Essay Sample: How did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause World War II?

After the World War I ended the Versailles Treaty was signed by Britain, France, and the United States who were the victorious Allied nations of the Great and by a defeated Germany. The treaty was mainly addressing the state of international community in response to the World War I. Woodrow Wilson wanted the treaty to guarantee independence and Germany should never rise again to threaten France or the rest of Europe. Unfortunately, the treaty did not serve it purpose because it made World War II inevitable because it brought Hitler to power (Buchanan 102). It was not the only factor that contributed to the World War II but it erected tension and accelerated the war. John Maynard Keynes argued that the terms imposed on Germany were impossible for her to meet and would lead to bitterness and future. The Versailles treaty was a blow to the Germans pride and its economy but Germany was determine to regain what they had lost as well as their respect no matter the cost.

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The Versailles treaty had repossessed the Germans territories because it required Germany to renounce all rights, titles and privileges that were in or out her territory or that of her allies associated powers (Slavicek 89). This was to ensure that another war would not happen again and was a way of stabilizing Europe and to limit Germanys power. Thus, it led to almost 13% of loss of Germanys European territory and ten percent of its population. Germany was not happy with this results of the treaty because their power and prestige had been reduced. Germany was very determined to regain what it had lost and its respect. Thus, the restoration of the frontiers of 1914 could be achieved by blood and no nation could correct the Versailles expect by the sword. Adolf Hitler planned to regain the Germans land and expand the nation by abolishing the Treaty of Versailles. Therefore, the treaty increased Germanys vulnerability and aching for revenge thus, indirectly helping to cause the World War II.

After World War I Germany was held responsible of the war thus, the Versailles Treaty was to ensure that the country was brought to its knee. Wilson wanted Germany to be punished so that to would not be able to cause any other war. Article 160 of the treaty stated that the German army must not comprise of more than seven division of infantry and three division. Also its military troops should not exceed one hundred thousand men including the officers and should be devoted to exclusively maintenance of order within the territory and to control its frontiers. The treaty made Germany to feel small and push away because the number of its officers were minimized. Thus, weakening the security of its country this led to threatened (McNeese 89). The article made the country felt that it needed to do something about it and fought back thus, directly contributing to the emergency of the World War II.

The treaty required Germany to make compensation for all the damages done to the civilian population during the World War I (McNeese 89). An Inter-Allied commission was established to draw up schedule payments prescribing the time and manner for securing and discharging the entire obligations within a period of thirty years. Moreover, the Allied and associated Government affirm and Germany accepted the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the allied associated governments and their nationals have been subjected to due to the war. Germany believed this was not necessary and did not want to compensate the damages because it could have cost them a lot and yet the treaty was taking over its territory and military. Hitler stopped the payment in order to give his country hope. This contributed to the start of World War II because Germany had started becoming rebellious.

After the World War I the Germany was made inferior by the Treaty of Versailles because the country lost its territories and power through the minimization of its military personnel. Thus, the treaty was undesirable to the German population but necessary to other European nation. Most Germans saw it as an atrocious injustice, an evil thing which must be destroyed. What they knew of the treaty was etched indelibly by their minds was humiliation. The treaty made the country to feel disgraced and cast off because it undermined their sense of worth, their value of themselves. This caused Germany to rise from the Nazi regime to the way in which Hitler restored pride, reawakened a sense of self-respect, forcing the world to look at Germany a new approach. For Germany to restore all what it had lost and its power it had to resist other European countries no matter what it would take. It had been a threat to the European countries so it resistance they instill fear and countries fought back thus, causing the emergency of World War II.

Work cited

Buchanan, Patrick. Churchill, Hitler and The Unnecessary war: How Britain Lost its Empire and the West Lost the World. Crown/ Archetype, 2008.

McNeese, T. World War II: 1930s to 1945. Milliken Publishing Company, 2000.

Slavicek, Louise. The Treaty of Versailles. Infobase Publishing, 2010.