USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

TREATY OF VERSAILLES

[SOURCES]
How much money did the Germans have to pay at the end of the war?

(A) £100million

(B) £600million

(C) £1, 000million

(D) ** £6, 6000million

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -After World War II, according to the Potsdam conference held between July 17 and August 2, 1945, Germany was to pay the Allies US$23 billion mainly in machinery and manufacturing plants. Dismantling in the west stopped in 1950. Reparations to the Soviet Union stopped in 1953.

Concept note-2: -But most embarrassing of all was the punitive peace treaty Germany had been forced to sign. The Treaty of Versailles didn’t just blame Germany for the war-it demanded financial restitution for the whole thing, to the tune of 132 billion gold marks, or more than $500 billion today.

Concept note-3: -The Treaty of Versailles (signed in 1919) and the 1921 London Schedule of Payments required Germany to pay 132 billion gold marks (US$33 billion [all values are contemporary, unless otherwise stated]) in reparations to cover civilian damage caused during the war.