The Treaty of Versailles paved the way for World War II due its harsh

conditions, the manner in which it was developed, and how it fueled feelings
of humiliation and resentment among the German population. Woodrow
Wilson, president of the United States had been clear in the months leading up
to the end of the war that the peace that would end the Great War must be a
“Peace without Victory” stating that “Victory would mean peace forced upon
the loser, a victor's terms imposed upon the vanquished. It would be accepted
in humiliation, under duress, at an intolerable sacrifice, and would leave a
sting, a resentment, a bitter memory” (Source A). The German population and
delegation entered Versailles expecting a fair and negotiated treaty between
equals. However what they received was anything but.

The treaty was particularly punitive, forcing Germany to accept

responsibility for causing the war (Article 231), lost all overseas colonies, 13
percent of its European territory and more than a tenth of its population
(Source C). In addition, they were required to pay unspecified reparations to
Allied powers who had been devasted by the war. Count Ulrich von
Brockdorff-Rantzau, leader of the German peace delegation’s response is
emblematic of German perceptions of the treaty, particularly in regards to
reparations: “The international Reparation Commission will receive
dictatorial powers over the whole life of our people in economic and cultural
matters…They are asking us to sacrifice our own death sentence.” Von
Brokdorff-Rantzau was not alone in this assessment. John Maynard Keynes, a
leading British Economist representing the his nation at the Paris Peace
Conference stated, “Those who sign this treaty will sign the death sentence of
many millions of German men, women, and children."(Source F)

The German population latched onto this narrative, despite the fact that
while harsh, the reparations were little different from those that had been
levied on nations in previous wars. As historian Margaret McMillan states, “It
was all too easy to attribute every problem to reparations”(Source E).
Postcards criticizing the treaty circulated through Germany and ultimately
Adolf Hitler used the treaty as a scapegoat to rally support for his radical
ideology. Hitler, ignoring the reality of the Great Depression, would argue in
the Reichstag that “All the problems which are causing such unrest today lie in
the deficiencies of the Treaty of Peace which”(Source G).

World War II was not the inevitable consequence of the Treaty of

Versailles, however its punitive nature and the manner in which it was
negotiated made it an obvious target to mobilize the German population in
support of Hitler and the Nazi party who would place the world on a collision
course once more.