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Paris Peace Settlement and Versailles | ISC Class 11

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The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles (ISC Class 11 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Paris Peace Conference (from January 1919), led by Wilson, Lloyd George and Clemenceau, produced five treaties: Versailles (28 June 1919), St Germain, Neuilly, Trianon and Sevres. Versailles imposed war guilt, reparations (6,600 million pounds), disarmament and territorial losses on Germany; critics called it a Diktat and defenders called it milder than Brest-Litovsk.

Notice that Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, placed four heavy burdens on Germany: blame, payment, a tiny army and lost territory.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles

Conference. From January 1919, dominated by the Big Three: Woodrow Wilson (USA), David Lloyd George (Britain) and Georges Clemenceau (France), with Italy's Orlando; defeated powers could not negotiate. Wilson's Fourteen Points (January 1918) promised self-determination and a League of Nations.

Five treaties. Versailles (28 June 1919) Germany; St Germain (1919) Austria; Neuilly (1919) Bulgaria; Trianon (1920) Hungary; Sevres (1920) Turkey.

Map of Europe. Austria-Hungary broken up: separate small Austria and Hungary, Czechoslovakia created, Yugoslavia formed, Italy gained South Tyrol, Trentino and Trieste, Romania gained Transylvania. Poland re-created with a corridor to the Baltic; Danzig a Free City. Germany lost Alsace-Lorraine to France, Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium, North Schleswig to Denmark after a plebiscite, West Prussia and Posen to Poland; the Saar under the League for fifteen years. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania independent. Bulgaria lost its Aegean coast to Greece. Anschluss forbidden. Overseas colonies and Arab lands became mandates.

Versailles terms. War guilt (Article 231); reparations fixed in 1921 at 6,600 million pounds; losses of territory and colonies; army limited to 100,000, no conscription, tanks, military aircraft or submarines, small navy; Rhineland demilitarised and occupied for fifteen years; Saar coal to France for fifteen years; League Covenant included but Germany not at first admitted.

Criticisms. A Diktat; war guilt and reparations humiliating and damaging (Keynes, 1919); selective self-determination; one-sided disarmament; grievances Hitler exploited; the USA did not ratify.

Defence. Milder than Brest-Litovsk (1918); Germany stayed united and industrially intact; the peacemakers balanced French security, British interests and Wilson's ideals under public pressure; later problems came from failure to enforce or revise it. Historians differ; both sets of views should be attributed.

The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles: key facts

Treaties
  • Versailles 1919
  • St Germain 1919
  • Neuilly 1919
  • Trianon 1920
  • Sevres 1920
Versailles key figures
  • Reparations 6,600 million pounds (1921)
  • Army 100,000
  • Rhineland occupied 15 years
  • Saar 15 years
New states
  • Poland
  • Czechoslovakia
  • Yugoslavia
  • Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Big Three
WilsonUSA
Lloyd GeorgeBritain
ClemenceauFrance

How to answer The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles questions

Expect 4-mark terms or map changes and an 8-mark evaluation of Versailles.

  1. 1Name the conference and the leaders.
  2. 2List terms by category: guilt, reparations, territory, army.
  3. 3Give criticisms and defences with attribution.
  4. 4Conclude with a balanced judgement.

The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Annual payments

Suppose reparations of 6,600 million pounds were spread equally over 33 years.

Find the yearly payment.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 6,600 / 33 = 200.
  2. So 200 million pounds a year.

Answer: 200 million pounds a year.

Memory hook: Total divided by years.

A one-sided limit

Suppose a treaty limits one country's army to 100,000 men while others keep large armies.

Which Versailles criticism does this support?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Disarmament was one-sided.
  2. Germans resented being singled out.

Answer: One-sided disarmament.

Memory hook: One country shrinks, others do not.

Tricks to remember The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • VS NT S

    Versailles, St Germain, Neuilly, Trianon, Sevres.

    Use it when: Five treaties.

  • GRAD

    Guilt, Reparations, Army, Disarm and territory loss.

    Use it when: Versailles terms.

The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Treaty with Hungary · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The treaty signed with Hungary in 1920 was:
(a) St Germain
(b) Neuilly
(c) Trianon
(d) Sevres

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. 1920.

Answer: (c) Trianon.

