On 28 June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Palace of Versailles, in the Hall of Mirrors. This briefing has been prepared in advance of the centenary. It provides an overview of the peace negotiations and a summary of the terms of the treaty.
Treaty of Versailles: 100th Anniversary (146 KB , PDF)
This year marks 100 years since the Treaty of Versailles was signed. The treaty contained the terms of peace agreed between the Allied powers and Germany following cessation of hostilities in the First World War. The armistice signed by the Allies and Germany in November 1918 had ended the fighting but negotiations on long-term peace still had to take place. The Paris Peace Conference, which began in January 1919, was established to draft and finalise the terms of peace. Germany was not invited to take part in the conference, which was dominated by Britain, France, the US and Italy—the Council of Four. Germany was presented with the draft in May 1919, and the final text in June. German objections and counter-proposals were rejected by the Allies and on 22 June 1919, Germany was given 24 hours to accept the treaty. The following day the German government agreed to the terms. The treaty assigned responsibility for the war and legal liability for the damage caused to Germany and its allies. It established the League of Nations, an international organisation for resolving international disputes, and returned some German territories to Belgium and France. The sovereignty of several territories and colonies was transferred to the League of Nations.
Treaty of Versailles: 100th Anniversary (146 KB , PDF)
While international attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan continues. The UN has characterised the conflict as the “world’s largest hunger crisis”. As peace negotiations stall, concerns are rising not only for the people of Sudan but also about the conflict spreading to neighbouring states.
The Holocaust Memorial Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 4 September 2024. This bill seeks to make provision for expenditure on the construction and operation of a Holocaust memorial and learning centre. It would also remove restrictions on building these in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to Parliament. It is a government bill, introduced under the previous Conservative government and continued by the newly elected Labour government. The bill is a hybrid bill, meaning it applies generally but also has a particular effect on specific groups, people or places. This entails additional stages for the bill. The bill is made up of two substantive clauses. It would extend to England and Wales, and apply to England. It would come into force two months after receiving royal assent.
This briefing provides a summary of a recent report by the international children’s rights charity Save the Children entitled ‘Stop the war on children: Let them live in peace’, as well as UK government policy in this area. It has been prepared ahead of Baroness Anelay of St Johns’ (Conservative) upcoming debate on 12 September 2024 on the government’s assessment of the impact of international conflict on children and the recommendations proposed in Save the Children’s report.
