Versailles marks 100 years since treaty ending World War I

PARIS – The chateau of Versailles is commemorating 100 years since the treaty that formally ended World War I — and helped lay the seeds for World War II.

The daylong event Friday is also celebrating French and American co-operation in the war, which marked the entry of the United States into the world stage. It includes a fundraiser for a national World War I memorial in Washington.

The fighting stopped Nov. 11, 1918 but it took several months to negotiate a peace deal. Signed on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles confirmed the defeat of Germany by France, the U.S., Britain and other allies.

It is blamed for helping fuel the subsequent rise of Nazism because of its harsh terms, notably the huge reparations Germany had to pay.