-
Essay / How did the Treaty of Versailles help World War II?
Ellicia ChiuMme. DalyWorld History: Period 27/34/15How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause World War II? The First World War is recorded as one of the “deadliest conflicts in human history”. With more than 16 million deaths, it was one of the first wars to produce large numbers of casualties. However, the one that tops the list with around 60 million deaths is World War II. What caused such a large-scale war in the first place? Seven and a half months after the First World War, a treaty was signed between the victorious countries, Great Britain, France, the United States and Germany (Overview). It was created with the aim of creating peace in Europe and ensuring that another war like World War I would not happen again. However, the peace was short-lived before World War II engulfed Europe and the rest of the world in a brutal bloodbath. Instead of lasting peace, the Treaty of Versailles greatly contributed to the cause of World War II by causing humiliation and anger in Germany. The pent-up emotions eventually led to the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler, angered by their loss of territory, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the war guilt clause. The stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles were intended to bring down Germany. and make it as weak as possible. One of the solutions proposed by the victors was to take away territories from Germany, which caused the country to lose more than forty percent of its coal production areas. They took the Polish corridor, parts of East Prussia, parts of Denmark as well as Lorraine-Alsace (Doc A). The removal of the Polish Corridor put Germany in a difficult position, as it geographically divided Germany into two pieces. Additionally, the city of Danzig was also a very...... middle of paper ......... place that sparked hatred towards the treaty, resulting in World War II. The Treaty of Versailles, originally created to maintain peace in Europe and guarantee that another war like World War I would not happen again actually backfired and plunged the world into a deeper and deeper battle. bloodier. The treaty was heavily discriminatory against Germany, with loss of territory, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the war guilt clause. This caused humiliation and anger in Germany and led Hitler and the Nazi Party to come to power. World War II was not only started by Adolf Hitler and Germany, but it also had a lot to do with the humiliation Germany felt when the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were set. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles may have been indirectly linked to the cause of World War II, but they were nonetheless an important factor in the outbreak of the war..