In 1918, WWI came to an end after Germany and the countries known as “the Allies”—Britain, France, Italy, and the U.S.—signed an armistice that called for a ceasefire. The Allies met in Paris to draft a treaty and didn’t invite Germany. The treaty was signed outside the Palace of Versailles and its terms enraged the German government. It forced Germany to cede territory on its eastern and western borders, give away its colonies, reduce the size of its military, and pay reparations to the Allies. Historian John Schmidt recalls how the Treaty of Versailles backfired, and was used by Adolf Hitler to gain power.