Opposition of the Versailles Treaty in Germany Many people believe that the Versailles Treaty was to blame for the long term undermining of the Weimar Republic. There would have been no way that the German people would have accepted the treaty unless the Allies hadn't threatened to continue the war and dismember Germany. This was because German propaganda had shielded the people from what was really happening on the fronts. One of the main reasons the German people rejected the treaty so much was because they would have had no idea what was happening at the front apart from what they would read in biased German newspapers. So when defeat came the people were completely unprepared for it. For several months before the war ended the German people had been suffering from hunger and starvation due to the blockade of German ports and a food shortage in 1918, so when the war ended they expected this to end but it didn't. Many Germans also expected favourable terms in the peace treaty like they had received when the treaty of Brest Litovsk was signed with Russia in march 1918, which ended fighting on the Eastern front. In this treaty Germany had received huge land gains in Russia, but these were taken away by the allies in the treaty of Versailles. This increased the shock effect of the treaty, which the new German government had no choice but to sign. Another thing, which added to the shock effect of the treaty, was that only a few of Wilson's fourteen points had been incorporated into it. The self-determination clause was to be used for the smaller nations in Europe these included Poland and Czechoslovakia. This clause meant that people would vote on which country they wished to belong to, but for Germany much of its territory and many of its citizens were handed over to Poland without voting. The German people were outraged by this, as a much larger majority of the population in these areas were
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.
What started with an assassination of an Austrian prince unpopular in with royalty in Vienna and plotters in Belgrade ended in war. Four years of artillery, machine guns, and poison gas had ruined the countryside of Europe. Woodrow Wilson put the blame for dead millions at the feet of secret diplomacy, excessive armament, imperialism, and the lack of international cooperation. His plan for a lasting peace was presented to the world in the form of the Fourteen Points, some of which were present in the final plan for peace, the Treaty of Versailles, which faced internal opposition at home. It was the strength of this opposition, from self or fawning-historian labeled "progressives" to conservatives and isolationists, in conjunction with the intractability and incompetence of President Wilson that encouraged the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.
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.
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...
Hitler and the Road to War At this time Germany was becoming too populated for her own stability. Her population had come to a level that Germany could not longer feed and support them without huge imports. She a lack of resources anyway and with the further deduction of land after Versailles this became even more of a problem. When Hitler laid out his plans, in his book; Mein Kampf, he showed that he understood the problems Germany faced. He wrote what he believed was to be their solution; "Germany must find the courage to gather our people and their strength for an advance along the road that will lead this people from its present restricted living space to new land and soil, and hence also free it from the danger of vanishing from the earth or of serving others as a slave nation.
August 4, 1914 the German parliament decided to support the mobilization of war. With this decision they also declared a “civil peace” which meant that Germany would unite to defend their country, putting all their political differences aside. Many Germans were very happy with this decision, thinking that the war would be quick and victorious; however, as time passed by more growing resentful of the war and the German government. This can be seen through various opinions in the beginning, middle, and end of the war.
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)
The Treaty of Versailles is one of the most controversial postwar resolutions ever drawn up. The leaders of the prevailing 4 nations, Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau, David Lloyd George, and Vittorio Orlando, were the authors of this controversial document. Each leader went into Versailles with their own idea of how the world should look after the great war. However, the European leaders widely agreed that Germany should be restricted, to some extent, militarily and sanctioned economically. France demanded the most from Germany, to ensure that Germany could not recreate a war machine ever again. Specifically, France wanted to annex Alsace-Lorraine and the Rhineland to create a buffer zone between Germany and mainland France. France demanded
middle of paper ... ... 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.
Many people in other lands thought that the treaty was a way of making legal the punishment on the Germans and this was in violation of Wilsonian idealism. The peacemakers should have been able to set aside hatred that was built up from the past in order to come up with a more proper and fair settlement. Instead of doing this, they placed the blame on the Germans by forcing them to pay for reparations they couldn't afford, insulting them with the accusation of guilt from the war and taking away their territory. The treaty would only intensify the hatred felt by all the parties involved in the treaty and heighten German nationalism. This was a poor beginning for democracy in Germany and for Wilson's New World.
Germany : The reactions of Germans in general was 'pain and anger'. They felt it was unfair. It was a forced resolution. They had not been permitted to take part in the meeting – they had just been told to sign. Many German politicians criticized the treaty and offered counter proposals and they were not considered. This is when Lloyd George felt they should rethink the treaty. Many Germans sought to decline the treaty; a few even recommended that they initiate the war again.
The focus of this study is the effect that Otto Von Bismarck's leadership and politics had on Pre-World War One tensions in Europe. This study investigates to what extent the actions of Otto Von Bismarck led to World War One. The focus of this study is the period between Bismarck's appointment to Minister President of Prussia on September 23, 1862 and the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Bismarck's earlier career is discussed briefly but only as a method to understand his political attitudes. And similarly, as Bismarck was removed from office in 1890, the only events discussed between 1890 and 1914 will be based off of policies instilled by Bismarck, not those of Wilhelm II.
Exploring the Reasons Behind Public's Discontent with the Weimar Government There were a number of reasons why the German people were unhappy with the Weimar government. One of the main reasons for this was the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The result of this was that Germany has to take the war guilt, Germany had to pay reparations of 6,600 million marks to the allies in particular France, Germany lost its colonies, it lost its air force & tanks, and its soldiers were restricted to 100,000. The Ruhr was demilitarised. Also they lost their colonies and its land was cut up such as the Polish Corridor and Alsace Lorraine.
Were Hitler’s Actions the Main Cause of World War Two? Adolf Hitler was a great and inspirational leader to many but to others he was a cold-blooded and ruthless killer. He was born to Alois and Klara Hitler on April 20th 1889 in a small Austrian town called Braunau. He ruled Germany for 12 years (1933-45) and was an extremely interesting leader.
German people were unused to a democracy and blamed the government “November criminals”, for signing the Treaty of Versailles. From the very beginning, the new Weimar government faced opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. The Left wing Spartacist group, lead by Liebknecht and Luxemburg, looked up to the new Soviet councils in Russia, wanted to place Germany into a similar system.