Cheyenne Timm

Treaty of Versailles DBQ

WC period 4
The definition of a treaty is a formal written agreement between two or more
nations(The Free Dictionary). After seven and a half months of being out of World War I, the
Treaty of Versailles was signed by the Allies The Allies include Great Britain, France, and the
United States. Germany also signed due to their defeat. The goal of the treaty was to stabilize
Europe and prevent any future wars. However, World War II soon broke out because of an
angry Germany. Germany was angry because they did not agree with what the Treaty of
Versailles told them to do. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. It is said that
the Nazi party was born from the treat. The Treaty of Versailles lead to the breakout of World
War II. Its harsh terms for Germany caused their part in World War II. The characteristics that
lead to this include reparations, military restrictions, war guilt cause, and territorial losses.
The starting point to Germanys fury was their territorial loss. After World War I, Germany
lost the Polish corridor, Lorraine, Alsace, part of East Prussia, and Danzig. The hardest part of
this was losing the Polish Corridor and Danzig. This was a struggle for them because it cut off
their access to East Prussia. This became a problem because they still owned most of East
Prussia. The loss of territory also caused problems for those who lived in the lost land. Those e
lost their homes and had nowhere to go afterward. This drove the anger of those people and the
rest of Germany. The loss of territory fueled Hitler, which fueled the country. He made them
believe that there was no way to handle this except with blood. He explained how you can not
remove this hand from its throat except b a sword, because begging was not an option (Hitler,
Mein Kampf).
The pressure building to World War II grew when Germany learned of their military
restrictions. Stated in the Treaty of Versailles, was a limit of one hundred thousand men in the
German army (Article 160). Germany did not agree with the fact that their army was being so
controlled. The treaty claimed that it was for the maintenance of order. However, Germany knew
it was simply to limit them. The Germans were basically put in chains by the French because
they were being controlled in several aspects. By March 31, 1920, Germany was not allowed to
exceed seven infantries and three divisions of cavaltry. This limit was a challenge for Germany
because they were used to power through military. Being confined caused them to despise the
treaty even more and become one step closer to World War II.
A damaging aspect in the Treaty of Versailles was all the reparations that Germany had
to pay. The amount of reparations that were to be payed would be decided by an Inter-Allied
Commission(Keynes). The reparations were to begin on May 1, 1921 and were to be
completed by May 1, 1951. The reparations needed to be paid because Germany paid little in
the 1920s. Also, they did not count American loans. If Germany failed to make the payments,
they would set a later date or come up with another way to handle the issue. Overall, Germany
owed a lot of money and they did not think the required payments were fair. Other countries did
not have to pay as much for war reparations. On top of everything else, the treaty stated that
this was a major aspect toward World War II.
The war guilt cause was the final part of the Treaty of Versailles that regarded Germany.
This part of the treaty wanted Germany to take responsibility of the war. They guilted Germany
into believing that she was the cause for all the loss and damage in World War I (Moyer). This

set Germany over the edge because they knew this was an atrocious injustice. Taking sole
blame for something of this extent was a huge burden. Germany finally had enough and
decided to do something about the Treaty of Versailles. This is when the first steps to World War
II were taken.
Although Germany did deserve some responsibility for the war, the Treaty of Versailles
tool it to an extreme. All the aspect that the Treaty of Versailles included, eventually caused
Germany to lead everyone into World War II.

References
Article 160. "Treaty of Versailles 1919." Article 160 (1920): n. pag. Web.

Hitler, Adolf. "Treaty of Versailles 1919." Mein Kampf (1924): n. pag. Web.
Mee, Charles. "The End of Order." Treaty of Versailles Article 232-233(1919): n. pag. Web.
Moyer, Laurence V. "Victory Must Be Ours." Treaty of Versailles Article 231(1918): n. pag. Web.
Keynes, John M. "The Economic Consequences of the Peace." Treaty of Versailles Article 232233 (1919): n. pag. Web.
"Treaty." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 May 2015.