Which treaty helped set the stage for postwar penalties on Germany after World War I?

• A. Kellogg-Briand Pact
• B. Treaty of Versailles
• C. League of Nations
• D. Armistice

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that a peace treaty sets the penalties imposed on a defeated nation, shaping the postwar punishment framework. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, formalized the terms Germany faced after World War I: it included the War Guilt Clause that attributed responsibility for the war to Germany, required substantial reparations, and imposed territorial losses and military restrictions. These provisions created the punitive environment in the postwar period, fueling economic hardship and political instability in Germany and influencing its future actions. The other options don’t establish those penalties in the same way: the Armistice ended fighting but was only a ceasefire, the Kellogg-Briand Pact aimed to renounce war without detailing punitive terms, and the League of Nations was an international peace organization rather than the mechanism for imposing postwar penalties.