World War I - End of the War

End of War

After a failed spring offensive the German fell back to the Hindenburg Line. The Hindenburg Line was a string of crucial defense fortifications. This line was held until October 5th 1918 when the Allies took full control of these fortifications. At that time the Third Supreme Command, realizing Germany was beaten , gave control to Max von Baden and the Reichstag. On the 11th of November 1918 Armistice was signed. Three months later The Paris Peace Conference occurred. Although over 28 countries attended (representing over 75% of the world population) the Conference was dominated by the five countries most responsible for the Central Powers defeat. Eventually five treaties were agreed upon. Each one was named after five Paris suburbs Versailles (Germany), St Germain (Austria), Trianon (Hungary), Neuilly (Bulgaria) and Serves (Turkey). The treaties forced harsh punishment on all of the Central Power countries. The Versailles treaty was not ratified by the US Congress.

The Main Terms of The Treaty of Versailles were:

(1) the surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations mandates;

(2) the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France;

(3) cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, Memel to Lithuania, the Hultschin district to Czechoslovakia,

(4) Poznania, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland;

(5) Danzig to become a free city;

(6) plebiscites to be held in northern Schleswig to settle the Danish-German frontier;

(7) occupation and special status for the Saar under French control;

(8) demilitarization and a fifteen-year occupation of the Rhineland;

(9) German reparations of £6,600 million;

(10) a ban on the union of Germany and Austria;

(11a) an acceptance of Germany's guilt in causing the war;

(11b) provision for the trial of the former Kaiser and other war leaders;

(12) limitation of Germany's army to 100,000 men with no conscription, no tanks, no heavy artillery, no poison-gas supplies, no aircraft and no airships;

(13) the limitation of the German Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons, with no submarines;