(A) The Treaty of Versailles, with its heavy penalties and restrictions on Germany, backfired spectacularly, as the resulting instability in the country and across Europe helped set the stage for the catastrophic events of World War 2. The treaty’s attempts at weakening a once military powerhouse by forcing it to pay reparations and causing political and economic instability, in turn, played a hand in making it stronger. This created a fertile ground for the rise of extreme political movements like the Nazi Party, which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II. (B) How did the Versailles Treaty, whose original objective was to end a war peacefully, aid in causing World War II, a worse conflict than World War l? (C) The Treaty of Versailles …show more content…
Next, the reparation payments placed on the Germans did not aid their struggle with their damaged economy and high debt levels. Lastly, the vulnerability and hatred among the German people assisted in Hitler’s takeover of Germany and its people's weak state, allowing an extremist political party to take over.
(A) The reduction of military forces, courtesy of the Versailles Treaty, would increase Germany’s vulnerability to its neighboring allies, leading to World War 2. (BI) The Treaty of Versailles consisted of the obligation for Germany to reduce its military forces to only one hundred thousand soldiers, only enough to keep order within the territory. (BC) In the first part of Germany’s Military Reduction, Article 160 states, “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.” (Doc. B). (BE) A reduction in military troops to only enough to protect borders showed a significant ratio compared to the other nations surrounding Germany, who had
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(BI) Another requirement for compensation for Germany’s actions was to fulfill the obligation of paying reparations and essentially taking full responsibility for reparations. (BC) In Germany’s Reparations and Debt, an excerpt from Article 232 states “that she will make compensation for all damage done” (Doc C). (BE) After a brutal four-year war that consumed many resources and demolished economies throughout Europe, Germany was suffering through an economical struggle and starting to fall deeper into debt with the responsibilities of reparations. The payment of reparations placed a significant burden on the German economy, which was already struggling to recover from the devastation of World War I. The high level of reparations led to a severe economic crisis in Germany, characterized by hyperinflation, unemployment, and social unrest. This economic crisis was exploited by extremist political movements, particularly the Nazi Party, which promised to restore economic stability and prosperity to Germany. The Nazi Party's economic policies, including massive public works programs, rearmament, and aggressive expansion, helped to revive the German economy in the short term but ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II. (CI) Another factor