(From the Swedish edition of "When did what happen?" by Kai Petersen, Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag 1960. CAPS and italics by me, to point to some of the special difficulties.)

1919

THE END OF THE WAR
On the 18 January, the peace negotiations start in Versailles. Strictly speaking, however, they can´t be called negotiations with the defeated - they are only allowed to comment on the terms the victors have agreed on. (...) The demand by France for "security" leads it to try to render the Germans harmless. The demand is therefore put on Germany that it reduces its army to 100 000 troops, give over its fleet and pay what the war has cost, without any specific amount of money being mentioned in the treaty. 

The Germans have to give up Alcace-Lorraine to France, Posen, West Preussia and Ober-Schlesia to Poland, Memel to Lithuania, Eupen and Malmedy to Belgia and Northern Schlesia to Denmark. (...) The Saarland is put under international control, the land west of Rhine is demilitarized and remains occupied by the allied, traffic on the Rhine is opened for all countries and all the German colonies are given over, formally to The League of Nations, but in reality to the victors. (...)

On June 28, five years after the shots in Sarajevo, the Germans sign the peace treaty in the mirror hall in Versailles, where the German Empire had been proclaimed 48 years earlier (1861). Their humiliation is great but they have no choice. The allied uphold the blockade against Germany and the German people is starving. (...)

FRANCE
On February 19, the anarchist Cottin makes an attempt on the life of Clemenceau. He is executed, at the same time as the assassin of Jaurè is released.

GERMANY
The socialists are divided with a left wing, that wants to form the dictatorship of the proletariat, and a social democratic wing, that wants to have a parliamentarian form of government. The former form the Spartacist Union, that makes an uproar in January, which is crushed by the national guard on the order of the social democratic Minister of Defense Gustav Noske. The leaders of the rebellion; Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht (son? of the founder of the Working Men´s College in Berlin for workers, where Rudolf Steiner taught 1899-1902, my comment), are arrested and shot "trying to escape".

A National Assembly formulates the Constitution of Weimar, that is applied from the 11 August and instates a parliamentarian democracy. After a short socialist revolution, power in Bavaria is taken over by strongly conservative elements. HITLER applies as nr 7 for membership of the German Workers Party. The German fleet is sinked to the bottom by its crews in Scapa Flow, when the ships are to be given over to the victors of the war.

1920

FRANCE
In an attack of mental aberration, the newly elected President Paul Déchanel jumps out of a "wagon de lit". He survives, but has to resign and is succeeded by Alexandre Mitterand. 

GERMANY
An East Preussian official, Wolfgang Kapp, makes a coup against the Republic. The government flees to Stuttgart, but the workers eliminate the plans of the plotters through a General Strike, and Kapp is arrested.

HITLER transforms the Workers Party into the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) and publishes a partly social revolutionary program in 25 points.

1921

GERMANY
The Center politician Mathias Ersberger is murdered by nationalists. The Mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, becomes President of the Preussian Council of the State. At a conference in Paris, the Germans say no to a payment plan for the payment of the damages from the war, and the French occupy certain places in the Rhineland to force Germany to pay.

1922

GERMANY
The victors of the war become worried by the understanding between Germany and Russia and their signing of a treaty (in Rapallo) concerning mutual recogition. The leader of the negotiations; Walter Rathenau, is assassinated a short time afterwards. (Between 1919 and 1960 376 political assassinations took place in Germany.)

ITALY
The unrest increases under different governments and a fascist terror. In October, Mussolini sends his Black Skirts to Rome. The King, Emanuel lets MUSSOLINI form a government. Like the bourgoisie, he hopes that they will put a stop to the successes of the socialists.
 

1924

GERMANY
When the European states inform the United States that they can´t pay back on the American war loans as long as the Germans don´t pay for the war damages, the US cooperates in the solution of the problem. A plan is worked out by Charles G Dawes (the "Dawes Plan"), according to which the Germans are to pay 2,5 Billion Marks per year, without any time limit, and the French agree to leave the Ruhr.

As the economic situation; the market conditions improve, Germany then starts to pay regularly, and a group of German politicians, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gustav Stresemann work for the "fulfillments policy". He is supported by the the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Aristide Briand, who takes a conciliatory position in relation to Germany and who is one of the leading personalities in the League of Nations.