Editing World War I reparations (section)

===Versailles===
The [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] opened on 18 January 1919, aiming to establish a lasting peace between the Allied and Central Powers.{{sfn|Slavicek|2010|p=37}} Demanding compensation from the defeated party was a common feature of peace treaties, including the [[Treaty of Versailles (1871)|Treaty of Versailles]] that Germany had imposed on France in 1871.{{sfn|Bell|1997|p=22}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=A.J.P.|title=Bismarck: The Man and the Statesman|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|year=1988|page=133|isbn=0-241-11565-5}}</ref> However, the financial terms of treaties signed during the peace conference were labelled reparations to distinguish them from [[Punitive damages|punitive settlements]] usually known as [[Indemnity|indemnities]]. Reparations were intended for reconstruction and compensating families who had been bereaved by the war.{{sfn|Weinberg|1994|p=14}} The opening article of the reparation section of the [[Treaty of Versailles]], [[Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles|Article 231]], served as a legal basis for the following articles, which obliged Germany to pay compensation{{sfn|Marks|1978|p=231}} and limited German responsibility to civilian damages. The same article, with the signatory's name changed, was also included in the treaties signed by Germany's allies.{{sfn|Marks|1978|pp=231–232}}