The Inter-War Years

Germany

Mark Manlapaz Jan Tapang

The Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was basically an

agreement of peace that enforced Germany in 1919 due to the loss in World War I.

This allowed the victors to promote there national interest at Germany.

Why did Germany accept the treaty? Germany had an unstable economy. After World

War I, they had become bankrupted. Germany’s emperor (The Kaiser) was gone, and a

new democratic government took its place.

National Interest on GermanyFrance Georges Clemenceau was a French journalist, physician, and

statesman. Member of the Radical Party, and Prime Minister of France from 1917 to 1920.

After the war, France wanted to overcome Germany and prevent them from being a major world power.

United States of America They believed that the Treaty should not be too harsh due to the

fact that Germany would not want to take revenge one day.Britain Britain wanted to profit from Germany by punishing them harshly.

At the same time they wanted Germany to recover from the war.

Physical Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J31vkB4IdS0

Impact InformationLand 13% of land and 6 million Germans were lost About 25% of Industry and Agriculture were taken Alsace and Lorraine were given to France West Prussia was given to Poland (this later started WWII)Army Army reduced to about 100,000 men No airforce Navy was limited (6 Battleships, but no submarines) No poison gas, no tanksMoney Germany owed Britain, France and USA 6.6 Billion euros in

compensation in annual installments

Impact of Great Depression The Treaty of Versailles devastated Germany economically and

politically. The outcome lead to the Germans desperately finding a new leader to get them out of the Great Depression. They blamed the extravagant reparations they had to pay to the allies.

The Great Depression America loaned money to Germany to stabilize there economic

failure, however in 1920 the Germans still remained economically and politically unstable.

The disastrous of the Great Depression began in 1929. The American stock exchange collapsed on Wall Street in New York. This also lead to the collapsing of the economy of America. This event was known as the Wall Street Crash, and the start of the Great Depression.

It affected all capitalist economies in the World. American Banks withdrew the loans they had made to Germany,

unemployment rose, and businesses closed.

Adolf Hitler

During the depression, left-wing parties gained power in Britain and extreme right-wing parties rose in Germany and Italy

Hitler became chancellor on January 30, 1933 and marked a crucial turning point on Germany, and the world.

Hitler and his Nazi Party received lots support for the changes they brought to Germany and the people.

Cont. Hitler and the Nazi-Germany ultra-nationalists development

used very strong power to get what they desired. In the treaty, there was a war guilt clause that blamed everything on the Germans. The isolation and sense of defeat developed an idea of ultra-nationalism. This event developed a certain rage in the Germans.

Hitler took this rage in desire to restore respect and land by forming the Nazi group. He used propaganda to capture peoples attention and use there emotions to get what he wanted. This was Hitler’s nationalism towards Germany.

Ultranationalism within Germany

German nationalism was revived and hate of the Germans upraised towards the French.

In 1936, Hitler remilitarized Rhineland. In March 1938, Germany’s union with Austria was accomplished. Britain and France took no action.

Hydroelectric dams and highways were constructed, as were massive public building that restored a strong sense of nationalism.

In October 1938, Hitler set up a meeting with his fellow leaders to implement a new foreign policy. Sudetenland would be turned over to Germany. Since then, Britain and France were alarmed at the possibility of a war.

Since the treaty was the source of Germany’s problems, Hitler backed out from the League of Nations and reconstructed an army.

In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland leading to Britain and France declaring the next World War.

Bibliography