On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles brought WWI to an end. With its fifteen parts and 440 articles, written by Allies with no input from Germans, it served the purpose of reassigning Germany’s boundaries. After five years of strict enforcement, France expressed agreement to change some provisions. Though Germany had agreed to the treaty, Hitler’s rise to power rendered this treaty moot.
Just as he was coming into power, Hitler was capable of highlighting the mechanism by which “foreigners” were destroying Germany. This identification and highlighting of this critical issue played a pivotal role in Hitler’s power drive and bringing him to power. Hitler was very firm in his opinion that Germany was the victim of the conspiracies of the forces from outside of Germany. He also believed that these forces aimed nothing but to reduce a great nation to ruins. Hitler was also very much convinced that the Treaty of Versailles was the most prominent evidence of such conspiracies. It was done through a lot of provisions in the treaty, which aimed at weakening Germany not only by phasing out the peace but also by vengeful reassignment of borders. Hitler made the point that the land’s appropriation, forbiddance to ownership to business and arms, massive retributions, and the forceful acts by which the treaty was imposed on the German people revealed the hostile approach to so-called peace. This type of reaction was very important for Hitler’s success.
The resentment and frustration of the German people against the treaty was the biggest asset on which Hitler capitalized to gain power in Germany. Hitler, very successfully, made himself responsible for the anger and frustration of the German people and was very vocal in expressing the discontent of the German people on the Treaty of Versailles. Just as the Allied forces had started to negotiate with Hitler via the appeasement policy, it became evident to the people of Germany that Hitler had been right in so many of his claims, and it increased Hitler’s popularity and claim to power. It was all possible because of his aggressive opposition to the Treaty of Versailles.
During the 1920s, the aggressive stance of Hitler against the Treaty and his expressive attitude towards it, according to some historians, played just as much of a role in worsening the economic conditions of Germany’s Weimar Republic as the terms of surrender. While the Great Depression is stated as the worst time in the American and world’s economic history, Germany went through a similar phase due to the treaty. Germany, as a result of the provision of the treaty, had a considerable amount of territory in both the eastern Prussian regions. It had also surrendered the Alsace-Lorraine region in favour of France. Germany was owed a staggering amount of over 130 billion gold Deutsch marks in lieu of the war reparations. It was the highest ever recorded in the world history. The Great Depression in Germany was a result of the huge war debt and loss of industries due to the loss of control over the surrendered regions, which in turn initiated a severe shortage of basic necessities. Germany also had to significantly reduce its paramilitary forces, and its operational capabilities were also barred by limiting access to war assets like aeroplanes, machine guns and warships.
To conclude, the Treaty of Versailles eventually turned out to be the foundation of the darkest chapter of Europe’s history. Ironically, the treaty, which was aimed at ending the wars, proved to be the stage setting for an even more drastic war. Throughout the 1920s, unemployment and hunger were the most pressing issue for Germany. Hitler’s bold remarks against the treaty, followed by his commitment to providing work and better economic conditions, certainly captivated the masses.
