The Versailles Treaty and the Emergence of Hitler - Research Paper Example

The Versailles Treaty and the Emergence of Hitler: The end of First World War was marked by a famous treaty for the world and an infamous one for theGermans. It was looked upon with utter disgust by the Germans. According to the German natives many clauses of it were directly repugnant to the German prestige as a result a feeling of hostility crept in the movements and actions of Germans and more so the emerging leadership of that time notably Adolf Hitler.The Germans saw this treaty as sheer humiliation brought upon them as a result the feeling of resent and dismay was quite popular amongst them.

One clause in particular, (clause 231) which held Germany accountable and responsible for the World War one (Brezina, 32), was taken bitterly by the Germans. The clause stated that all the sufferings, the bloodshed, the dispersal of locals on massive scale was result of Germany’s aggression. The Germans thought otherwise and totally discarded it.The clause that imposed heavy reparations on Germany was another point of resentment. They were made to pay for the not only the military expenses, but also the civilian damages incurred on industrial level.

The restriction of limited number of army was another clause which was seen as an effort to handicap the German defense and security was another point of content from the entire treaty.The succession was of notable level. The partial succession took place and places of historic and strategic importance were handed over to the neighboring states namely France and Great Britain. For example Alsace- Loraine went to the French which were hard fought and meant a lot to the Germans(Wolff, 39). Hitler tried contributing financially as well and hired a local company that was nearly on the brink of collapse.

Hence Hitler left no stone unturned in protesting this treaty yet he knew that it would take some time before he is formally in position to revert the decision and make the enemy pay.The economic conditions, reduced land, loss of strategic parts, the military might being almost crushed, it was matter of time before Germany would take a step to nullify this treaty and level the scores. Germany felt like being clipped off its wings which was quite unusual to them..The Germans believed that these clauses were imposed on them which were totally one sided and did not include the consent or even the consideration of the German people.

The Germans at that time had no option but to accept them or face dire consequences. Swallowing the bitter pill they resorted to level the scores later on. Adolf Hitler freshly joined the ranks and restored to taking revenge but only after establishing Germany to the level of the allies.The next few years saw Hitler’s progress in the overall situation and he was fully convinced that Treaty of Versailles needed to be abrogated and the lost lands, the reparations, the war guilt must be withdrawn.

Since the allies would not consider any request, he believed the only option he and his country had was in form of massive campaign. This treaty can safely be termed as the driving force towards the Second World War (Glaser, Boemeke et.al ,21). Works cited:Brezina, Corona. The Treaty of Versailles, 1919: A Primary Source Examination Of The Treaty That Ended World War I. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005.Glaser, Elisabeth, Manfred F. Boemeke and Gerald D. Feldman. The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment after 75 Years.

Cambridge University Press, 1998.Wolff, Stefan. Disputed Territories: The Transnational Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict Settlement. Berghahn Books, 2004.