How Did The Treaty Of Versailles Lead To Ww2

At the end of World War 1, the victorious nations met in France to hammer out a treaty that would officially end what was the most destructive war in modern history. That treaty’s name was the Treaty of Versailles. Over the last 75 years, historians have argued that the Treaty of Versailles, and the demands within it, directly led to World War II; there is far too much evidence supporting the fact that the treaty did lead to World War II. Evidence such as territorial losses, reforming of the German military, Reparations to be paid from the Germans to the Allies, and the War Guilt Clause, all point to the fact that the Treaty of Versailles directly led to World War II.

The territorial losses that Germany had to accept were shocking. Germany had to give up Alsace, Lorraine and the Polish Corridor. Alsace and Lorraine had the most productive coal mines in Germany, therefore meaning the nation lost around 40% of their coal production.

Clemenceau wanted it to be practically abolished because France suffered the largest loss of life, but the others saw this as an extreme, therefore the big three settled on a limit of 100,000 soldiers, which must comprise of no more than seven infantry divisions and three cavalry divisions. This was a fair play on the part of the Allies because Germanys army was out there to do more than just defend the nation, so the treaty put them back into place. The Allied countries were now so powerful compared to Germany that the Germans started to feel intimidated by the surrounding countries. This probably ripened their want for revenge, which came out when Hitler protested the treaty and rose to power, and then officially started WW2. Another thing that angered them greatly was that not only their military was reduced, but the country was expected to pay for all damage done, by other countries as well as their