ended, a peace treaty was signed at Versailles. The people who represented the Allies at Versailles were Woodrow Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of Great Britain, Vittorio Orlando of Italy, and Georges Clemenceau of France. These leaders made up what was called The Big Four.

Woodrow Wilson proposed his version of a peace treaty that was known as the Fourteen Points. In the eyes of the European leaders, they felt that Wilson’s peace proposal was too idealistic and too easy on the defeated enemies. The other Allied leaders wanted a very harsh treaty. They believed Germany had the power to prevent Austria-Hungary from declaring war on Serbia, but Germany failed to take that action.

As a result, the Versailles Treaty was very harsh on Germany. Germany had to accept responsibility for the war and pay very high reparations. Germany lost some land it had gained in the past including Alsace and Lorraine. Germany was not allowed to have a military that could go on the offensive. The League of Nations was created to try to prevent future wars.

This harsh treaty helped create the resentment that ultimately led Germany on the path toward another world war just 21 years after World War I ended.