After the end of the first World War (1914-1918), Germany and its citizens were to take the blame for the war. A document known as the “Treaty of Versailles” explained the actions and reparations Germany had to take in order to pay for the war damage and casualties. A higher power known as Hitler rose to power after recognizing the harmful effects of the treaty and fueling the hope and pride of Germans. The Treaty of Versailles contributed to the beginning of WWII because Germany lost a lot of land and resources, Germany’s army was diminished to almost none, and Germany finally recognized the extent of the harsh treatment in the treaty.
With the introduction of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to give up a lot of its land and territory. This was harmful
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That number included active troops, reserve troops, and officers and commanders. It was a struggle for Germany because their neighboring country, France, had a total of around 4,760,000 troops, reservists and peacekeepers around, according to the political cartoon titled “Troop Levels, 1920” (Doc B). Germany was only allowed to keep 100,000 troops as peacekeepers, making sure no major crimes happen within the country, the troops were not allowed to go to war and fight other countries for power control. The political cartoon also shows Germany surrounded by other countries holding chains that all connect to France. That means that if Germany were to attempt an attack on a neighboring country, every other neighboring country would attack Germany back and neutralize them (Troop Levels, 1920, Doc B). Germans clearly felt vulnerable to all of their neighboring countries who were more powerful than themselves and needed to go to war to restore its military power, which would have sparked a need for restoration of the army by