Treaty of Versailles-Cause of World War Two

Though the treaty of versailles created peace and harmony in many nations after the first world war it left Germany to be humiliated and dishonored and to be worthless as a result Germany revolted, plunging the world into a second world war.

World War I is a war that took the lives of more than 10 million soldiers and over 7 million civilians, and wounded 10 million more. It was a conflict between the Axis powers, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Turkey, and the Allies, France, England, Russia, and Italy. After the war ended the leaders met at the Versailles Palace just outside of Paris for a treaty to settle future disputes and avoid war. The treaty was finally signed on June 28, 1919 and because Germany was responsible for war damageous and costs, they were angry and humiliated. The Treaty of Versailles lead to World War II through territorial losses, military restrictions, economic war reparations, and war guilt.

There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. However, we get a better idea as to how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Versailles Treaty was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States to make peace. How did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later. The Treaty Of Versailles helped cause World War II by treating Germany harshly. This harsh treatment can be seen in three areas: territorial losses, economic losses and ¨ war guilt.¨

Everyone wants peace but it is not often that it is accomplished, especially between nations. Even though World War 1 was over, disputes between nations did not come to an end, but continued. The Treaty of Versailles was one of many attempts. It was a document that ended World War 1; however, it solely blamed Germany for the war and forced Germany to pay reparations. Furthermore, the treaty was also unfair because Germany did not even attend the meeting, Germany was blamed and humiliated, and they also had to pay everything.

How Did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause World War II? The Great War, or World War I, was a war that took the lives of 10 million soldiers, seven million civilians, and wounded more than 10 million men, finally came to an end on November 11, 1918. After the war, a conference was held at the Versailles Palace, just outside of Paris, to hammer out a treaty. The Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau, of France, David Lloyd George of England, and the president, Woodrow Wilson, of the United States, were the victorious allied nations that came together and created the Versailles Treaty, where Germany was given no voice and Russia was not represented because they were pulled out of the war in 1917.

The Treaty of Versailles was meant to prevent another devastating World War, but instead it gave rise to the Nazi party and started the Second World War. World War I was a deadly internationally battle that killed 10 million soldiers and seven million civilians, and wounded ten million more. Germany and Austria-Hungary fought against France, England, Russia, and the United States, and ultimately lost. After the war ended, the leaders of the world, except from Germany, met and formed the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28, 1919. This agreement was meant to prevent future German aggression through strict rules. In reality, it helped cause World War II by imposing territorial losses, military restrictions, economic reparation, and a War Guilt Clause.

Imagine a court in the 1900s where all the nations of Europe were gathered around to finally end the current conflict and possibly all future wars. Tension built up in each country as each nation signed a treaty that would promise this goal. However, this treaty only caused even more conflict. Thus, one might ask themselves, In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles lead to World War II? The Treaty of Versailles created tension and anger in different countries that it helped cause World War II.

The Treaty of Versailles was a controversial treaty, not only because of what it embodied, but what it took to get the Treaty in motion. The Great War, or World War I, lasted between 1914 and 1918. This war occurred over a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, political alliances between nations, ethnic tensions in Europe, and most of all, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria-Hungary. With the bloody stalemate continuing without any end, the United States still held its position as a neutral world power, but events, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, caused the United States to recant its neutral position to a position in fighting against Germany. The end of World War I officially ended by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but wasn't signed by the U.S. Whether this was President Wilson's fault or the Senate's fault, has been questioned over the last decade.

One of the major events that led to the outbreak of World War II was the treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties that ended of World War I. It ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The Germans were very much upset because their land was taken away from them. Basically, the treaty forced the Germans to take the blame for World War I. The Germans had no say so in regards to the treaty and had to compensate the other states for their damages. Treaty of Versailles crippled Germany economically and militarily, the intention was to prevent Germany from becoming strong enough to be a threat to its neighbors for the expected future. Hitler wanted to get Germany land that was lost, so it triggered

After WWI, Germany fell into poverty. Everyday, lines of people were seen in the streets waiting to purchase bread. People were poor and desperate. Hitler saw this and used it. He gave people hope and the economy improved and he was announced chancellor of Germany in 1933. Government suspected he was unstable, but were convinced they could control him if necessary. Hitler secretly made a new police called the Nazis who were Hitler’s supporters and enforced the law at Hitler’s command. Quickly and unknowingly, the government was no longer in control of Hitler. Hitler had full power of Germany.

As historians look back at World War II, they have noticed a lot of causes for the war. One of the biggest causes that got Germany to start World War II was the Versailles Treaty. The Versailles Treaty took land away from Germany, forced them to pay an unfair amount of money, and placed all of the blame for World War I on Germany. The first reason for how the Versailles Treaty was the major cause of World War II was how it took away land from Germany. In document A, Hitler reflects on the creation of the Versailles Treaty saying that “Only childish and naive minds can lull themselves in the idea that they can bring about a correction of Versailles by wheedling and begging”.

The First World War can only be described as having been devastating. Thanks to World War I, Europe was left in debt and largely devastated. Both sides, i.e. the winners and the losers, suffered casualties never experienced prior to the First Word War. Millions were killed and scores wounded. It is thus understandable that at the end of it all, the victors were seething with anger and seeking revenge. They sought to make those they blamed for the war as weak as possible and with this, the Treaty of Versailles was born. To date, this very treaty is regarded the major cause of the Second World War. Instead of creating peace, as it was intended, this treaty ended up triggering yet another conflict.

The peace treaties of 1919-1923 were unfair, especially the treaty of Versailles. This happened because it angered the Germans. The following reasons why it angered the Germans is that it felt unfair. They hated clause 231, which blamed them for full responsibility of the war, even though the allies also caused the war. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Serbia was allies with France and Russia. Germany lost one tenth of their land, which was important

“The terms of the Treaty of Versailles ordered that Germany had to pay huge sums in reparations to the Allies. In 1921, as Germany could not pay, French and Belgian troops invaded and occupied the Ruhr to take goods and raw materials.” (Holocaust Explained)14 Due to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to pay reparations as well as debts from the war to those who fought for Germany. Due to the money the country owed, inflation occurred and money became useless in Germany. Businesses became bankrupt and millions of Germans were unemployed. Hitler knew how to manipulate the German people into helping him rise to power. He first started out with speeches, with the ideology of anti-Semitism revolved around it, in order to manipulate the Germans into following

World War I, which was initiated by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, lasted from 1914 until 1918. It was fought on 3 different continents which include Europe, Asia, and Africa. Even countries that were not directly involved were still negatively impacted by the effects of the war. World leaders gathered in Paris to end the war by creating the Treaty of Versailles. While the treaty was intended to keep the peace after World War I, it contributed to the onset of World War II by infuriating the Germans with its harsh terms, the leaders of the Conference of Versailles all having different goals, and the failure of the US to ratify the treaty.