"Ladies and gentlemen, we have invited the Romanian representative in, and now we can always discuss."

The many days of quarrels and negotiations have made the representatives of several countries present a little lacking in energy. After seeing the arrival of Prime Minister Brettianu, President Wilson glanced at the Polish representative Dmowski, who complicated the Polish problem.

As the chairman of the Polish National Council, which was founded in Paris in 1917, Dmowski was still thick enough to pretend not to see it. Because he knew that this conference would decide the question of Poland's status after its formation, and of course it was important to recover as much territory as possible. Cheek is such a thing, what is this to eat?

Also seeing the entry of the Romanian delegates, Clemenceau said with some embarrassment. "Let me tell Prime Minister Brettianu about this."

I didn't expect that not long ago, I asked Romania to help Poland stabilize the situation, and now I want him to raise the issue of territory, which is indeed a little embarrassing. Under Clemenceau's narration, Prime Minister Bretianu finally learned the details of what had happened.

It turned out that Dmowski, on behalf of the newly established Polish government, formally presented Poland's comprehensive and detailed territorial claims to the peace conference. He suggested to the Supreme Council. "When a territorial settlement belonging to Poland is reached, we should begin in 1772, before the First Partition. He proposed that Lithuania and Ukraine should be "reunited" with Poland. The southeastern region of Galicia, which was not part of Poland until the 14th century, but which was in the majority of Poles, should also belong to Poland. In addition, in Upper Silesia and Danzig, in the eastern direction of Germany, Poland should also be given a large Polish corridor to the sea. ”

In the face of Poland's territorial claims, the French side of course supported it, and they intended to make Poland a formidable enemy of Germany to the east. This time the war was won, and its former ally, Russia, played a decisive role in containing it on the Eastern Front, and there was no reason why France should not continue to do so.

Britain, on the other hand, was resolutely opposed to Poland's so-called territorial claims. Chancellor George believed that giving a large part of German territory to Polish rule would be the trigger for future wars.

To this end, he asked: "If the Germans in Poland oppose Polish rule and defend themselves, will the Three Kingdoms fight to maintain Polish rule over them?" ”

At the same time, he declared that Germany would refuse to sign the treaty if Poland occupied Danzig and Upper Silesia. In fact, Britain's attitude was a reflection of his traditional policy of parity of power on the Polish question. Britain did not want to see Germany weakened too much and allow France to dominate the continent. The United States, on the other hand, sees this problem on the basis of the principle of national self-determination and advocates classification according to racial data.

As for the Galician region involved, they advocated direct negotiations between Poland and Romania, which occupied the region and was also the victorious power. As for that government in Ukraine, it has been completely ignored.

When Clemenceau finished speaking, Prime Minister Bretianu went straight in: "I'm sorry, but we can't accept Poland's request. We have an agreement with the Ukrainian government about the ownership of the region, and we cannot make a decision that violates the agreement. ”

In the face of Prime Minister Brettianu's merciless refusal, Dmowski couldn't help but say: "The area is 90% Polish, and there is no reason for you to occupy the area." (Dmowski really said this at the Paris Peace Conference)

Dmowski's words, Brettianu directly retorted: "90%? Where did this data come from, according to our survey, there are only 43% Poles in the region, 41% Ukrainians remain, and 16% are made up of various other ethnic groups such as Slovaks, Romanians, Hungarians, etc. ”

Seeing that Dmowski was directly scolded back by Bretianu, the negotiations collapsed. Clemenceau stepped forward and said, "We don't know much about the division of local nationalities, so let's talk about other aspects. ”

Dmowski, who was awakened by Clemenceau's words, immediately changed the subject. "As far as I know, that so-called Ukrainian government was established on the basis of the Treaty of Bucharest. And the treaty has been abrogated, so this Ukrainian government, which was supported by Germany and Austria, should also be outlawed. ”

Regarding Dmowski's new offensive, Prime Minister Bretianu said with a smile: "I admit that the Ukrainian government was established on the basis of the Treaty of Bucharest. But under President Wilson's proposal for national self-determination, Ukrainians in the region have the right to choose who they will establish their own regime or who they will belong to. ”

Bretianu's words are very clear, you deny the Treaty of Bucharest, and I take out President Wilson's national self-determination. As for whether Ukraine is willing to join the Polish government, this is a joke, no one wants to find a father for themselves to take care of.

