What Are The Long Term Effects Of The Treaty Of Versailles
World War II (1939 – 1945) was an international disaster created by a series of long term and short term effects. The creation of the Treaty of Versailles was the most important long term effect on WWII and created an environment that made the war inevitable. The precursor to the creation of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the end of World War I (1914 – 1918) on the 11th of November, 1918 when Germany signed an armistice with the Allied powers. Three months after the end of WWI, the Paris Peace Conference (1919) was held at Versailles Palace in order to decide exactly how Germany should be punished for the war. Thirty-two countries were invited to this conference, however the country in question, Germany, was not.
At the Paris Peace Conference, …show more content…
Germans felt victimised by the Treaty and the nation was in distress. On the 28th of June, 1919, German newspaper ‘Deutsche Zeitung’ wrote, “Today ... a disgraceful treaty is being signed.” This emphasises the resentment that the German public felt towards this injustice. This reaction created a climate that was perfect for the rise of the Nazi Party just as historian Mommensen suggested, “[The Treaty of Versailles] created in Germany a political climate in which it was exceedingly difficult for a democratic system to develop.” Due to the animosity that was rising up in Germany against the Treaty and the German government at the time (who signed the treaty), it would have been clear that a democracy would not function. This became increasingly clear as Adolf Hitler rose to power. Hitler promised to help Germany survive after the Treaty of Versailles and restore it to its previous greatness. He and his Nazi Party offered hope to the ordinary German battling economic issues and distrust of the government. Hitler had maintained his opposition to the Treaty of Versailles right from his publishing of his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (1924) in which he said he would “abolish the Treaty of Versailles” which was “the greatest villainy of the
At the Paris Peace Conference, …show more content…
Germans felt victimised by the Treaty and the nation was in distress. On the 28th of June, 1919, German newspaper ‘Deutsche Zeitung’ wrote, “Today ... a disgraceful treaty is being signed.” This emphasises the resentment that the German public felt towards this injustice. This reaction created a climate that was perfect for the rise of the Nazi Party just as historian Mommensen suggested, “[The Treaty of Versailles] created in Germany a political climate in which it was exceedingly difficult for a democratic system to develop.” Due to the animosity that was rising up in Germany against the Treaty and the German government at the time (who signed the treaty), it would have been clear that a democracy would not function. This became increasingly clear as Adolf Hitler rose to power. Hitler promised to help Germany survive after the Treaty of Versailles and restore it to its previous greatness. He and his Nazi Party offered hope to the ordinary German battling economic issues and distrust of the government. Hitler had maintained his opposition to the Treaty of Versailles right from his publishing of his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (1924) in which he said he would “abolish the Treaty of Versailles” which was “the greatest villainy of the