Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Impacts of the Treaty of Versailles
Impacts of the Treaty of Versailles
Impacts of the Treaty of Versailles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
How is the Treaty of Versailles a cause of World War II?
The goal of the treaty of Versailles was to prevent war, but instead it caused another. World War I was fought through 1914-1918 and ended with more than 41 million casualties. World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars but, the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany which led to more conflicts.Therefore, the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II because, it weakened the German economy, the terms of the treaty angered and humiliated Germany, and it helped Hitler to rise to power.
One reason the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II was it destroyed the German economy. Germany lost a large number of territories, resources and they were forced to pay respirations. According to the map in Document A, Germany lost Alsace, Polish Corridor, Danzig and Lorraine.This led to a 40 percent reduction in Germany’s coal production.In addition to losing land and resources, Germany was forced to pay reparations. Document C shows Germany had 30 years to pay 132 billion gold marks. The stock market crash of 1929 placed Germany in an economic depression, and they couldn’t pay the respirations.
…show more content…
The Treaty of Versailles led to World War II because, it made Germany look weakened, which angered and humiliated the German citizens.
The German citizens were angry because they were forced to take full responsibility for the war. They were also humiliated and angry when their military was reduced. Document D states that “The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all loss and damage.” Germany taking full responsibility caused aggression to Germany allies. In Document B, German militaries were reduced and had restrictions. German military troops could not exceed 100,000 men including officers and their army should be devoted exclusively to within the German territory and
frontiers. The Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II because of Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler believed that Germany should go to war over the treaty of Versailles.According to document A, Hitler states “restoration of the frontiers of 1914 could be achieved only by blood.” Meaning that the only way to fix the Treaty of Versailles is by having another war. Document D shows that Hitler gave Germany hope and made Germany anew. German citizens felt disgraced and a cast off, they lost their sense of worth and self value. Hitler restored a sense of pride, reawakened a sense of self respect which caused the world to look at Germany differently. In conclusion, the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II because, it weakened the German economy which caused Germany to lose resources and territory. The treaty of Versailles also brought anger and humiliation to the German citizens by forcing Germany to take full responsibly of the war damage, and reducing their military. Lastly, the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II because, Hitler gave Germany hope and that led Hitler’s rise to power.
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.
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.
The Treaty of versailles contributed to World War 2 by severely weakening Germany economically through
One main way the Treaty of Versailles caused WWII is the territorial losses Germany suffered. According to “German Territorial Losses, Versailles Treaty, 1919,” Germany lost a lot of land from the treaty. Some of the land the Germans lost was rich in coal, and when lost, the German’ coal production was reduced by 40%. As a result, Germany wanted its pre-war land back. As Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf says, “the restoration of the frontiers of 1914 could only be achieved by blood…” which foreshadows a war, with intent to get back lost land. Furthermore, the Germans were furious, which also foreshadows a war. All of the aforesaid evidence points to the Treaty of Versailles being responsible for WWII.
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 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.
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.
Anthony J D’Angelo once said, “Reality doesn’t bite, rather our perception of reality bites.” D’Angelo is saying that it isn’t the truth that affects us, it is the way we look at, perceive, and take in truth that changes how what we think about it. When the Treaty of Versailles was signed and presented there was multiple reactions from the German people, the way they perceived the Treaty is what led to their reactions. While both perception and reality played an important role in the making of the Treaty of Versailles and the reaction to it, it was the perception of reality and how this changed how people thought that played a far more important role in the fail of the treaty.
The Treaty of Versailles did not just end World War I, but it also changed the world. From it changing every countries view on Germany, to changing Germany itself. It contained many conditions, which led to the countless numbers of results. This treaty created a completely different outlook on the world.
The Treaty of Versailles can be directly linked to many of the short-term causes. For example, the Great Depression was a short-term effect that can be linked to the Treaty of Versailles. The Great Depression was a result of the Wall Street Cash in America of October 1929. The crash had a devastating impact on American economy, and because America had propped up the Weimar Republic with huge loans in 1924 (the Dawes Plan) and in 1929 (the Young Plan) had a huge impact on the Weimar Republic’s economy. (History Learning Site). Because of this, unemployment skyrocketed, and remembered with fear the hyperinflation of the 1920s. They were anxious that the government wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Many Germans needed money that was not available for food, heating, and clothing. So it is not surprising that those people turned to the more extreme pol...
All of these factors integrated up to the commencement of World War II and they were all caused by the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was the major cause of World War II. The stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles were categorically aimed at making Germany as impotent as possible. Certain components of the treaty took away German territory and distributed it to other countries or the territory was habituated to compose incipient countries. Areas like the Saar Basin and Upper Silesia, which were paramount to the German economy, were given to France and Poland, respectively.3 Poland supplementally received Danzig.4 Other territories that were ceded included Alsace-Lorraine to France, Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium, North Schleswig to Denmark, and West Prussia, which became known as the Polish Corridor, to Poland.5 All of Germany’s overseas 1 colonies were ceded to the Allies as well.6 The Treaty of Versailles withal engendered the of Versailles emasculated Germany’s denotes of conveyance.
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.
The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty created at the end of World War I, in hopes of establishing peace among nations. Although it sought after harmony, the United States’ Senate refused to ratify the treaty due to the distasteful idea of the United States’ involvement in the League of Nations, and Woodrow Wilson’s unwillingness to compromise with Henry Cabot Lodge’s revisions of The Treaty of Versailles.