How Much Do You Know About the Treaty of Versailles?

The Treaty of Versailles is probably the most famous treaty in human history. It brought an end to the unexpected bloodbath that was World War I.

Germany and its allies took on the Allied Powers in WWI. The result was half a decade of warfare that tore Europe to shreds, killing millions of troops and civilians.

On June 28, 1914, a Serbian political extremist assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The murder started a round of political hostilities that culminated in WWI.

Leaders of the combatants gathered -- as they so often have in human history -- in Paris to conduct their peace talks. It's where they finally signed the treaty in 1919.

The treaty brought an official end to the state of war. An armistice, signed half a year earlier, was what ended live combat.

On June 28, 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the leaders of the war signed the treaty in Paris. Because if you're going to end the suffering of millions of people, the date should have a nice ring to it.

In Article 231 of the treaty, the Allies point to Germany as the nation that started the war. It is called the "War Guilt Clause," and it had some very serious repercussions.

Later, leaders used Article 231 (the "War Guilt Clause") to force Germany to provide reparations for the destruction it caused in WWI. The terms and numbers were exceedingly punitive and created more problems than they solved.

WWI was a bloody affair that matched industrial weapons against pitifully outdated battlefield tactics. The result? About 10 million dead soldiers.

Sure, the treaty ended WWI, but it was so punitive in its treatment of Germany that many people also call it one of the causes of WWII.

Four men -- the Big Four -- were responsible for wrangling many of the terms of the treaty. They were Woodrow Wilson of the United States, David Lloyd George of Britain, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, and Georges Clemenceau of France.

Not only was Germany forced to pay extreme amounts of money toward reparations, but the treaty was downright humiliating in its terms. The treaty created wounds that gave rise to fascism, courtesy of a short dude with crazy eyes and a mustache.

The burden of reparation was a big one. In today's dollars, Germany paid about $400 billion … which is why it took the country nearly 100 years to pay it off.

Because Germany was so broke, by 1931, other countries had forgiven Germany's international debt. But by then, the nation was already so destitute that Hitler's mad political schemes were already taking hold in the country's consciousness.

The treaty prohibited Germany from building an army of more than 100,000 men -- enough for defense … but not enough to invade and conquer other countries.

French leaders were convinced that if left to their own devices, the Germans would quickly rearm and attack again. They hoped that severe reparations would inhibit Germany from creating the industry and military necessary for a major war.

As part of the treaty, Germany was prohibited from maintaining an air force. And the Allies knew that air power would be necessary for any real future attacks.

France suffered mightily during the war. It was simple human nature that led the French to demand the harshest terms possible against their German foes.

The extreme reparations led to hyperinflation … which was then followed by the worldwide strife of the Great Depression. It was the perfect breeding ground for nationalism of the worst kind. The Nazi Party took note.

After just five years of strict enforcement, the Allies began to relax the treaty's terms a bit. France was leery … but agreed to a few changes in the treaty's harshest provisions.

Germany had almost zero input into the treaty. The Germans had no real power in the provisions that completely altered their society.

France wanted to punish Germany as harshly as possible. But the British and Americans were cautious, fearing that a burdensome treaty would only cause the Germans to lash out later … and they were right.

Germany was totally forced into signing the treaty. Its leaders signed the paperwork under protest … and swore that there would be problems down the road. They were right.

No one will really ever know how many non-combatants were killed … because there were just too many bodies. More civilians (13 million) than soldiers (10 million) died in WWI.

The treaty's first part created the charter for the League of Nations, which was designed to prevent another World War. Germany was blocked from joining the League until 1926.

The treaty was so harsh that it actually marginalized democratic German politicians … further providing a way for Nazism to gain momentum. Soon, radical leaders were winning more and more power in Germany.

The heavy-handed reparations sparked by the treaty were so huge that it took until 2010 -- nearly a century -- before Germany finally finished paying for them.

The Nazi Party directly promised to violate some terms of the treaty. For example, Hitler said he would rearm the nation with a real military … and then he did just that.

In 1935, Hitler publicly denounced the treaty. He leveraged its harsh provisions as a way to gain political power in Germany.

Hitler began slowly rolling back the territorial provisions of the treaty, annexing lands that had been taking from Germany after the war. Then, in 1939, he invaded Poland … and World War II began in earnest.