The context
The Armistice was established for 36 days. Not all of the plenipotentiaries who had to participate in the peace signing arrived, so the Armistice signed at Compiègne had to be extended. Three subsequent meetings were held in Trier (Germany) on 13 December 1918, 16 January 1919 and 16 February 1919. They were all held within the Marshal’s carriage and with the same representatives as on 11 November in the Compiègne Forest.
The signing
To finalize the 1918 Armistice, the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919. Meant to last 20 years, this treaty established the reparations due by Germany to the Allies, as well as new borders within Europe. Among the 231 articles of this treaty:
– Germany was considered entirely responsible for the war.
– It lost one-seventh of its total territory.
– It relinquished its African colonies.
– It lost the right to maintain armed forces.
– It had to make colossal reimbursements to the Allies.