Example 2: Big Three · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference and their countries, and the Fourteen Points' two promises.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Wilson (USA), Lloyd George (Britain), Clemenceau (France).
  2. Self-determination.
  3. A League of Nations.

Answer: Wilson, Lloyd George, Clemenceau; self-determination and a League.

Example 3: Terms of Versailles · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

State the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles on war guilt, reparations, territory and disarmament.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. War guilt: Germany accepted responsibility (Article 231).
  2. Reparations of 6,600 million pounds fixed in 1921.
  3. Territory: Alsace-Lorraine, the Polish Corridor and colonies lost.
  4. Disarmament: army of 100,000, no tanks or military aircraft, Rhineland demilitarised.

Answer: Guilt, 6,600 million pounds, territorial losses and a 100,000-man army.

Example 4: Map changes · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the changes in the map of Europe that followed the Paris treaties.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Austria-Hungary broke up into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
  2. Poland was re-created with a corridor to the Baltic.
  3. Germany lost Alsace-Lorraine and border areas; the Saar went under the League.
  4. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became independent.

Answer: New and shifted states from the breakup of empires; Germany reduced.

Example 5: Evaluate · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case: Two students argue about Versailles: one calls it a "dictated peace", the other says it was milder than Brest-Litovsk. (a) Give two criticisms. (b) Give two points of defence. (c) Attribute one historian's view.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Germany was not allowed to negotiate; war guilt and reparations humiliated and damaged the economy.
  2. (b) Germany remained united with its industry intact; the treaty was milder than Brest-Litovsk imposed on Russia.
  3. (c) J. M. Keynes argued in 1919 that reparations were economically damaging.

Answer: (a) Diktat and reparations (b) milder than Brest-Litovsk; Germany intact (c) Keynes on reparations.

Where students lose marks in The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Listing treaties without countries

    Defeated states not matched.

    Do this: Pair each treaty with its country.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: One-sided evaluation

    Only criticisms are given.

    Do this: Add defences and attribute views.

    Usually costs: 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Confusing Sevres with Versailles

    Names look alike.

    Do this: Sevres 1920 with Turkey; Versailles 1919 with Germany.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Match each treaty to its country.
  • Use exact figures for terms.
  • Present both sides of the evaluation.
  • Attribute opinions to historians.

Practice questions on The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Danzig under the Versailles settlement became a:
    (a) German port
    (b) Free City under the League
    (c) Polish province
    (d) French colony

    Hint

    Baltic.

    Answer

    (b) Free City under the League.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain why the Treaty of Versailles was called a Diktat.

    Hint

    No negotiation.

    Answer

    Germany was not allowed to negotiate and had to accept terms imposed by the victors, including war guilt and reparations.

  3. Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Spread reparations of 6,600 million pounds over 22 years. Find the annual amount and check it by multiplying back.

    Hint

    Divide then multiply.

    Answer

    6,600 / 22 = 300 million pounds a year; check 300 x 22 = 6,600.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    Explain the importance of Wilson's Fourteen Points and why the settlement fell short of them.

    Hint

    Self-determination.

    Answer

    They promised self-determination and a League of Nations, but the settlement applied self-determination selectively, placing Germans in Poland and Czechoslovakia and banning Anschluss, and the USA did not ratify the treaty.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Assertion-reasonHOTS / competency

    Assertion (A): The Treaty of Versailles left grievances that Hitler later exploited.
    Reason (R): Germany was disarmed, charged reparations and made to accept war guilt.
    (a) Both true and R explains A
    (b) Both true but R does not explain A
    (c) A true, R false
    (d) A false, R true

    Hint

    Resentment.

    Answer

    (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Treaty with Bulgaria?Show answer

    Neuilly.

  2. 2.Reparations figure?Show answer

    6,600 million pounds.

  3. 3.Army limit?Show answer

    100,000.

  4. 4.Saar placed under?Show answer

    The League for fifteen years.

  5. 5.Date of Versailles?Show answer

    28 June 1919.

The Paris Peace Settlement and the Treaty of Versailles: frequently asked questions

Why was Germany not at the table?

The defeated powers were not allowed to negotiate.

What is Article 231?

The war guilt clause.

What are mandates?

Territories taken from Germany and the Ottoman Empire and governed by Allied powers (such as Britain, France, Japan, Belgium and the Dominions) on behalf of the League of Nations.