treaty of versailles etc

Many parts of Europe had been devastated in the first world war, especially France and Belgium where most of the fighting had taken place.Millions of soldiers from both sides were killed or injuredThe governments of Austria-Hungary and Germany had collapsed. It was these countries that were most defeated and exhausted.The victorious powers were also all exhausted; Britain and France were almost bankrupt. America wasn’t involved in the 4 years of fighting until the very end and therefore they were in the most strong financial position.Many people in Britain and France thought that Germany was to blame for starting the war and should be punished severely and pay reparations.Public opinion pressured politicians to treat Germany harshly in the Paris peace conference- treaty of Versailles.The Germans didn’t believe that they were responsible for the breakout of war. They also weren't invited to negotiate at the Paris peace conference, except to forcefully sign the terms of the treaty. The Germans called this a ‘diktat’(dictated peace).The conference took place in the palace of Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris. It was from 1919 to 1920.32 nations should have been invited but none of the defeated powers were invited.All decisions in this treaty were made by the ‘Big 3’ who were the ‘winners’ of the war. ‘The Big Three’ consisted of Georges Clemenceau…