How Did Germany Lose The Treaty Of Versailles

Already disheartened by the major embarrassment they experienced when they were defeated in World War I, Germany was only further degraded by the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was forced to take full responsibility for the devastating war and had to pay immense reparations for it. In response, the entire country took a turn for the worst, with their economy in shambles, significant territorial losses, and their military a mere fraction of its original size. Germans felt they had been mistreated and ignored by the rest of the world, as well as by their new government. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party exploited this resentment towards their government, using it as a perfect opportunity to rise to power. Hitler and the Nazis drew the support and
One of the many agreements in the Treaty of Versailles was huge reparation payments Germany had to make to all the countries on the Allied side. This drove their economy so far into the ground that they ran out of money before completely paying off their debt. The situation was only made worse when they increased the amount of money they printed, causing severe inflation. With their currency worth nearly nothing, Hitler had shown through as a beacon of hope for the nation. Much of Germany was so deep into poverty that middle-class citizens found that they “had to sell their most precious belongings for ten [million] inflated marks to buy a bit of food or an absolutely necessary coat,” (Doc 6). This document should be approached with caution, as the author, Lilo Linke, was personally affected by Germany’s situation. Hitler saved their economy, saving lives as well by releasing countless people from poverty. This easily won Hitler the support of
The photograph depicts Hitler being greeted by a large group of Germans outside a dry goods store. They are all decorated with some sort of Nazi memorabilia, cheering for the man they viewed as a hero. This love for Hitler and Germany was only further exemplified by the Nazi Party Nuremberg Convention written about in Document 8. The event consisted of enough people to exceed the limits of Zepplin Field gathering to celebrate Hitler and National Socialism. Equipped with “innumerable swastika flags flutter[ing] on the evening breeze,” people erupt in “applause that rises from 150,000 spectators and that lasts for minutes” (Doc 8) after a speech was given, saying Hitler was sent by God to guide them. It should be taken into account that this document was taken from a German newspaper that was most likely censored by Hitler to be biased to towards the