Gustav Bauer was obliged to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, even though he disagreed with it. The treaty had been dictated by the victorious Allies of World War I; it forced Germany to assume sole responsibility for the war, reduced the area of Germany and imposed reparation payments and military restrictions on the nation. In early 1919, the strength of the "Reichswehr", the regular German army, was estimated at 350,000, with more than 250,000 men enlisted in the various "Freikorps" ("free corps"), volunteer paramilitary units, largely consisting of returning soldiers from the war. The German government had repeatedly used "Freikorps" troops to put down Communist uprisings after the war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which came into effect on 10 January 1920, Germany was required to reduce its land forces to a maximum of 100,000 men. The initial deadline was set for 31 March 1920 (later extended to the end of the year). "Freikorps" units were expected to be disbanded. Since the reason for their creation—internal repression—had become obsolete with the crushing of the leftist uprisings, they were becoming a threat to the government. Some senior military commanders had started discussing the possibility of a coup as early as July 1919.