Comparing The Treaty Of Versailles And World War II

Treaty of Versailles and World War II When World War I ended in 1919, the League of Nations gathered in order to form an official peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was written in order to resolve all remaining conflict and properly manage the results of the war. In order to achieve this, Germany was forced to claim responsibility for World War I and was punished accordingly. However, it is evident that the Treaty of Versailles actually helped cause World War II because it forced Germany to pay reparations, decreased German land, and reduced the German military. To begin, Germany was forced to pay reparations for World War I. In 1921, Germany was required to pay 182 billion gold marks. Germany paid very little of the reparations, the nation had been asked to pay an enormous sum. To add, the conditions of the Treaty stated that Germany must pay the reparations within 30 years. However, Adolf Hitler came to power and stopped the payments, thus never complying with the treaty. Germany’s reluctance to pay the World War I reparations was mainly due to Germany’s utter humiliation. German pride had

For instance, Germany lost both the Polish Corridor and Danzig. Losing these territories meant that Germany was physically detached from German land in East Prussia. In addition, Alsace and Lorraine were stripped from Germany which hurt the economy. In losing these two territories, German coal production decreased by 40%. The loss of land angered the German people, causing unrest throughout Germany. In response to this consequence of the Treaty of Versailles, Adolf hitler and the Nazi Party lead countless invasions throughout Europe in order to reclaim lost German land. Hitler’s forces faced little opposition, as other nations, such as Britain and France, were still in recovery from the Great Depression. As Hitler continued to expand Germany, his power grew dangerously and drew the world closer to World War