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The Second World War was the inevitable consequence of the Treaty of Versailles

After the Armistice, many believe that a defeated Germany was treated so harshly that the rise of Nazism became inevitable. Certainly, the terms that Germany had to agree to at Versailles in 1919 - loss of territory, mammoth reparations, disarmament and the war guilt clause - were punitive. But there are other reasons for why Hitler came to power, notably the ravages of the Depression, and some even suggest that the Second World War can be attributed to unfinished business from the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870. Then there are those who defend Versailles, and blame leaders in following years for failing to enforce the Treaty.

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