The Importance of the Treaty of Versailles
ISU Essay
CHC 2D0 - E
May 17th, 2013
Futility and lack of true leadership always ignite destructive wars that leave innocent civilians to suffer. War is both physically and emotionally painful, as it rips apart prosperous countries, and more importantly, the lives of ordinary people. World War II was a horrifying and destructive event in history that could have easily been avoided, if it were not for the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles is believed to be the leading cause of World War II due to the reparations clause that was placed on Germany, as it strongly outweighed the impact of appeasement and the shortcomings of the League of Nations.
There are several reasons why the reparations clause of the Treaty of Versailles is believed to be the leading cause of World War II. First and foremost, it led Germany into a state of hyperinflation.
From left to right (front): Chamberlain, Daladier,...
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of...
English: Mass demonstration in front of the Reichs...Since Germany was now pressured by several countries to pay for retribution, it began printing exaggerated amounts of money-believing it was the solution to the economic depression. Nonetheless, this action ended up placing Germany in a state of super inflation, in which, it even reached the point where millions of German Marks became worthless. In fact, people with wheelbarrows full of money could not even afford to buy a single loaf of bread. Foreign leaders from all around the world began forecasting a global crisis, and decided to withdrawal capital invested in German markets and stopped importing from Germany as well. To make matters worse, the German economy ultimately collapsed when the United States demanded to get the loans that were given to Germany paid back, when they were hit by the great depression. Secondly, the reparations clause of the Treaty of Versailles placed...