During World War I (WWI) the soldiers utilized new tactics such as the use of machine guns and chemical warfare. As a result, the number of fatalities reached the millions. Seven months after World War I came to an end, the Allied nations, Great Britain, France, and the United States, came up with an idea to establish a treaty with hopes of preventing another calamitous war from breaking out in Europe. This treaty is called the Versailles Treaty and it was signed on June 28, 1919. Unfortunately, Germany had no say in the matter and was one of the nations listed in the Treaty of Versailles. This incident caused Germany to display signs of bitterness and conflict eventually erupted. (Background Essay) One could argue that the Versailles Treaty was the spark that fueled World War II (WWII) for numerous reasons such as territorial losses, mandatory reparation payments, and the …show more content…
One of the nations that experienced this was Germany. After WWI, Germany lost Alsace and Lorraine due to the implications that were mentioned in the Versailles Treaty. Consequently, Germany’s coal production decreased by 40%. (Doc A) This could upset any nation, but Germany’s circumstances allowed this loss to upset them more fueling the tension between them and the other nations, resulting in an increased possibility of war. Germany was responsible for a large portion of damage inflicted during WWI. This lead to the Versailles Treaty obligating Germany to pay reparations to repair the damage inflicted during the war. Articles 232 and 233 of the Versailles Treated required Germany to pay a $341 billion in a thirty-year period. At first, Germany felt angry and humiliated for having to pay these reparations, so they decided to pay an insignificant amount of money each time they made a payment. (Doc C) These reparation fees have upset Germany increased the rising tensions between Germany and the Allied
World War I ended with the Treaty of Versailles, a treaty that was largely negotiated by the Allied Powers - primarily Britain, France, and Russia - and whose purpose seemed to be the punishment of Germany, who had been part of the Central Powers. Germany was widely blamed for causing so much destruction measured both in lives and monetary value during the war, and once they lost, the victors imposed harsh sanctions and restrictions on German trade and military. Germany was unfairly used as a scapegoat at the end of the war, and did not deserve the restrictions and blame put on them. Such restrictions were morally and ethically unfair, and left Germany no room to rebuild their economy after a war that left them in shambles. During his
Instead of Wilson’s mindset and actions, it was the Senate and popular opposition that led to the defeat of the Treaty of Versailles in the U.S. Senate. This can be seen through two points. Firstly this can be seen when, Wilson claims that Article X is an inevitable system to the League of Nations. The other can be seen when Herbert Hoover talks about the wrongs imposed in the Treaty. Due to the fact that Wilson had such a stubborn mindset, it goes to show how strong his opposing forces were.
In 1914, World War I started and ended four years later in 1918, almost a year later World War II had just begun. Treaty of Versailles would become a peace treaty between the Allies and Germany in 1919. How did the Treaty of Versailles trigger World War II? German territorial loss, military cuts, and the payment of reparations were all repercussions of the Treaty of Versailles, which later started World War II. The Treaty took a major amount of coal-producing land from Germany, which reduced coal production by forty percent. Along with the reduction of coal-producing land, the German military was limited one hundred thousand men, including officers. Additionally, Germany was required to pay reparations for the damage done during World War I, which cost them over two billion marks (6 million USD).
Designed to prevent future aggression, the Treaty of Versailles dismantled the German military, stripping its ability to wage war. It reduced the army to 100,000 soldiers while the navy performed coastal defense. The treaty also forbade the possession of submarines, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry. Moreover, the “War Guilt” clause forced Germany to accept sole responsibility for the destruction created by World War I. Last, reparations further drained an already poor economy. When combined, the accumulative effects enabled popular discontentment and gave rise to fascism. For Germany, identifying the enemy was simple; they were surrounded.
This clause laid out that Germany was responsible for the advent of the First World War and that they should be culpable for the damages done to the allied nations, therefore, pay reparations. To have been singled out as solely morally and financially responsible, while there were many other countries involved enraged the German government and people. The Weimar government was now faced with the task of paying reparations, which amounted to nearly thirty-three billion USD. The Weimar government could not meet this demand without printing money, which naturally caused the value of the German Mark to inflate. This put many Germans into poverty and contribute largely to the hyperinflation that plagued Weimar in the early 1930s. The constant struggle of the Germans in Weimar left them greatly distressed and angry with the
The Treaty of Versailles placed accountability for World War I on Germany. As a result, Germany was obligated to pay a sizable restitution. The German military was limited to 100,000 men, conscription was prohibited, and armored vehicles were banned. Germany's European possessions and overseas colonies were distributed among the Allied Powers. The German people detested these terms, and the Treaty fueled the sweeping nationalism that propelled the Nazi Party. Although the reductions in Germany's military and land, the Treaty of Versailles left Germany pretty much intact. Germany then experienced considerable economic prosperity. Loans from the United States helped to offset the burden of the reparations. Because the treaty did not break Germany
World War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of mankind. It crimpled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forced Germans to admit full responsibility for starting the war. Furthermore, to gain the support of the German populace, Adolf Hitler adopted an effective propaganda campaign. Adolf Hitler employed a successful propaganda campaign to gain the support of the German people combined with the Treaty of Versailles harsh economic and political sanctions ignited World War Two.
