Great Treaty

While the Great War had been raging throughout the globe, many of the terms within the Great Treaty were already being decided. By the end of the conflict, many of the powers came to compromise on their intentions, with neither side receiving the total victory that had envisioned.

Being on the victorious side of the conflict, the German and Russian Empires largely dictated the terms to the rest of the conference. The Tsardom of Ukraine was officially dissolved and re-incorporated into the Russian Empire, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire was made to pay reparations to Serbia. Very little in terms of territory was taken Austria-Hungary as Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Ivan VII wished for close ties with Emperor Leopold III against a potential re-ignition of conflict with Great Britain.

Italy had been on the vitorious side as well, though the territory they had been promised was greatly diminished in size. Desiring the Dalmatia Coast from Austria-Hungary, the Italians were deemed to have performed too poorly to receive the region. Instead, the coast went to the later formed Yugoslavia. Italy had the same counterarguments against their claims in Malta, having not even being able to invade the fortified island. As a result, the island tentatively remained within Great Britain.

Being the main defeated powers, Great Britain and Japan came to the negotiating table despite still maintaining a strong military foothold in their respective theaters. Japan was the last to agree to peace, having major gains against Russia, China, and the East Indies. All of these gains were to be surrendered, being returned to their respective nations. Britain and Japan were also forced to greatly demilitarize, having great restrictions on their military size and capabilities. At the end of the war, Great Britain fielded two aircraft carriers that they were made to hand over to Germany. German engineers studied the designs before ultimately scuttling them.

When it came to territorial losses, Great Britain refused to surrender major property. The agreed to turn over the Cape Colony to the Kingdom of Holland, but with the latter's dissolution the colony went into limbo. Great Britain also refused to surrender any territory in Australia that Germany desired, instead giving the southern portion of East Papua. Great Britain and Japan were also forbidden from annexing any new territory in the future, a clause that became severely controversial.

Many of the signitory nations were unsatisfied with the terms. Specifically, the Comintern Republic demanded reparations be paid due to the violation of French neutrality in the war. However, it was argued that since the two nations who violated the neutrality, Holland and Occitania, were dissolved and later annexed into the Comintern, that was reparations enough. Many of the European Powers, such as the newly risen Spanish Republic, demanded military action be taken against the Comintern, but war fatigue and the ensuing Spanish Civil War halted any intentions of that.

While the Great Treaty was meant to be ever binding, historical discrepancies with the terms quickly arose. Japan sought to lessen the military restrictions placed on them, and thus were granted this upon their entry in the Russo-German War. Japan was allowed to maintain two aircraft carriers, but were still unable to annex territory from their gains in Han China. Instead, Japan created the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, implementing these captured regions, such as Manchukuo and Korea, as indpendent nations under Japanese influence. Great Britain later expressed desires for similar ammendments, but since they were neutral in the Russo-German War, the victorious powers, namely Germany, felt ammendments were undeserved.