How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany's map and sovereignty?

• A. Germany gained territory and kept its colonies.
• B. Germany lost territory; German colonies were mandated; borders changed, creating new states and national minorities.
• C. Germany's borders remained unchanged and all colonies remained German.
• D. Germany gained new colonies but lost territory.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the Versailles settlement drastically redrew Germany’s map and limited its sovereignty. After World War I, Germany lost substantial territory in the west and east, its overseas empire was dismantled and placed under Allied control as mandates, and borders were rewritten to create new states. This included losses to France, Belgium, and Poland, among others, the separation of East Prussia from the rest of Germany, and the creation of the Saar under League oversight. The result was not only smaller borders but also a loss of autonomy over those territories and their resources, plus the establishment of new states with German populations that could become minorities in those lands. In short, Germany neither gained land nor preserved its colonies, and its borders did change, making the option describing loss of territory, mandated colonies, and new states/minorities the best fit.