USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

TREATY OF VERSAILLES

[SOURCES]
Who had to take the blame for the War?

(A) ** Germany

(B) Britian

(C) France

(D) USA

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -One of the most controversial terms of the treaty was the War Guilt clause, which explicitly and directly blamed Germany for the outbreak of hostilities. 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.

Concept note-2: -Fritz Fischer, the German historian who rankled his peers and Germans in general with the thesis that Imperial Germany was squarely responsible for World War I and its consequences, died on Dec.

Concept note-3: -The Treaty of Versailles, signed following World War I, contained Article 231, commonly known as the “war guilt clause, ” which placed all the blame for starting the war on Germany and its allies.

Concept note-4: -Germany has been blamed because she invaded Belgium in August 1914 when Britain had promised to protect Belgium. However, the street celebrations that accompanied the British and French declaration of war gives historians the impression that the move was popular and politicians tend to go with the popular mood.

Concept note-5: -The peace agreement forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the Great War, and levied a massive system of reparation payments to help restore areas in Belgium and France devastated during the fighting.