Treaty of Versailles Project

Prompt: The Great War has raged on for years. The world has never seen a war quite like
this. The death toll has reached into the millions. Worldwide, people have been uncertain
about what the future holds. After five years of bloodshed, it seems the war has at long
last ended. Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert The Allied Powers of Great Britain, France, the
United States, and also Italy, have prevailed. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire are reeling. After years of violence, it seems a compromise is on the
horizon. It is June of 1919. Representatives from around the world have gathered in
Frances beautiful Palace of Versailles. Their objective? Clear the wreckage, and find a
peace among these embittered nations. Thats where you come in. You are some of the
worlds brightest minds, assembled together to work the world out of its most brutal
conflict. The course of world events for perhaps decades to come rests on your shoulders.
The job of creating a treaty is completely in your hands. What will you do?
Activity: Together, we will re-enact the writing of the Treaty of Versailles. You will be
split into small groups (3-5, depending on the size of your particular class). Each group
will represent one particular nation that took part in World War I. You will do research
with your group to determine how you want to handle negotiating the treaty. After this,
we will spend 2 days actually writing the treaty together in class. We will abide by
Parliamentary procedure, as we will do in Model United Nations later on in the year. I
WILL PROVIDE YOU AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT PARLIAMENTARY
PROCEDURE INCLUDES BEFORE THE TREATY-WRITING DAYS, SO DO
NOT PANIC. We will, again, spend 2 days writing this treaty, and then compare it to the
actual Treaty of Versailles.
Directions: You will have a few specific tasks for this project.
1.) There is a packet attached. This packet requires you to fill out some
identifying information about the nation you are representing. This
packet must be completed by all representatives BEFORE the treatywriting days.
2.) As a group, I want you to complete a short essay, detailing at least 3
goals that the nation you are representing would have for the treaty. I
also want you to explain these goals in the course of your essay. You
will print out a few copies of this essay, so that I may have a copy and
all of your countrys representatives will have a copy. This, like the
packet, will also be due BEFORE the treaty-writing days.
3.) During the treaty-writing process, again, you will abide by
Parliamentary procedure. Your grade on this part of the project will be
based on 3 things: how well you abide by Parliamentary procedure,
how well-researched and prepared you are as a GROUP, and how
successful you are in achieving your goals. The more goals that are
completed in the treaty, the higher your grade will be.
The Treaty will be written on:__________________________________