The way the First World War ended left embittered and unresolved issues and disputes that would prove to carry on and would lay the foundation for the second World War two decades later. The Treaty of Versailles can be said to be the single most important, indirect cause of World War II. It placed the blame, or ‘war guilt’s o lely upon Germany. Secondly, harsh reparations imposed by the treaty hampered the German economy by causing rapid inflation and caused people to support parties like the Nazis and the Communists. In Germany, the Treaty forced the country to limit its armed forces to 100, 000, forbade it having an air force, demilitarized the Rhineland, a region in western Germany next to France, and placed the Saar region under the League of Nations’ control. These restrictions not only restricted the growth of the German economy, but also created bitter resentment towards the victors of the First World War within Germany making it easy to whip up popular sentiment against the Western Allies.
A part of that resentment was that many Germans felt that they had never been truly defeated in battle since the country had never been conquered; many felt that the German government had agreed to an armistice on the understanding that Wilson’s Fourteen Points would be used as a guideline for the peace treaty. However, the Treaty of Versailles and the subsequent peace treaties disregarded the Fourteen Points in many instances. But the heavy war reparations forced Germany into a depression that would not only devalue their currency to a point where it was worthless and caused massive unemployment and poverty. But this as a result prompted the Nazi party in to action, which had been losing popularity, to experiencing an increase in membership. This more than anything contributed to the rise of Hitler in Germany, and therefore World War II in Europe.
The Research paper on Pre-World War II Germany and What Led to Holocaust
... levels. The loss of World War I and the loss of the German empire brought poverty and humiliation to Germany. These two events frustrated ... chance to revolt against the genocide of the Jews. German citizens were forced to accept Nazi brutality towards Jews because there was ... problems. War reparations as specified in the Treaty of Versailles could not be paid as the main industrial areas of Germany had ...
Adolf Hitler knew that the German people wanted change and promised to revitalize the German economy as he knew this was what the people wanted to hear. And soon the support for the Nazi party grew to an astounding level. Although anti-semitism played an indirect role in causing World War II, it was important in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, and since Hitler’s program sparked the war in Europe, it could be seen as a factor leading to war. However once Hitler gain political power, he started demanding more land and so forth.
A major part of the blame lies with both the British and French. Both these nations repeatedly followed a policy which not only gave Hitler what he wanted and therefore made him more likely to push for more, but also gave the Germans time to rearm. Hitler himself said that when he reoccupied the Rhineland, ‘that the Army had a standing order to retreat’ if the French showed any resistance. When he invaded Poland, he doubted that France and Britain would intervene any more decisively than they did for Czechoslovakia, Austria, or to enforce the disarmament provisions of the treaty.
The policy of appeasement was followed because large portions of the British and French public had decided that the Treaty of Versailles had unfairly punished Germany and that its demands were unreasonable even if Hitler maintained an unpleasantly nationalist government. At the same time most people had vivid memories of the first war and desperately wanted to avoid a repeat.
