Following the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles was ratified in 1919 with the goal of bringing a lasting peace in Europe between the Allied powers and Germany. However, its unpopular and one-sided declarations, combined with the harsh reparations imposed on the defeated nations, would ultimately lead to the outbreak of World War II less than two decades later. The treaty was a harsh punishment on Germany forcing them to set limits on their military capabilities and make reparation payments. The Treaty of Versailles did not adequately address the grievances of the German people, which ultimately led to a resurgence of nationalism, militarism, and resentment of the Allies, contributing to the outbreak of World War II.
France, England,
…show more content…
The total reparations were set at $55,000,000,000, a number that many saw as excessive and unfair (Document 1). Germany’s economy was already struggling from the war, and the reparations only made things worse. The payments were very difficult to make due to the high levels of inflation and the fact that Germany had to pay in gold or foreign currency, which it did not have. These terms, combined with the disruption caused by the war, led to a period of hyperinflation in Germany during the early 1920s. They printed large amounts of paper money in order to make the payments, creating an inflationary spiral. Inflation eventually peaked at a rate of over 305 percent in 1921, drastically reducing the value of the German currency and leading to a severe economic crisis. Due to these high expenses, Germany experienced inflation of almost 100,000,000%, making it necessary to employ wheel barrels of Marks in order to purchase bread (Document 6 and 7). At the height of the crisis in 1923 German currency had become completely worthless, making it difficult for the country to pay its debts. One U.S. Dollar was worth 4 trillion German marks (Document 6).
The Treaty of Versailles had a significant negative impact on German nationalism.Article 231 of the treaty caused the German people to be harshly shamed for their involvement in the war, as they were required to accept full responsibility. There was a lot of resentment and anger as a result, which in turn encouraged the rise of German nationalism.The treaty was seen by many Germans as an insult and a betrayal of their sense of national honor. This humiliation led to resentment of foreign powers and a rise in German nationalism, ultimately culminating in the emergence of the Nazi