In the words of John Green, “The truth resists simplicity”. Assigning the blame of WWII to the Treaty of Versailles is far too simple of an explanation. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended WWI while sanctioning and punishing Germany, forced Germany to pay reparations. These reparations are said to have caused economic challenges in Germany, which allowed Hitler to take control on nationalist fervor. Thus, the story goes, that the Treaty of Versailles made Hitler’s rise to power, and his starting of WWII, inevitable. However, this mode of explanation is a deeply flawed oversimplification. The Treaty of Versailles did not make WWII inevitable because the independent forces of the Great Depression and Japanese expansion also played key roles, and because nationalism was most likely to arise in Germany even if there were less harsh terms to the treaty.
The Great Depression was among the most important factors in creating the climate that allowed for Hitler’s rise to power, and his eventual beginning of World War II. The Great Depression, in addition to losing World War I, created a German populace that was humiliated. This allowed Hitler, with his soaring nationalist rhetoric, to take win a large share of the electorate in the early 1930’s. This is because Hitler appealed to their humiliation and promised to restore Germany to his past glory. Thus, the Great Depression was absolutely essential in making Germany into an aggressor. However, it was unimpacted by the Treaty of Versailles. In fact, the Great Depression originated in the United States, which did not even sign the Treaty of Versailles. It may not be clear why the Great Depression, which began in and most impacted the United States, caused Germany, and not more negat...
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...reaty, caused one of the most important parts of the war. Furthermore, the conditions that allowed for a fascist ruler to take control in Germany would have been in place if the treaty had not been signed, or had been less harsh on Germany. It is important to understand the causes of WWII because the war was a dominating part of the late 1930’s and 1940’s, and because the war laid the groundwork for the cold war. It also was a key part of leading America out of the Great Depression, which could have lasted years longer if the industrial production of the war had not taken place. The Treaty of Versailles did not make WWII inevitable, even though it may be tempting to claim so.
Works Cited
Goodman, George W. "Commanding Heights." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Townsend, Susan. "Japan's Quest for Empire 1931-1945." BBC News. BBC, 30 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. But one can get a better idea how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Treaty of Versailles was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States, to make peace. So how did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later? It was mainly because it was too hard on Germany’s territory, military, economy, and national pride.
The Great Depression had a big impact on both the United States and Germany. Both countries were in a state of panic, a state of desperation, and a state of distraught. Not knowing what to do, the people of both countries needed a leader that would step up to absolve them of all of their fears and regain order to life. The United States’ leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the country in connection to his people and led them to strength and prosperity through the depression and through war. Germany's leader Adolf Hitler took advantage of his people's desperation and led them in a revolution that would kill millions of people and although having power for a fair amount of time, he would lead his people to their even more increased downfall and broken down economic
Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to the potential for a revolution. The Treaty of Versailles is, therefore, an indirect cause to World War II, because of the alliances it caused, the punishments it enforced, and the hatred it developed. The coalitions brought by the Versailles Treaty contributed greatly to starting WWII. The Treaty was responsible for the formation of the Allies. However, when made, these alliances were based on promises from the superpowers, particularly France.
Germany and her allies were blamed for the war. The Treaty of Versailles said that they had to pay for the cost of the war. The Treaty of Versailles is what caused World War II. If it had been less harsh on Germany, the Weimar Republic would have been stronger and would not have faced as much economic and social turmoil. Had the treaty been harsher, Germany would not have had the power to make war.
The actions of Adolf Hitler the Führer of the German Empire are the main causes for the starting of World War Two. The military actions of Germany such as rearming of the German forces, which increased Hitler’s power and confidence dramatically as did the assistance Germany provided during The Spanish Civil War. The breaking of The Munich Agreement by Hitler was also a very important cause because it made the other powers realise that Hitler could not keep his word and did not want peace. Finally Hitler’s overconfidence that he could invade Poland without starting a war was on of his most important actions as it the trigger point for the Second World War. As a result of Hitler’s actions millions of lives were lost and the entire world would never be the same again.
Hitler's Aims and Actions as the Cause of World War II When considering the reasons for the outbreak of war in 1939 it is easy to place the entire blame on Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy in the late 1930s. One British historian, writing a few years after the end of the war, claimed that ‘the Second World War was Hitler’s personal war, in that he intended it, he prepared for it, he chose the moment for launching it.’ In this assignment it is my intention to show that Hitler’s foreign policy was a major factor in causing the conflict but that other reasons, both long term and short term, need to be recognised as well. Probably the first factor that need considering is the Treaty of Versailles, of 1919.
