Treaty of Versailles: Not Really a Treaty?

The end of the Great War provided the world an opportunity to create long term peace, but within that peace, war was inevitable. In 1919, the European countries laid down their arms and came to talk peace. Many treaties unfolded, such as the Treaty of Saint Germain, Trianon, Neuilly, and the Treaty of Sevres, yet the most important was the Treaty of Versailles. It was a treaty to prevent another German empire and to help pay for the destruction of the war, yet that was not to come about. A valid way to describe the situation would be to say that “the seeds of WWII were planted in the peace of WWI.” The Treaty of Versailles sparked military, economic, and political turmoil in Germany, resulting in a fierce response from the German community, the rise of Hitler, and ultimately the foundation for another World War.

Image via Wikipedia

Although many different treaties were signed post WWI, the Treaty of Versailles held the most important terms which led to a devastating affect on Germany. This treaty’s terms consisted of territorial changes, military restraints, economic demands, and others. Germany lost about 13% of its land, including Alsace-Lorraine to France. This separated Germans from their homeland and took away “lebensraum”, or living space. Germany lost many skilled workers, factories, and resources in these areas, and the people were forced to live under foreign rule, which they dreaded. Germany’s military was reduced to 100,000 men, with no tanks, no air force, and a restricted navy without submarines. This would encourage a military buildup during Hitler’s reign to replace the army which was lost. This left Germany defenseless to France and others surrounding nations. Germany felt great hardship when reparations to the Allies were set at 6.6 billion marks, which would lead to massive economic problems for the German economy. The government would have to print the money in order to pay back the reparations, which led to hyperinflation and the destruction of the German mark. By December of 1922 the German mark was worth a petty 8000 marks to one US dollar. Because of this, Germany was not able to pay back the reparations which led to the French occupation of the Ruhr Valley, a major source of industry for Germany. This did nothing to help France, yet it was one more thing to inspire hatred within the German people. In Clause 231 of the treaty, the “War Guilt Clause”, Germany had to admit responsibility for the war, thus inspiring hatred and resentfulness among the German people. (Trueman) During these desperate times, many turned to Nazism, found in Adolf Hitler. The terms of this treaty led to a fierce response from the German community.