Signed in France's famed palace after six months of tough negotiations, it established the terms of settlement of the First World War between Germany and the Allied and Associated Powers (most notably France, Britain, Italy, and the United States). Article 231, soon dubbed "the war guilt clause," blamed the war on Germany as justification for forcing German disarmament and saddling Germany with heavy reparations payments to the Allied victors. Germans detested the treaty as too harsh, the French feared it was too weak to prevent future aggression, and the U.S. Senate rejected it, largely because it obliged the United States to join the League of Nations.

Then try StudyFetch, the AI-powered platform that can answer your questions and teach you more about it!