Rise of Hitler the Treaty of Versailles

Rise of Hitler

The Treaty of Versailles as a Pretext to the Rise of Hitler

World War I was officially ended by the Treaty of Versailles after the Allies (led by Britain, France and the U.S.) defeated the Central Powers (led by Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire). The purpose of the Treaty was to decide the fate and future of Germany and the Central Powers and to construct a Europe that was able to move forward in pursuit of collective harmony, friendship and equality[footnoteRef:1]. [1: Catherine, Lu, "Justice and moral regeneration, the international studies review "(Vol 4, No.3 (Autumn, 2002)),pp.4 . Published by Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the international studies association, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3186461"That is not only a just settlement of the great war, but it provides the basic upon which the peoples of Europe can live together in friendship and equality." ]

The treaty, however, failed to accomplish its initial ideas and did not bring about long-term peace or stability. Many of the aspects of the Treaty proved to humiliating to the national pride of the Central Powers and also greatly inhibited the ability of these nations to rebuild their devastated infrastructures and economies. As a result, a growing number of historians have concluded that the Treaty of Versailles acted as a catalyst to the Hitler's rise between 1919 and 1923.

One example of this is Catherine Lu, an associate professor at McGill University in Quebec. Lu seeks to clarify and explore a balanced, objective account of the international political responses to World War I[footnoteRef:2]. Lu examines the objective that was most coveted by the Allies in the Treaty of Versailles: The acceptance the war guilt clause by the Central Powers. Lu and others cite this reason as evidence that the Treaty was not as much a peace making/keeping treaty but more a humiliating punishment[footnoteRef:3]. [2: Lu state that she wanted to" explore the conception of justice and reconciliation that shape of international political responses to World War I" ] [3: Ibid, 5 "George Kennan, for example, he called the Versailles Treaty a " very silly humiliating and punitive peace imposed on Germany After World War I"]

The treaty also imposed reparations onto Germany to pay for the loss of life and material by the "innocent" civilizations of the Allies. These payments would be paid monthly and would total some £6,600 million (this figure was agreed by the Allies in 1921)[footnoteRef:4]. In light of the economic devastation of the Germany economy and its industrial infrastructure, it was of little surprise that country's economy totally collapsed only a few days after the final amount of the debt was announced in 1921. [4: http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/ASLevel_History/financialimpactofversailles.htm]

The Treaty also placed Germany's territories under the domain of the various allied powers, thereby denying Germany much needed supplemental resources, material and markets needed to reconstruct its own economy[footnoteRef:5]. The Allies and the Associated Power was negotiated the war that they were successively involved directly or indirectly and which the originated declaration of war on the western and eastern Europe by Austria-Hungary Empire and Germany Empire should be replace by a firm, just, and durable peace[footnoteRef:6]. [5: Ibid] [6: American society of international law, " Treaty of peace with Germany" (Vol 13, No.3, Official documents (July., 1919)), pp. 152. Published by American society of international law http://www.jstor.org/stable/2213120]