MerrickHairapetian

TreatyofVersaillesDBQ
WesternCiv.4thperiod

Russiahad12,000,000soldiersandthetotalnumberofcasualties:9,150,000,Francehad
8,410,000soldiersandthetotalnumberofcasualties:6,160,800,Germanyhad11,000,000soldiers,
casualtieswere:7,142,558soldiers,andAustriaHungaryhad7,800,000soldiersandlost7,020,000
soldiers,withagrandtotalof29,473,358millioncasualtieswithjustthosefourcountriesalone,notincluding
theciviliancasualtiesandtheothercountriesthattookplaceinthewarthesefiguresarestaggeringandyou
wouldthinktheydhelppreventanothergreatwar.TheTreatyofVersaillesputmostoftheblameofthewar
onGermany,whodidntevenstartthewar,becauseofthisGermanywasforcedtoagreetotermsthatwere
completelyunexpectedandhadtopayforallthedamagesthatwerecausedthroughoutthewar.Duetothe
severetermsandconditionsalongwiththeimmensehumiliationofGermanytheTreatyofVersailleswasa
hugefactorincausingWWII.
Uponthesigningofthetreaty,Germanylostadecentportionsofitslandandallofitscolonies.An
areaofsignificantlosstoGermanyisthePolishcorridorwithGermany'smajorportcityDanzig,whichnow
becamePolands.ThiscrippledthealreadyfailingGermaneconomyevenfurther.Addthatwiththelossof
landsthatwererichinresourcesthatGermanyneeded,itwasjustdevastating.TheAllieswerecompletely
preventinganychanceofGermanyrisinginanywayagain.AdolfHitlerlatersaidinhisbook
MeinKampf
(1924)"Nonationcanremovethishandfromitsthroatexceptbythesword."(DocumentA).Hebasedthat
offofOttovonBismarck'sBloodandIronspeech.Thisshowsthatlikebefore,forGermanytobesuccessful
theyhadtotakeitbywarorthroughthesword.
Furthermore,Germanywenttoa11millionsoldiermilitarypowerhousetoa100thousand
peacekeepingforce,frommilitarypowerhousetopatheticexcuseofamilitary."...thetotalnumberofmilitary
troopsinGermanymustnotexceedonehundredthousandmen,including.officers."(DocumentB).Just
whenGermanyneededitsmilitarythemostitbecamenonexistent.ThesurroundingforcesofBelgium,
France,Czechoslovakia,andPolandeasilyexceededGermany'sforcesbyseveralmillion,theexact
numbersofthiswere1,112,000totalactivesoldiersofthesecountriesandhadatotalof8,830,000soldiers
inreserve.ThecountryofBelgiumalonehadabiggermilitarythanGermany.ThismadetheGermanpeople
feelparanoidorevenscaredofanimminentattack,includingtheembarrassmentofGermany'spathetic
militaryforce.
EventhoughGermanydidn'tstartthewar,theysurewereblamedforit.Allthereparationswereto
bepaidinfullbyGermany,"132billiongoldmarks=$367USdollarsin2010,tobepaidover30years"
(DocumentC).ItalsosaidthatifGermanyfellbehindpaymentcouldbemadethroughothermeans,often
throughtakingterritoriesorland.Thepaymentscouldalsobepostponedifabsolutelyneededbuttheycould
neverbecanceled.ThisshowshowmuchGermanyreallyhadtopayforthewartheydidnotevenstart.

TheyalsoexplainswhysosuddenlyGermanywasforcedintoadepressionofthelikesthatitshouldnt
escapefromforaverylongtime,itbecameevenworseasinflationwentthroughtheroofandthensome.
ThenowformermilitarizedGermanysawthetermstheywereforcedtoagreewith,alsoknownas
theWarGuiltClause,asanatrociousinjustice(DocumentD).Ithadforcedthemtoagreewiththis:The
AlliedandAssociatedGovernmentaffirmandGermanyacceptstheresponsibilityofGermanyandherallies
forcausingallthelossanddamagetowhichtheAlliedandAssociatedGovernmentsandtheirnationals
havebeensubjectedasaconsequenceofthewarimposeduponthembytheaggressionofGermanyand
herallies.(DocumentD).Theythoughtthatitwassomethingthatmustbedestroyed,thisfeelingwasthere
longafterthedetailsofthetreatyhavebeencarriedout.ItpersistedevenaftermanyGermanscouldnt
rememberthedetailsofthetreaty.Notonlywasthetreatyseenasanevilthingitwasalsoseenasahuge
sourceofhumiliation.ThetreatyabsolutelycrushedtheGermanpeoplessenseofworth,theirpride,and
howtheyfeelabouttheircountry.TheNazipartywasabletogainpowerthroughthisbecausetheywere
abletorenewtheGermanpeoplespride,theirconfidenceinGermany,renewedtheirselfrespect.They
wereabletomaketheworldlookatGermanydifferentandnotasacrushednation.Thisiswhythey
followedHitlerandtheNazisallowingthemtodowhattheydid,thisiswhytheNazisweredowhattheydid
toigniteWWII.
Therefore,thehumiliationandlossofpride,alongwiththeharshstricttermsandconditionsonthe
treatybecameamajorfactorinthestartofWWII.Thespecificsofthesetermswere,asalreadystated,the
lostofmajorterritories,thedisarmamentofGermany,theimpossibledebttobeforciblypaidandthe
humiliationoftheWarGuiltClause.AllofwhichhelpedrileGermanytorejectthetermsofthetreatyand
changeitsfate.Althoughitwasnttheonlycauseorwhatignitedtheflameofwar,theTreatyofVersailles
wasaverylargefactorinit.

Workscitedpage

Hitler,Adolf.
MeinKampfZweiBndeinEinemBand.UngekrzteAusg.135136Aufl.ed.
Mnchen:ZentralverlagDerNSDAP,F.EherNachf.,1938

Germanterritoriallosses,TreatyofVersailles,1919(DocumentA)

Article160,TreatyofVersailles,1919(DocumentB)

Article232233,TreatyofVersailles,1919(DocumentC)

Article231,TreatyofVersailles,1919(DocumentD)