Treaty of Versailles Simulation  

Paris, France - January 1919 

MIA BOUDREAU 
Directions:​ After two days of research, we will participate in a treaty of Versailles simulation. 
Students will represent diplomats from the following countries/states: 
 
Allied Powers  Central Powers  Other Representatives 

France (LP/AW/JS,  Austria-Hungary  ● Arabs who fought w/British against 

JL)  (EY/NB/ID, M
​ B​)  Turks (Kurds, Shia, Armenians) 
Great Britain  Germany  (TJ/TO/CL, LB) 
(MW/EO/SS, CB)  (CH/AWYATT/DB, TB)  ● Jewish Zionist (MG/IH/LC, LM) 
United States  Ottoman Empire  ● Irish Sinn Fein (“Ourselves Alone”) 
(CW/EH,JT/HW, LM)  (Turkey) (SF/EF/LT, TZ)  (CR/TS/RB) 
● Indian National Congress Leader 
(EW/AC/OM) 
● Vietnamese Nationalist, Ho Chi Minh 
(AF/GG/MBurns) 
● Czechs, Slovaks, & Slavs of Eastern & 
Southern Europe (JW/MY,LL/GI, AO) 
 
Simulation Format: D ​ iplomats from each state/country and representatives of nations should 
determine how each of the following issues should be decided. Use the maps provided and the 
maps in Ch. 20 in your textbook as resources, as well as the links below.  
1) Draw what you believe are the appropriate new political borders on the two maps 
provided. Each territorial issue should be determined. Include a KEY to clarify your 
proposals.  
2) Briefly describe your views on the other issues below.  
3) The Allied Powers will have the final say on every proposal.  
4) Central Powers & Other Representatives should prepare a persuasive, factually accurate, 
one minute​ speech to give to the peace conference to convince the French, British, and US 
representatives to accept your proposal.  
5) Allied powers will have up to o​ ne minute ​to deliberate and vote whether or not to accept or 
reject the proposal.  
 
Issues 
1) Territorial Adjustments 
a) Germany  
Germany will stay the same. 
i) Alsace-Lorraine  
ii) Rhineland - region between the Rhine River and western German Border in 
1914 
iii) Land taken from Russia in 1918 Treaty of Brest Litovsk 
 iv) Peripheries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific (independence, assigned to 
international peacekeeping organization, given to victorious Allied powers, or 
other option?)  
Organizations dedicated to peacekeeping in Germany should be established, but 
Germany’s boundaries shoulds stay the same. 
b) Austria-Hungary 
Austria-Hungary will be increased in size. The SE corner will be established as a 
non-independent state (non-independent from Austria-Hungary) occupied by 
Slavs, and the NE corner will be the same, except occupied by Czechs and 
Slovaks. 
i) Southeastern Quarter of Empire occupied by Slavs 
ii) Northeastern Quarter of Empire occupied by Czechs & Slovaks  
c) Ottoman Empire 
i) Territory northwest of Constantinople (occupied by Greeks)  
ii) Mesopotamia (Mosul to Persian Gulf) 
iii) Territory south of Cyprus and Syria 
The Ottoman Empire will be present day Turkey and areas north of Arabia and 
west of Persia. 
iv) Should various local Arab clan/tribal leaders be rewarded for revolting 
against the Ottoman Empire, cooperating w/Great Britain & France? 
Arabia should be rewarded for revolting against Ottoman Empire by Britain and 
France. Arabs went into battle because the French and British promised them 
independence, if they helped them. They soon betrayed the Arabs and for this, 
Arabia should be rewarded because the French and British didn’t stay true to 
their promise/agreement. 
v) Should a Jewish Homeland be established in territory including and 
surrounding Jerusalem?  
Jerusalem will be established as an independent state to function as a Jewish 
homeland. 
vi) Should Armenians and Kurds be given separate states/homelands? 
Yes, they should be given separate states/homelands because each group has 
their own identity and culture. 
 
2) German Military Adjustments 
a) What should be done with Germany’s large, remaining army? Should its size be 
limited in the future, if so, should it be limited to a certain number of soldiers? 
Germany has repeatedly made attempts to takeover surrounding states when their 
military gained substantial numbers. Considering this fact, and also other events that their 
military has contributed to, I think that they maybe should be some restrictions. The 
numbers of people allowed in the army could be restricted based on circumstances (like 
purpose of needing more people, jobs they need filled - like medic, soldier, ect.) For 
example, Germany could have to come up with a proposal if they want to bring more 
 people into the military (substantially more people) that includes what they need more 
people and a detailed plan of what they want to accomplish. 
b) What should happen to Germany’s navy (submarines & battleships) and 
merchant fleet? 
I think that Germany’s navy should be restricted only if they try to take over like their 
military does. If the navy proves that they need to be restricted, then it should follow the 
same guidelines as their military.  
 