The Treaty of Versailles is a cause of World War II because of the restrictions it placed on Germany as the alleged sole aggressor of the war. The war reparation totaled $98 billion, and under Clause 231 Germany was forced to take the entire load onto her ruined economy and attempt to repay the debt starting with an initial $5 billion payment. In terms of military, Germany was limited to a 100,000 man army, with her navy stripped to the level of a coast guard, she was allowed no heavy artillery, no weapons of mass destruction and the border with France became a demilitarized zone for 15 years following the signing of the treaty on June 28 1919. Germany also lost all her territories in Africa and became a mandate of the Allied Forces, those living in mandated zones could participate in “self-determination” after the Allies taught them how to be a democracy (...
At the end of World War One, Germany was required to pay a large sum of money to the Allies consequently resulting in the German Depression. The sum Germany had to pay was set after the Treaty of Versailles was enacted at approximately six billion, six hundred million – twenty-two billion pounds, (World War Two – Causes, Alan Hall, 2010). The large amount of reparations that Germany had to pay resulted in a depression and angered the Germans because they thought it was an excessive amount of money to pay, (World War Two – Causes) The Germans hatred of the Treaty of Versailles was of significant importance in propelling the Nazis to power. Germany could not pay their reparations and was forced into a depression, (World War II – Causes). The Treaty of Versailles deprived Germany of its economic production and its available employments, (World War II – Causes). The German Depr...
The Treaty of Versailles, initially created to keep peace in Europe and ensure that another war like World War I wouldn’t happen again, had in fact, backfired and spiraled the world down into a deeper, bloodier battle. The treaty discriminated strongly against Germany, with the loss of territories, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the War Guilt Clause. It caused humiliation and anger within Germany, and led to Hitler and the Nazi Party coming to power. World War II was not only started by Adolf Hitler and Germany, but had a lot to do with the humiliation that Germany felt when the terms for the Treaty of Versailles were laid down. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles may be indirectly related to the cause of World War II, but nonetheless was a huge factor in starting the war.
The Effect of the Great Depression on Hitler's Power There is no simple answer as to why Hitler became chancellor in January 1933. There are a number of causal factors which all contributed to his rise into power. Any of the factors, on its own, however, would not have resulted in his appointment. They are all linked in a web of causation and if any of the factors were missing, Hitler would not have been appointed chancellor. Of the factors I would say that the Great Depression was the most important.
Hitler was able to rise to power because of desperation and a desire for change among the German people. The Great Depression began in the United States in
The Second World War was caused by Germany’s desire to revoke the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and Hitler’s relentless quest for empire. This was considered a valid response to why the war began in 1939, until 1961 when A. J. P Taylor...
...l minor roles that resulted in World War Two becoming inevitable, despite the measures that were set in place to avoid this. Some of the reasons were: The Treaty of Versailles, The rise of Japan as a world power, the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany, and The League of Nations. These are all significant reasons that contribute towards the inevitability of the war, although the most important of all being: The rise of Adolf Hitler. Hitler caused the war to be inevitable by his beliefs, mind-set and most of all his actions. Although Germany had not been in The Treaty’s favour, Hitler still chose to invade countries and declare war, even when the League of Nations had tried to keep world peace and stop war from breaking out. The Second World War was inevitable mainly due to Adolf Hitler, even though things were put in place to avoid this from happening.
Because of this many businesses failed and most middle class people lost their savings. The Depression brought Hitler and the Nazis to power. One of the many reasons for Hitler becoming leader was because he promised to tear up the Treaty of Versailles. The first chance of survival, which happened to be Hitler who gave them promises, which they hoped were true, was ... ... middle of paper ... ...made them delay rearmament and become isolated.
How far can we attribute Hitler's rise to the Great Depression? The increase of Hitler’s influence in Germany was caused by several different factors. The Great Depression of 1929 played one of the roles in this process. Other reasons why Hitler could turn a democracy into a dictatorship was the internal sociopolitical situation in the Weimar Republic and last but not least the effects of the Treaty of Versailles.