How Did The Treaty Of Versailles Affect The Economy Of Germany

After World War I the German economy completely collapsed due to the effects of the conflict and the Treaty of Versailles. There were large numbers of German people out of work and the country was looking for a way back to prosperity. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party promised a return to prosperity and power for the German people. Hitler promised to reject the Treaty of Versailles in order to restore economic strength and Germany’s rightful place at the head of the world. (History.co.uk). At first they were able to create growth through government programs, such as the autobahn and other government initiatives. These turned out to be unsustainable over the long haul. The Nazi’s had other more ambitious plans that they would rapidly begin to implement that had a dramatic effect on the economic and social conditions of Germany in WWII. After taking control, Hitler then began his strategy of invading other European nations in order to revive

In order to “cleanse society”, the Jews were thrown into the concentration camps and that started one of history’s biggest genocides. (The Big Book of World War II, 38-39) Simultaneously the Jews were stripped of their German citizenship. They were no longer permitted to hold government positions and Jewish businesses were boycotted. The Nazis began rounding up Jewish people in Germany and Austria and forcing them to live in ghettos. These communities had horrible conditions and made day to day life extremely difficult. They continued this practice after they invaded Poland and the Baltic regions. As these practices expanded, the German economy began to turn more positive. The German citizens believed that these outcomes were related to each other. But actually the positive change in the economy was mainly from the focus on the machinery and weapons production because of the