On this date in 1919, following six months of negotiation, the Treaty of Versailles was signed. The agreement formally ended World War I, forced Germany to accept responsibility for the war and to atone by paying heavy reparations, and established the League of Nations.
The United States never ratified the Treaty of Versailles. Consequently, the U.S. was forced to make a separate peace with Germany in 1921. Furthermore, even though President Woodrow Wilson was its principal architect, the U.S. never joined the League.
Marshal Foch of France said at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, "This is not peace; this is an armistice for 20 years." On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began.