At the conclusion of the devastating first World War, European nations had no interest in fighting another war; however, lingering feelings of animosity and aspirations for revenge on Germany would result in one of the deadliest wars in history. On January 18, 1919, delegates from thirty-two countries met in the Palace of Versailles, France to negotiate peace and determine the fate of Germany. After a year of heated debates, a series of severe sanctions were agreed upon. Germany lost all of its colonies as well as large amounts of valuable land that would be used to create new nations. War materials were forbidden and highly restrictive rules were imposed upon the military. The most humiliating article of the treaty, known as the War Guilt Clause, blamed Germany for the war and forced the Germans to pay an overwhelming sum of $35 billion for damage caused by the war. Though the Allies wanted to weaken Germany so that it could never wage war again, many world leaders feared that an overly punitive treaty could provoke feelings of revenge in Germany and consequently plunge Europe into yet another bloody war. (Beck 425-426) While German outrage was expected, the horrors that resulted from the signing of the treaty had consequences that left a legacy on the world. Though the Treaty of Versailles aimed to create a lasting peace after World War I, in Germany it led to the lack of faith in the government, an economic crisis, and the loss of considerable amounts of land, which in effect directly led to the rise of the fascist Nazi Party.
Adolf Hitler was able to rise to power in Germany because he exploited the anger and mistrust that the Germans felt towards their new government for signing the Treaty of Versailles. The German people we...
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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 Allies held a gun to Germany's head, with their trigger finger tense. Each article of the Versailles Treaty only made Germany more restless, until 1933 when Hitler produced his own gun and pointed it at the Allies. The Treaty had a series of unproportional effects upon Germany and its people. It caused a rift between the two sides because of the alliances that it formed, brewing tension. The punishments enforced upon Germany were unrealistically huge and it increased the wish among the Germans for the nullification of the Treaty.
On the 28th of June 1919, a peace treaty, also known as the treaty of Versailles, was signed, ending the First World War. The treaty had a humiliating effect causing great resentment. Germany had no choice but to accept the terms of the treaty, which later had a considerable impact on the countries running. The negotiations for this treaty took six months, at the Paris peace conference. Germany was forced to accept all responsibility for causing the war, making substantial territorial concessions along with disarming, which reduced their army to 100,000 men, no tanks or U-boats and the Rhineland, which previously belonged to Germany, was to be demilitarised. They also had reperations of £6.6 billion to pay back.Germany then lost all conections with it’s overseas colonies and could never again unite with Austria. They lost a large area of teritory to Belgium, France and Poland, this was a significant loss to Germany as these areas were rich in mineral wealth. This would put a strain on Germany’s ability to re pay the allies.
The harshness of the Treaty and the way in which it blamed Germany for World War I crippled Germany. Much of its territory was taken away from it, including West Prussia that went to form a new Polish Corridor to the sea. Plus the Treaty forced Germany to reduce its army, demilitarise the Rhineland and get rid of its navy. The Treaty also forced harsh reparations for the War resulting in a great deal of the German people resenting the Allies. And it was later that Hitler used the bitter memories of Versailles to gain public support for his actions.
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In addition, having lost the war, the humiliated Germans were forced by the Allies to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 that officially ended World War I. According to the harsh terms of the treaty, Germany had to hand over many of its richest industrial territories to the victors, and was made to pay reparations to the Allied countries it devastated during the war. Germany lost its pride, prestige, wealth, power, and the status of being one of Europe's greatest nations. (Resnick p. 15)
Residents of Winter Park, Florida (1981), which is a suburb of Orlando, woke up one day to the most terrifying nightmares their imagination had ever pictured. It all began with strange swishing noises and then an inexplicable noise. From their windows they saw lawn trees outside their houses simply disappear into what was familiar ground. In the twinkling of an eye parked cars and all the stuff they had left outside followed suit in quick succession, they all nose-dived straight into the ground.
Gavin, Philip. “End of Hostilities and Rise of Hitler.” Real Clear History. n.p. 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 13.
The “war to end all wars,” came to an end when the Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Powers. It was a peace agreement between the countries of the Allied Powers and ended Germany’s in...
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the factors that led to the inevitability of World War Two. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that occurred as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that was held after Germany was defeated in World War One. The Treaty was put into action and required that Germany should accept responsibility for the war; of course Germany was humiliated by this. They were required to pay colossal war reparation payments. This was one of the main reasons the treaty had a severe impact on Germany; it crippled the German economy and critically reduced the living standards of the people. This made it virtually impossible for the German economy to function productively. The effects that the treaty had on Germany directly led to the rise of Hitler who he capitalised on German resentment at their treatment. He provided a focus for the German people and their desire to take back what they once had, and to restore their pride once again becoming a glorious nation.
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The cruelest part of the treaty was the War Guilt Clause, which forced Germany to take full blame for the entire war. The War Guilt Clause angered and humiliated many of the German people. The main cause of the harshness of the peace treaties was Georges Clemenceau as he wanted revenge and wished for Germany to be punished severely. Germany was also greatly angered that they were not invited to the League of Nations, and were not given the right to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles. This was unjust, but what made the situation worse was France’s invasion of the Ruhr area that took all most of Germany’s resources when she was already bankrupt and falling
Germany's Objections to the Treaty of Versailles. Subsequent to the German government conceding defeat in World War I. Britain, America and France wrote up a treaty that Germany had no option but to sign it. This treaty was the Treaty of Versailles and was widely considered to be one of the harshest treaties ever written. The The German public obviously had many objections to the terms of the treaty. and this essay will discover what these objections are and how far they are not justified in.
This study will seek to answer the question “How did the Treaty of Versailles during WW1 contribute to further conflict in the middle east?” I chose this topic because since my dad is in the air force he deals with the Middle East on multiple occasions. I thought it would be interesting to study this to see what could have been the cause of the crisis we see today. We could learn ways to handle the Middle East better by basing plans off what we know from WW1.
The Treaty of Versailles severely punished Germany and provided the motivation for the second World War only twenty years later, and led to Hitler’s rise in