USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
Why did the Treaty of Versailles require Germany to reduce the size of its military following World War I?

(A) To protect the United States’ neutral position.

(B) to protect Germany from being attacked again.

(C) ** to prevent Germany from starting another war.

(D) To prevent the United States from entering another war.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -The Treaty restricted the Germans’ armed forces to only 100, 000 men in the army, no submarines or aeroplanes, and only six battleships. In addition, conscription was banned (soldiers had to be volunteers). The idea was to reduce Germany’s armed forces to a size where they could never endanger the countries round about.

Concept note-2: -The Treaty of Versailles is one of the most controversial armistice treaties in history. The treaty’s so-called “war guilt” clause forced Germany and other Central Powers to take all the blame for World War I. This meant a loss of territories, reduction in military forces, and reparation payments to Allied powers.

Concept note-3: -Parts II and III of the Treaty of Versailles dealt with Germany’s territorial losses as a result of the First World War. In mainland Europe, Germany’s borders shrank, reducing the country’s size by approximately 65, 000 square kilometers, and roughly 7 million people (13 and 12 percent of their respective totals).

Concept note-4: -The treaty forced Germany to disarm, to make territorial concessions, and to pay reparations to the Allied powers in the staggering amount of $5 billion.