Germany got punished after World War 1 because they lost. They were blamed for starting the war and that it was their entire fault even though it wasn’t. Since they lost they had to pay for the damages. Not only did they have to fix their own country but also they had to pay for everyone else. Things they weren’t even involved in were blamed on them. Because they had to pay for every countries’ damages and were blamed for it, it made Germany poor and looked down upon.
In June 1919, the German country reluctantly signed the famous Treaty of Versailles. They were furious with the standards the treaty set but had no choice as their country lost all of their arms and lost many of their soldiers. Many people back then thought that the punishment should be harsher, harsh enough to where the country would no longer be able to ever fight again. Little did they know, the treaty as it was, was enough to destroy Germany’s economy. The Treaty of Versailles was unfair and made the punishment far worse than what it should have been.
On June 28, 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was the ending of World War 1. The Treaty of Versailles causes many problems for Germany, especially the people of Germany. When the treaty was put into action the people of Germany had resentment for the government and for good reason too. The final treaty causes Germany to lose colonies and ten percent of their land because the land was lost so was trade. Austria-Hungary was divided up into seven parts. Germany lost land where they had businesses and factories so many people were out of work once the land was lost, according to markedbyteachers.com, “Much of the lost land was steel and iron factories” this caused a major unemployment problem. Germany also needed to demilitarise in result this caused
Under Article 231 of the Treat was a statement that said that Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting the war (the war guilt clause).This meant Germany took full responsibility to all the damage done throughout Europe. Not only was Article 231 a blow to the German confidence-- they weren’t the only
The Versailles Treaty, drawn up by leaders of Allied parties after the first World War was very hard on the Germans. They faced territorial losses; Allied countries took more than thirteen percent of Germany. Also, allies occupied the most productive industrial territory, the Rhineland. Overseas colonies were taken too. Germany was forced to pay reparations for damage caused by the war. The term for peace that the Germans most resented was article two hundred and thirty-one which blamed Germany for the war. The German people were angry and bitter, looking for someone to blame.
The first cause that started the deadly cycle of World War II was the incredible rage that the Versailles Treaty ignited. Germany was more than likely the angriest over two things. One were the many territorial losses that they had encountered as a result of the treaty. Giving Poland access to the ocean split Germany’s land into two parts, the main part of Germany and a small portion to the North of the Danzig. Another country that was highly angered over the passing of Versailles Treaty was Italy. They were upset because they thought that the land that they were given as a payment for their efforts in the Allied forces fight against Germany did not make up for the cost of the war, nor did it improve their eagerness to grow. The final country that was upset over the ruling of the Versailles Treaty was Japan. They were also a benefactor over Germany and wanted control over China as reward for their contribution to the war. This, however, did not
On September 1, 1939, Hitler’s Nazi German army invaded Poland and began World War II. This event had seemed almost unthinkable twenty years before when the Allied and Central powers fought the “war to end all wars” in World War I. The Germans did not receive an invitation to the Paris Peace Conference at the end of WWI, a move deeply resented by German people. At the Paris Peace Conference, the Allied Powers created the Treaty of Versailles to promote peace in post- World War I Europe. However, the Treaty of Versailles did not accomplish this goal. In fact, the Treaty of Versailles directly correlated to the outbreak of WWII. In an effort to humiliate Germany, the Allied powers put the “War Guilt clause,” Article 231, in the treaty. This article made Germany apologize for being the sole guilty party in starting
As World War I approached its close, the Treaty of Versailles was among the peace treaties signed. It marked the end of warfare between the Allied Powers and Germany. The signing of the agreement occurred in 1919. The main reason behind the signing of the accord was to reprimand Germany for its part in the damage that happened in WWI. The main world leaders involved in the process represented France, England, the United States, and Italy. The World War II (1939 to 1945) that came twenty years after the WWI was the most protracted and fatal conflict in world history. Ignited by Adolf Hitler’s attack on Poland, the war would continue for six years . There were numerous diverse reasons for the inception of WWII. Even though the Treaty of Versailles ended the earlier WWI conflict, it also had accompanying negative consequences. One of the primary effects of the signing of the treaty was the resultant eruption of WWII. This paper seeks to examine the manner in which the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the development of WWII.