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)
The Financial Assistance to Ukraine Bill is a two-clause government bill that would authorise the government to provide loans and other financial assistance to Ukraine resulting from the extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) loans agreement made at the meeting of the G7 and the EU in June 2024. It has been designated as a money bill and it completed its House of Commons stages on 18 December 2024 with broad cross-party support.
A rules-based international order is typically used to refer to the system of political, legal, and economic rules which have arguably governed international relations since the second world war. It has been a long-established concept in UK foreign affairs doctrine. However, in recent years, many commentators suggest that a growing strain has been placed upon this system and that a new commitment to global stability and security is required.
The UK has been involved in UN peacekeeping since 1948. Its contribution includes determining UN security council mandates, providing financial support and deploying personnel to peacekeeping operations. This briefing examines recent UK peacekeeping operations and policies to support such efforts. This includes commitments to enhancing UK military training of peacekeepers before and during operations.
