The Versailles Treaty
The Versailles treaty had an amazing affect on the future of all the countries in Europe that were a part of World War One. However, the treaty had the most devastating affect on the future of Germany. The treaty of Versailles essentially made the German people entirely responsible for the First World War. This blame that was put on Germany was one of the main factors responsible for Germany's economic and political future, leading up to World War Two.
Because France blamed Germany for the First World War, they forced them to pay for all of the damages that was considered their fault. This was extremely demoralizing to the economics in the country, because Germany had to basically pay for the entire war, which caused Germany to plunge deeply into debt. According to articles 159-187, Germany not only had to pay off their debt, but also had to pay off the debt that Belgium had to the allies. The article also stated that Germany was expected to pay reparations for casualties, that were to be paid to the families of the deceased, they had to pay for all non-military damages, and all the ship that were destroyed at the hands of the Germans. The French also took total control over the Saan Busin, and controlled all of the coal deposits and the railroad systems. This was devastating to the future of Germany because there was no feasible way that the Germans could repay this debt entirely.
Not only was Germany forced to pay ridiculous debts, but the treaty of Versailles was also caused Germany to lose large portions of their land. According to articles 31 - 50, Germany was forced to give back all of the land they took from Belgium. They were also required to return Luxenberg and Alsace Lorain. This was devastating to the future of Germany because without their land, they could not expand their empire. Germany's economic future was put into danger because they could no longer trade with members of the allied party.
The Versailles treaty was also responsible for the political problems the country faced after World War One. The treaty stated, in articles 42-44 that Germany was not allowed to have any armed forces and if this rule were not followed, it would be considered a hostile action.
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreThe Treaty of versailles contributed to World War 2 by severely weakening Germany economically through
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 signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, marked the end of WW1 and the beginning of severe depression in Germany. The treaty mandated disarmament, heavy reparations, a loss of 15% of German territory, which in turn took 7 million of her citizens, 75% of its iron-ore, its entire Navy, and all merchant men (Siegel 3). The effects of the treaty were devastating, causing severe unemployment (nearly 6 million in Germany) and devaluation of the German mark. Millions lost their life savings and became destitute. Other requirements included "the surrender of goods in vast quantities and the requirement to sign over future commercial opportunities" (Seigel 3). Germany's economy was devastated and Hitler was waiting, hovering in the darkness, to take full advantage of thi...
However, the main creators of the Treaty, the US, Italy, Britain and France, did not realize that the Treaty was potentially leading to the Second World War. The Treaty was very harsh to Germans, its main terms were Germany admitting to the blame for the First World War and changing territorial claims. A lot of land was taken from Germany and the economy became very poor because of the debt they had to pay to others. There were very little jobs, and food was very expensive as well as other services. It made Germans end up supporting Hitler a lot because he promised to ignore the Treaty shortly after coming to power. The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and as a result did not keep the peace if was supposed to, much like the League of Nations which was created alongside the Treaty.
World War I was the most destructive and deadly war for its time the world has ever experienced. There was a great amount of effort put into insuring that it would not happen again. At the Paris Peace Conference the ground work was laid for a new safer, and more organized Europe. In doing so it was necessary to instruct new laws, and to reestablish boundaries of countries. This meant that the losers of the war, mostly Germany, would have to suffer the most. The resulting laws agreed on by all the attending countries were known as The Treaty of Versailles. The treaty of Versailles failed to ensure permanent global peace because Germany resented the terms of the treaty. Feeling as if the treaty were unfair, Germany became increasingly set on
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)
It led to twenty years of peace in Europe, but the conflict between the two parties still wasn’t resolved. On one hand, it was hard to solve the problem which involved the fiscal relationship between European countries (mainly Great Britain, Germany, and France) during the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The Treaty of Versailles and its related treaty system affected Europe in culture, politics and economy. The Treaty of Versailles facilitates the dissemination of nationalism and liberalism. It definitely changed the political pattern in Europe and the Middle East. It also paid an indemnity and the money of the Allied Powers was split unevenly, a direct result of the economy change in Europe and mostly led to World War II in long-term
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, marks the day that WWI descended into armistice. However, the involved countries reached an agreement as to the events following the war on the 28th of June, 1919. The famous Treaty of Versailles was known for its role in ending war. But it was not known for being a double-edged sword, as the ending of war came with the consequence of causing future war. The Treaty consisted of uncontested biases due to Germany's unconditional surrender. 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. Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to 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 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 (...
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.
Treaty of Versailles was a treaty between the Allies and Germany. Allied leaders considered it the most important of the five agreements. While the Allies believed it was the most important the Germans thought I was unfair. The treaty forced Germany to pay money to the winners and to give up land and weapons. Many treaties were made. Although they tried to make treaties, it still didn't help later
WWI created the Treaty of Versailles which led to the punishment of Germany with unfair rules and regulations. The terms of the Treaty made Germany give up most of their military power. Additionally Germany had to give up conquered land. Also, after WW1 put many effects on Germany. Shortly after the Treaty was signed the German Government was in a state of chaos until the Weimar system was introduced into Germany, which was in place for a little over a decade and the system had many flaws especially during Hyperinflation and Depression. So the German people were in need of a rescuer. Then Hitler comes along promising to gain back power in Germany but started a war with the actions he made like attacking other nations and taking over land.
The Treaty of Versailles, signed by the Weimar Republic at the conclusion of WW1, introduced economic insatiability and caused a profusion of hardship. The idea of resorting to an extremist group promising better alternatives became an attractive option to many Germans. The Treaty of Versailles’ vindictive terms and unreasonable reparations (6,600,000,000 pounds) resulted in undesired economic circumstances. Unemployment rose to 25%, no less than fifty percent of school children were undernourished and annual meat consumption fell from 52kg to 26kg per person. In general, the German standard of living decreased dramatically. The terms of the hated treaty angered and frustrated people. Hitler, intensely detesting the November criminals1, promised to build a back powerful nation, the German public, in a state of disillusionment, responded positively to this claim and began to support the Nazi Party. Hitler’s ability to take advantage of the Treaty of Versalles and the hardship that it brought to the German nation contributed to Hitler’s rise to power and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the end results of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson came up with a large portion of the treaty such as the League of Nations and his famous 14 points. The overall purpose of the treaty was to repair the damages caused by World War I, return everything as close to normal as possible, and lastly to keep peace in hopes of preventing future devastating wars.
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.