How Did The Treaty Of Versailles Cause Ww2

The Treaty of Versailles was the primary treaty that ended the Great War in 1919. It is arguably one of the worst treaties in world history. It solved none of the problems in Europe that lead to World War I and it was one of the leading causes for World War II. The Treaty of Versailles punished the losers of World War I; instead of working together to resolve the issues that caused World War I, it created more hostility between countries in Europe. Germany and Austria-Hungary were the countries that were impacted the strongest by the Treaty of Versailles. World War I was a war unlike anyone had ever seen. The impact that the war had on Europe and the rest of the world was greater than anyone at the time had anticipated. Women entered
Germany’s eastern territory was shrunk to make was for Poland, Prussia, and Lithuania. The East and Western borders of Germany were demilitarized under Articles 42, 43, 44. Under Section III of the Treaty of Versailles, Article 42 prevented Germany to construct fortifications “on the left bank of the Rhine or on the right bank to the west of a line drawn 50 km to the East of the Rhine”. Article 43 prevented maintenance and assembly of armed forces, as well as preventing military maneuvers in that same area. Article 44 declared that violating either Article 42 or 43 would be considered a hostile act against the Allied Powers. This demilitarization meant it would be impossible for Germany to threaten France or Poland without violating the Treaty and suffering consequences from the Allied Powers. Germany also had its military restricted by number. Under Article 164 and Table No. 2, Germany’s armaments were not to exceed: 84,000 rifles, 18,000 carbines, 792 heavy machine guns, 1,134 light machine guns, 63 medium trench mortars, 189 light trench mortars, 204 7 7-cm guns, and 84 10 5-cm
The German population grew to blame all of their daily struggles on the reparations that Germany had to pay, and eventually the Treaty itself. Because of the incredible amount of financial debt the treaty put Germany into, it suffered a great hyperinflation of its currency in 1923, and following that, the Great Depression in 1929, which the German Population could easily blame the Treaty for. With time, German distaste for the Allied Powers grew, and rightfully so, and the tension that grew eventually lead to the rise of the Nazi party and World War II itself. The change in territory gave Germany resentment towards Poland. Citizens believed that Poland was a failed state incapable of self-government, which arguably could have influenced the German conquer of Poland during World War