3) Nationalism, Self-Determination, & Anti-Imperialism: W ​ hat New States (if any) should be 
established from the conquered Central Powers and their peripheries or from Allied 
peripheries, whose troops fought and died in the Great War, or other ethnic groups? The 
following stateless nations want states/countries with boundaries that include their 
perceived homeland: 
a) Slavs in SE Europe/Balkans region (southern Austria-Hungary, Serbia, and 
Montenegro) want an independent and unified, southern Slavic state. 
Slavs should not get an independent state because they are included in 
Austria-Hungary and a non-independent state, and I can imagine that from the 
Austria-Hungary point of view, they would want them to stay under their 
control. 
b) Finns, Poles, Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians independence from Western Russia  
Finns, Poles, Estonians, and Latvians should all get independence from Russia. 
Austria-Hungary is against Russia, (they don’t want Russia to take their state 
over) and I feel like they would want less people under Russian control. 
c) Czechs & Slovaks independence from the northern Austrian-Hungarian Empire 
Czech and Slovaks should not gain independence from the Austrian-Hungarian 
Empire, because I think that Austria-Hungary would not want to lose control 
over those peoples. 
d) Kurds, Shia Muslims, and Armenian independence from Ottoman Empire Y ​ es. 
e) Irish independence or partition? 
Ireland shouldn’t be independent from Britain, because we (Austria-Hungary) 
want to be in good terms with Britain, and Britain wouldn’t want to lose that 
control. 
f) Jewish homeland or state in Jerusalem and surrounding territory? 
Jerusalem should be established as an independent state and function as a 
Jewish homeland. 
g) Indian independence from Great Britain? 
India should not gain independence from Great Britain, for the same reasons 
that Ireland should not gain independence from Great Britain. 
h) Ho Chi Minh’s request for Vietnamese Independence from the French Empire, 
request that conference affirm self-determination to all people’s of the world, and 
request to condemn European racism? 
Vietnam should be allowed independence from the French Empire, and Ho Chi 
Minh’s request for condemnation of European racism should be followed. 
 4) Economic Adjustments 
a) Costs of World War 1 - Allied Powers 
i) Great Britain 
(1) Lives Lost: 1,011,000 
(2) Money Spent: 10 Billion 
ii) France 
(1) Lives Lost: 1,737,00 
(2) Money Spent: $16 Billion 
iii) US 
(1) Lives Lost: 117,000 
(2) Money Spent: $2 Billion 
iv) All Allied Powers 
(1) Lives Lost: 10,080,000 
(2) Money Spent: $75 Billion 
v) All Central Powers 
(1) Lives Lost: 8,300,000 
(2) Money Spent: $60 Billion 
b) Should the Central Powers be forced to pay reparations (the cost of the war)? If 
so, how much should each power pay each year? How long should the payments 
continue? Should the payments be made with money, industrial machinery, 
and/or natural resources? (Keep in mind that Kaiser Wilhelm's monarchy in 
Germany has been replaced by a first ever, democratic reform government, the 
Weimar republic. There is also Communist pressure from the east.) 
I think that certain places like Germany, should have to pay to certain groups that they 
targeted during the war. For example, they should pay Jews, in money or another form of 
payment, because they can never take back what they did, and even though money won’t 
undo all of the lives lost, they should have consequences for their actions. 
c) Should heavy industry (including the type that produces military equipment) be 
limited or ended for the Central Powers? 
I think that based on the lives lost, the Central Powers should have limited production of 
heavy industry to produce military equipment. They did not make a lot of good decisions 
with their military power and tools, so as a result, many lives were taken. 
 
5) Enforcement of the Treaty of Versailles 
a) What methods should be used to enforce the various provisions of the Treaty of 
Versailles? Should it have an army of peacekeepers to enforce its decisions? 
I think that an army of peacekeepers could be a good decision. Instead of having solely 
forceful, military armies, that there could be some dedicated to keeping peace and order. 
b) Should a permanent international peacekeeping organization be established to 
prevent future wars? If so, how should it be organized and operated? 
I think that instead of going to war immediately, conflicting states or countries should try 
peaceful methods, such as negotiation, and reasonability. 
 
 
 
Resources: 
1) Versailles Peace Conference: Conflicting Aims of Conferees 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2) Maps 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
  
 

 
 
  

  
  
3) Arabs who fought with British against Turks (See textbook, online) 
a) https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/betrayal-of-arabs-after-first-
world-war-set-stage-for-turbulent-century-1.1840067  
b) https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10008191  
c) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world/kurdistan-independence-referendum/hist
ory-of-britain-and-the-kurdish-people/  
4) Jewish Zionists (See textbook, online) 
a) https://www.momentmag.com/how-the-first-world-war-changed-jewish-history/  
b) http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/palestine-during-world-war-i  
5) Irish Sinn Fein (See textbook, online)  
a) http://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/the-first-world-war-1916  
6) Indian National Congress Leader (See textbook, online) 
a) https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/india-and-world-war-one/  
7) Vietnamese Nationalist, Ho Chi Minh (See textbook, online) 
a) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam_during_World_War_I  
b) https://theshoutheardroundtheworld.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/ho-chi-minh-and-
a-surprising-source-of-inspiration/  
 8) Slavs, Czechs, and Slovaks 
a) https://jamespetersnell.wordpress.com/2015/12/11/pan-slavism-and-the-origins-of-t
he-first-world-war/  
9) Ottoman Empire  
a) https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/HIST232-1.1.1-Formal-Bre
akup-of-the-Ottoman-Empire-FINAL.pdf  
 
Reflection Questions: 
1. Thesis Statement Prompt: Analyze the outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles.