Erica Ellis HIS 366 September 12, 2011 Given the readings you completed (Debate on Versailles, documentary

From Kaiser to Fuehrer, primary sources), was the Treaty of Versailles solemnly responsible for the rise of Nazism/ WWII? Put differently, how would you position yourself within the debate regarding the legacy of this treaty? Make sure you provide evidence for your claims.

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in first the Nazi Regime and then Germany as a whole in the early 1930s, it was quickly apparent that he had a plan. He was out to gain revenge for his beloved Germany. He wanted it against the Jews, whom he felt had lost the war for Germany and on the Allied Powers whom placed the blame squarely on German shoulders and whose demands in the Treaty of Versailles crushed German power and essentially bred their upset and the opportunity for Hitlers gain to power and his creation of World War Two. The problem with any treaty of war is that peace is only temporary. (Debate on Versailles, 173) If a treaty truly ended war and brought peace, then the Peace of Augsburg or Utrecht would have been the last war Europe ever saw. But the creators of a treaty, usually the victors, go into debate with their own self-interests and the common goal of making the losers pay, often literally. (Debate on Versailles, 173) This, in a general sense, makes the losers bitter toward the winners. This could, if the fires were fed correctly, breed revenge. And with Adolf Hitler feeding the fire, it certainly would. There were four main provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was blamed for the war, and as a result had to pay massive reparations to the Allies, drastically decrease its military and stop production of arms and lost territory. (Debate on Versailles, 156) All four of these would come back to haunt the allies. Blame fosters a defensive state. When the treaty blames Germany for the war they

became very defensive and Hitler found the fault of German loss to be on the Jews. Germany had not actually started the war, which was a conflict between Serbia and Austria, but they militarized and soon became over aggressive so Germany was named the cause and felt this to be an unjust claim. Demilitarization was another provision that could create a fighting spirit in Germany and the Nazi party. Of course when a child is told they cannot do something they want to do it more. And when that same rule oppresses them, they wish to break it and use it against those who imposed power on them. Adolf Hitler built the German military blatantly in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and moved to solve the next German grievance, loss of territory. Going back to the victors and their self-interests, for many years Germany and France argued over a specific piece of land at their border, the Alsace-Lorraine Valley. With France being a victor, they made sure this was taken from Germany. Naturally when Hitler remobilized the German military he marched troops to the valley and the demilitarized Rhineland, breaking another aspect of the treaty. Taking land from Germany made Hitler want to take it back and to do as much of his own damage and unleash as much vengeance as he could. The final part of the Treaty of Versailles was the most dangerous. It was the war reparations Germany owed to the Allies. War is expensive and all of Europe was in debt, borrowing from the less damaged United States to pay for their war and moving money from one country to the other, paying off debt by gaining more loans and thus amassing more debt. Not only did Germany have to pay to rebuild its damaged country, but incurred reparations as well. This exponentially caused inflation raising a half pound of apples to 300 billion marks. (From Kaiser to Fuehrer) In times of great poverty and turmoil extremism runs rampant. However, industrialists were making it big; aggravating the middle classes who lost everything and turned to anyone whom they thought could provide and answer. This struggle and survival mode of the people allowed them to accept and eventually vote for the Nazi party

of Adolf Hitler, who promised a solution to the financial crisis created by the war and to make things right again, by way of vendetta. In fact the rise in the left extreme scared prosperous industrialists who in turn funded Hitler to keep communists out of office. (From Kaiser to Fuehrer) The Treaty of Versailles also left for a weak group called the League of Nations to supposedly govern Europe in a way to avoid war. This failed to prevent war and in some ways passively condoned it. (Debate on Versailles, 173) By appeasing Hitler to avoid conflict this ineffective group allowed Hitler to swallow up Europe and resources before he fired the first shot. Half of the job was done for him. Certainly France was not trying to keep perfect peace when they, with Belgium, rolled tanks into Germany in 1923 demanding their due reparations and claiming that the lack of payment legitimized their occupation of the area. All this did was anger Germans more and feel more resentful to the people who continued to oppress them. The Allied powers and their Treaty of Versailles made a sloppy attempt to repair a world war, not to prevent another. By trying to cater to their problems and not those of the world as a whole they unbalanced the status quo and drained a country of its resources and hope, and in such times they turn to extremists who promise miracles. United States President Woodrow Wilson viewed the situation clearly. He believed in a peace without victory, setting up a treaty in which no side is punished and a just settlement prevents later issue. He was not blinded by the quest for revenge, but for a true world peace. (Debate on Versailles, 156-157) If only the European Allies had listened.