The Treaty of Versailles and the rise of Adolf Hitler

World War I -- the Peace Settlement

Known as "The War to End All Wars," World War I and its terms of peace significantly altered the civilized world and sowed the seeds of World War II. While physically devastating to the four major empires that ruled Europe prior to World War I, the terms of peace were also deeply psychologically devastating to the losers of that War, particularly to Germany. The humiliation and resentment resulting from defeat and from those peace terms provided fertile ground for the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Specific Peace Terms of World War I

Prior to World War I, there had been four major European empires: German, also known as the "Weimar Republic"; Russian; Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman. However, defeat completely disassembled the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires while taking great amounts of land from the German and Russian empires: the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 required the Germans to admit responsibility for World War I, pay reparations[footnoteRef:1], accept occupation and total disarmament[footnoteRef:2], and cede large stretches of its territory to the War's winners[footnoteRef:3], essentially accepting "enforced subservience" to the winners[footnoteRef:4]; the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Hungary; the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and essentially became the Republic of Turkey. Finally, the Treaty of Versailles established the League of Nations, which was supposed to prevent another World War.[footnoteRef:5] In sum, the terms of peace significantly redesigned Europe and placed considerable sanctions on the German people. [1: Gerhard L. Weinberg, A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 14.] [2: John Keegan, The Battle for History: Re-Fighting World War II (New York, NY: First Vintage Books Edition, 1996), 12.] [3: Ibid.] [4: Richard Overy, Why the Allies Won (New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997), 9.] [5: Weinberg, 12.]

3. Conclusion

The peace terms of World War I completely disassembled the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires while taking great amounts of land from the German and Russian empires. The peace terms of the Treaty of Versailles were particularly tough on Germans, requiring admission of responsibility, reparations, occupation, disarmament and the loss of territory. The psychological effects of the war and peace terms were deep, particularly for the German people: the War itself had been physically devastating; the defeat had even deeper psychological effects of humiliation and vengeance; the terms of peace were highly resented by the losers. As a result, the time was ripe for a leader such as Adolf Hitler, who stressed German nationalism, pride and cathartic victory in yet another World War.