Germany and the Treaty of Versailles

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Germany & the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 at the great Palace of Versailles in France. The victorious Allies, (Great Britain, France and Italy, and the United States), all came together to decide what punishment Germany should receive for the total devastation left by this war that they started, and what to do with the Central Powers, (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) in general. The Allies were furious that they had lost so much in this war, and gained so little; while Germany’s land was practically untouched. The armistice was a slap in the face to Germany, especially because it was being announced at the palace of Germany’s most hated rival, France, and because Germany wasn’t even invited. (Kishlansky, Geary and O'Brien).

The Allies agreed that Germany was to be held accountable for the war in the War Guilt Clause; thus, they should pay reparations for their actions. Germany was ordered to disarm and strip-down their military forces to 100,000 men. German troops were ordered out of the Rhineland - and they were forced to hand over their ship fleets to the British. They were ordered to pay for all the damage done to the other countries starting with an initial 5 billion dollars towards their 32 billion dollar bill; in addition to losing much of their land that produced sources of raw materials. They even had to give up land they had previously won, like Alsace and Lorraine and because they destroyed France’s coal producing lands, they lost Saar and the coal it produced to France for 15 years. They were stripped down to virtually nothing and Germany was crippled as a nation. The Germans did not want to sign the treaty; as a matter of fact, they destroy...

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...orrifying the number of people he slaughtered in what was to be called the Holocaust. His whole mission was to purify the German race “exterminate” all those who were not healthy, pure blooded Germans. His method of Euthanasia killed women, men, and children who did not meet the biological standard of the German race. Pretty soon, there was no one to oppose his regime because he had killed them all. He felt that he was invincible. Under Hitler’s leadership, Germany was revitalized and ready for World War II. (Kishlansy, Geary and O'Brien).

Works Cited
Kishlansky, Mark, Patrick Geary and Patricia O'Brien. Civilization in the West.

New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.

"Treaty of Versailles and After: Annotations of the Text of the Treaty." 1944.

Modern History Soiurce Book. 20 2 2010 .

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