II.

Disarmament and Reparations

By the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to abolish compulsory military service; to reduce its army to 100,000; to demilitarize all the territory on the left bank of the Rhine River and also that on the right bank to a depth of 50 km (31 mi); to stop all importation, exportation, and nearly all production of war material; to limit its navy to 24 ships, with no submarines, the naval personnel not to exceed 15,000; and to abandon all military and naval aviation by October 1, 1919. Germany also agreed to permit the trial of former emperor William II by an international court on the charge of “a supreme offense against international morality.” (The trial never took place.)

For damage incurred by the Allied powers during the war, Germany was required to make extensive financial reparation. In addition to money, payment was made in the form of ships, trains, livestock, and valuable natural resources. Difficulty arose in collecting payment, and the situation was not finally settled until the Lausanne Conference in 1932.