Germany's Mistakes Dbq

It is widely thought the only way somebody can truly learn from their mistakes is through correctional punishment. After WWI the Treaty of Versaille was used to punish Germany for the carnage it caused during WWI; however, the punishments dished out in the treaty set the stage for future conflict in Europe. The Treaty of Versaille set the stage for WWII by seizing German lands, limiting the size of Germany’s military, forcing Germany to pay large financial reparations, and placing the blame for WWI completely on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles seized several areas of Germany that produced goods that were vital to its economy. This contributed to Germany’s financial destruction post WWI. In Document A, it is stated that the Alsace and Lorraine

The nations surrounding Germany, including France, had much stronger and powerful militaries, leaving the German people feeling powerless. In Document B, Article 160 of the Treaty of Versaille it is stated, “The German Army must not comprise more than seven divisions of infantry and three divisions of cavalry…. After that date the total number of [military troops]…in…Germany must not exceed one hundred thousand men, including officers.... The Army shall be devoted exclusively to the maintenance of order within the territory and to the control of the frontiers….” The German military was forced to weaken itself and become devoted to peace. These conditions made the German people feel weak, insignificant, and

The German people, for obvious reasons, thought the treaty was unfair. In Document D, an excerpt from Victory Must Be Ours: Germany in The Great War 1914-1918 by Laurence V. Moyer “The Allies continued in the years after 1919 to regard the [Versailles] Treaty as an international contract…but most Germans saw it as an atrocious injustice, an evil thing which must be destroyed. This feeling persisted long after most of the provisions had been carried out, long after many Germans could even name its provisions. What