THE TERMS/PROVISIONS OF THE VERSAILLES TREATY

The terms of the treaty of Versailles was written in a document that consisted of 15 parts with 440 articles and other annexes. The most significant terms of the treaty were;
1) The war guilt clause (article 231), entirely blamed Germany for the outbreak of the World war one. By this provision, Germany was forced to accept her own responsibility and those of her allies for all the losses and damages incurred by the allied and associated governments plus their nationals in the war.
2) The reparation clause (article 232), subjected Germany to the heaviest war indemnity in the history of the world. A reparation commission was established to fix the final sum that Germany was to pay to compensate the allied and associated powers for the direct and indirect losses incurred in the war. Indirect losses included pensions for war widows and orphans. After a lot of arguments and negotiations with Germany, the commission on 27^'' April 1921 dictated 6,600 million pounds or 34533,000 million dollars as the final reparations and drafted a schedule of repayments. Payments was also to be paid in cash and in tangible commodities like coal, chemicals, dyes, cattle, ships, timber etc. It was also provided that Germany looses the Coal mine of the Saar valley to France to compensate the destroyed Coal mines in the North of France.
3) The disarmament clause reduced the German army to 100,000 men and the navy to 15,000 men armed with only 6battles ships, 6Light cruisers, 12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats. She was to destroy her tanks, sub marines and heavy artilleries. Germany was not to have any military, naval or air forces. Imports and exports of war materials were banned in Germany. Naval training and conscription were also prohibited. The allies were duty bound to appoint commissioners to ensure that Germany faithfully implements the disarmament clause. Article 160 of the Versailles treaty stated that; by a date not later than 31st march 1920, the German army must not consist of more than 7(seven) divisions of infantry and 3(three) of Cavalry i.e. not more than 100,000 men.
4) The Rhineland was demilitarized and no military force was to be maintained in that area. The
Hitherto (until then) existing fortifications and harbours in the Rhine lands, Helgoland island and
Dune was to be demolished. Germany was warned against having military bases on the
Southwest, East and Rhineland since such would jeopardize the security of her neighbours, e.g. Poland, France and Czechoslovakia.
5) The territorial clause made a lot of adjustments on the territorial alignments (boundaries) of Europe in favour of other powers against Germany. Alsace and Lorraine were given back to France, Eupen, Moresnet and Malmedy to Belgium, Schleswig to Denmark, Saar Coalfield to France until the 1935 referendum overturned the decision, Mammel to Lithuania, West Prussia and Posen (to Poland to provide her access to the sea via a corridor of land that passed through Germany), Danzig; a predominantly German town and the main port of West Prussia was made a free city under the administration of the League of Nations, Germany agreed to cancel the treaties of Brest- Litovsk and Bucharest and surrender control over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that were given independence.
6) The decolonization clause dispossessed Germany of all her overseas colonies. Her colonies were taken over by the League of Nations. Article 119 of the Versailles treaty stated that; Germany renounces in favour of the principle allied and associated powers all her rights and titles over her overseas possessions. Consequently, Tanganyika and Cameroon were given to Britain, German South West Africa (Namibia) to the Republic of South Africa, Togo to France, Rwanda to Belgium etc. Germany was also forced to recognize the complete independence and full sovereignty of Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Austria. The victorious powers reserved the right to retain and liquidate all property, rights and interests of German nationals or companies abroad and the German government was required to pay compensation to them, ft was through this arrangement that Germany forfeited her property and investments in Bulgaria, Turkey, Morocco, Liberia, Egypt etc.
7) Germany was ordered to return the flags, works of art and trophies that were looted from France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. She was also to compensate the University of Louvan for her documents and manuscripts that were vandalized/destroyed in 1871. Sultan Mkwawa's skull was also to be given to England.
8) International waters such as the Elba, Danube, River Niemen, Baltic Sea, Med. Sea etc were declared neutral and free to all ships of all nations. The Kiel camal was also opened to all nations.
Goods from allied nations were to be given favourable treatment on the German railway lines.
9) Kaiser William U, the German emperor was to be tried by a tribunal and was to be punished
accordingly which most likely was to be death sentence. However, this was impossible because the Netherlands government refused to hand him over to the allies for the trial.
10) To ensure that the above clauses were implemented, the German territory west of the Rhine,
together with the bridge heads were to be occupied by the allied troops for a period of I5years.
This occupation was to be prolonged incase of any defiance / misbehaviour from Germany. It should be noted that Germany's behaviour was good and all the troops were eventually withdrawn by 1930.