Final answer:
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I, with the war guilt clause placing full blame for the conflict on Germany, leading to reparations, territorial losses, and long-term resentment that contributed to World War II.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Treaty of Versailles and the War Guilt Clause
The Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919, officially brought World War I to an end. A pivotal and highly controversial element of the Treaty was the war guilt clause, which solely placed the blame for the outbreak and the devastation of the war on Germany. This clause had significant consequences, forcing Germany to accept full responsibility for the conflict and leading to reparations and territorial losses. In the process, the Treaty of Versailles redrew the map of Europe, giving Alsace and Lorraine back to France and establishing new nations from the territory of the collapsed Austro-Hungarian Empire. While the Allied powers, primarily France and Britain, pushed for these harsh measures against Germany, the sanctions planted seeds of resentment and discontent that would later contribute to the rise of the Second World War.