28 June: Signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty

In an ignominious ceremony, the German delegation is required to sign the Versailles Peace Treaty. Formalities take place in the Hall of Mirrors in the French Palace of Versailles, the self-same place where the Second German Empire had been declared in January 1871. The treaty includes German territorial concessions and payment of heavy reparations. However, Article 231 causes the greatest embitterment in Germany, requiring the Empire to accept sole responsibility for the outbreak of war.