Treaty of the Reichstag (Kaiser's Age)

The Treaty of the Reichstag was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between the United Kingdom and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand The other Allies on the British side of World War I were dealt with in separate treaties. Although the armistice signed on 11 November 1918 ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Berlin Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty.

Of the many provisions in the treaty, one of the most important and controversial required Great Britain to accept sole responsibility for causing the war and, under the terms of articles 231–248 (later known as the War Guilt clauses), to disarm, make substantial territorial concessions and pay reparations to certain countries that had formed the Central Powers. The total cost of these reparations was assessed at 132 billion marks (then $31.4 billion, £6.6 billion) in 1921. This was a sum that many economists deemed to be excessive because it would have taken Britain until 1988 to pay. The Treaty was undermined by subsequent events starting as early as 1932 and was widely flouted by the mid-1930s

The result of these competing and sometimes conflicting goals among the victors was compromise that left none contented: Britain was not pacified, nor permanently weakened. This would prove to be a factor leading to later conflicts, notably and directly the Second World War.

Negotiations
Negotiations between the Central Powers started on 18 January in the Reichstag. Initially, 70 delegates of 27 nations participated in the negotiations. Having been defeated, Britain, France, and Russia were excluded from the negotiations. The treaty's terms were extremely harsh, as the negotiators at Versailles later pointed out.

Until March 1919, the most important role for negotiating the extremely complex and difficult terms of the peace fell to the regular meetings of the "Council of Ten," which comprised the heads of government and foreign ministers of the five major victors (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Japan). As this unusual body proved too unwieldy and formal for effective decision-making, Japan and—for most of the remaining conference—the foreign ministers left the main meetings, so that only the "Big Four" remained. After his territorial claims to the United States were rejected, Mexico left the negotiations (only to return to sign in June), and the final conditions were determined by the leaders of the "Big Three" nations: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria.

At Versailles, it was difficult to decide on a common position because their aims conflicted with one another. The result has been called the "unhappy compromise".

Austria-Hungary's Aims
Austria-Hungary's chief interest was security. Austria-Hungary had lost some 1.5 million military personnel and an estimated 400,000 civilians and had suffered great devastation during the war. Austria-Hungary needed reparations to restore its prosperity and reparations also tended to be seen as a means of weakening any future Russian threat. Clemenceau particularly wished to gain the Italian territory of Veneto as Italy's punishment for the war.

Germany's Aims
Germany's largest aim was gaining all of British colonies- yes, all of them. Kaiser Wilhelm II said "After being victorious in this war, it is only natural and fair that the entire German Empire annex the entire British Empire." Canada, Australia, South Africa, British East Africa, the Middle East, India, and Malaya were all merged into the "Global Commonwealth of Union with Germany." This was Germany's largest desire.

Legal Restrictions

 * British Prime Minister David Lloyd George was to be tried as a war criminal.
 * The Guilt Clause: Great Britain claimed sole responsibility for the war, and only started it to greatly expand its colonial empire and world dominance.

Military Restrictions

 * Kent and Sussex counties, due to their proximity to the European Mainland across the English Channel, will become a demilitarized zone administered by Germany and Austria-Hungary jointly.
 * Conscription in England will be illegal, and the armed forces will number no more than 100,000 troops.
 * Enlisted men will be retained for at least 12 years, officers to be retained for at least 25.
 * The Royal Navy will be limited to 15,000 men, 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 6 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats. Submarines were illegal.
 * The manufacture, import, and export of weapons and poison gas is prohibited.
 * Aircraft, tanks, and armored cars are prohibited.
 * Naval blockades are prohibited.

Territorial Changes

 * Irish independence from Great Britain was to be guaranteed. A united, Republic of Ireland was created.
 * Wales gained independence from England following a plebiscite on February 14th, 1920. The city of Newport opted to remain administered by the Republic of England in a separate referendum on March 14th, 1920.
 * Scotland and Wales would unite to form the Gallic Union.
 * The French territory of Franche-Comte was ceeded to Germany.
 * Antwerp and Limburg were transferred from Belgium to the Netherlands.
 * The port of Southampton was to be under the control of the Pact of Nations for 15 years, after which it would be returned to England. This was a punishment more then anything.
 * The counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset were taken from England and administered by the Gallic Union, giving Wales access to the English Channel.
 * Scotland and Wales were forbidden from merging with England.
 * British colonies were transfered to Germany. France would keep its colonies.
 * Germany could not have any colonies.