Dmowski, who was a little distracted by Bretianu's words, continued: "You are not right, the Galician region should be self-determined by its own people. ”

"No, the region of Galicia should not be self-determined alone, it is part of Ukraine."

"We know that you and Ukraine have the money for the withdrawal of troops, and this can be taken over by us."

"I'm sorry, this is our resolution and Ukraine's, and you can't speak for the Ukrainian government yet."

“……”

"Alright, don't argue."

Seeing that the two sides were blushing and unwilling to give a step, President Wilson could not help but say: "At present, it seems that the problem of the Galician region is somewhat too complicated. Is it possible to postpone the issue and wait until Hungary is resolved? ”

In President Wilson's view, the current issue concerning the Galicia region does not fall within the scope of negotiations with Germany, so this issue can be postponed at all, and there is no need to hold on to it here.

Prime Minister George, who has not spoken, agreed: "This is a good idea. ”

Seeing that both Britain and the United States agreed, and that Dmowski had always been at a disadvantage in front of Bretianu, Clemenceau also nodded and said, "So be it." We'll defer the discussion on this matter. ”

The words of the three countries made Dmowski hang his head like a defeated rooster, and Prime Minister Brettianu walked out of the conference room with a calm face. However, after walking out of the conference room, Bretianu immediately pulled his entourage, who was waiting outside the door, to his side and whispered: "Go back to the embassy immediately and send a secret telegram to the country, saying that the Poles want to seize the Galicia region through diplomatic means." ”

The attendant was shocked when he heard this, and he knew the seriousness of the matter, and immediately replied: "I will rush back to the embassy to send a report." ”

After giving orders to his entourage, Bretianu was still smiling and kept greeting the other members of the delegation, as if nothing happened.

After leaving the Galicia region, the process of the Polish question was much quicker, and the question of the borders in all directions was soon negotiated. The final resolution will also be placed in the General Articles for Germany.

As in history, the treaty with Germany finally came up with a final solution on February 13 after more than three months of quarrels and compromises.

Under the terms of the treaty, Germany ceded Alsace and Lorraine to France, restoring France's borders before the Franco-Prussian War. North Schleswig returned to Denmark after a referendum.

Recognition of Polish independence and granting the Polish coastline. the return of the territories formerly belonging to Poland, including West Prussia, the Posen Voivodeship, part of East Prussia and part of Upper Silesia; To the east Silesia to Czechoslovakia. Danzig was administered by the League of Nations and was called the Free City of Danzig.

ceding Euburn and Salmedi to Belgium; Klaipeda region to Lithuania (1923).

The Saarland coal mining area was administered by France for 15 years, and then a referendum was held to determine its ownership.

Germany recognized Austria's independence and could never merge with it. Recognition of the independence of Luxembourg.

The treaty cost Germany 10% of its territory, 12.5% of its population, all of its overseas colonies (including German East Africa, German South-West Africa, Cameroon, Togo, and German New Guinea), 16% of its coal-producing areas, and half of its steel industry.

military restrictions; The territory on the west bank of the Rhine (Rhineland) was occupied by the Allied forces for 15 years, and the Germans were not allowed to defend within 50 kilometers of the east and west banks.

The Army was limited to 100,000 men and was not allowed to have tanks or heavy artillery, and the German General Staff was abolished.

The navy was limited to 15,000 personnel, and only six 10,000-ton battleships, six cruisers, and 12 destroyers were allowed on the naval side, and submarines were not allowed.

The Air Force must not be organized, weapons must not be imported or exported, and chemical weapons must not be produced or stockpiled.

In order to limit the number of people receiving military training, compulsory military service was abolished, and the length of service for non-commissioned officers and soldiers was extended to 12 years and 25 years for officers.

responsibility for war; Germany must admit full responsibility for the war and the crimes committed against the civilian population of the Entente countries. Former Kaiser Wilhelm II was tried as the first perpetrator of war crimes. Part of the German army was tried for war crimes, and some of them were sentenced to death.

war reparations; According to the decision of the Entente Compensation Commission, Germany had to pay a total of 226 billion marks (about 11.3 billion pounds) in compensation, which was later reduced to 132 billion Reichsmarks.

The only thing that this treaty has to do with Romania is the issue of German reparations. However, since Romania did not suffer much damage during the war, it received only 2% of the reparations. However, Romania still has a long way to go to get this money.