![German territorial losses, Treaty of Versailles, 1919 [LCID: ger71020]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/31f9ccd9-a983-404e-b1c6-32acfacb2f7c.gif "German territorial losses, Treaty of Versailles, 1919 [LCID: ger71020]")
Germany lost World War I. In the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the victorious powers (the United States, Great Britain, France, and other allied states) imposed punitive territorial, military, and economic provisions on defeated Germany. In the west, Germany returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. It had been seized by Germany more than 40 years earlier. Further, Belgium received Eupen and Malmedy; the industrial Saar region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for 15 years; and Denmark received Northern Schleswig. Finally, the Rhineland was demilitarized; that is, no German military forces or fortifications were permitted there. In the east, Poland received parts of West Prussia and Silesia from Germany. In addition, Czechoslovakia received the Hultschin district from Germany; the largely German city of Danzig became a free city under the protection of the League of Nations; and Memel, a small strip of territory in East Prussia along the Baltic Sea, was ultimately placed under Lithuanian control. Outside Europe, Germany lost all its colonies. In sum, Germany forfeited 13 percent of its European territory (more than 27,000 square miles) and one-tenth of its population (between 6.5 and 7 million people).
Item View![A crowd cheers Adolf Hitler as his car leaves the Reich Chancellery following a meeting with President Paul von Hindenburg. [LCID: 80706]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/7712da59-53b8-4bb8-a558-a4c3e44aeb89.jpeg "A crowd cheers Adolf Hitler as his car leaves the Reich Chancellery following a meeting with President Paul von Hindenburg. [LCID: 80706]")
A crowd of saluting Germans surrounds Adolf Hitler's car as he leaves the Reich Chancellery following a meeting with President Paul von Hindenburg. This meeting took place following the November 1932 parliamentary elections as Hitler and the Nazis tried to gain power in Germany. Hitler insisted he would only join the government on his terms and in the position of chancellor. For the moment, Hindenburg refused to appoint him to the position. Berlin, Germany, November 19, 1932.
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![A march supporting the Nazi movement during an election campaign in 1932. [LCID: 45103]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/afb4fcfc-1a5d-4d98-a72d-fd7311252488.jpeg "A march supporting the Nazi movement during an election campaign in 1932. [LCID: 45103]")