The road to Nazi Germany and
WW II
By: Jeff Douglas
The Treaty of Versailles
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Section of the “Peace of Paris” that ended
WW I
Was written by Lloyd George of Britain and
Clemenceau of France
Written to punish Germany
Germany was unfairly punished by the
treaty of Versailles
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Greatly reduced the size of Germany
Reduced the size of the German army and
banned the manufacture of weapons
Reestablished the country of Poland
Germany lost its oversea colonies
Germany had to pay reparations for property
damage and for the cost of the Allied war
effort
German land lost at Versailles
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The fertile AlsaceLorraine” ceded back
to France
The “Danzig” land given
so that Poland could
have a coast
Allied forces to occupy
the fertile “Rhineland”
Weimar Republic
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Another effect of the Versailles Treaty was
that Germany was to become a republic
Only lasted from 1919 to 1933
Nationalists claimed that Weimar leaders
betrayed Germany by accepting the
Versailles Treaty
Outrageous Reparations
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Germany was to repay $35 billion dollars to
the allies for the cost of WW I
1922 German government announced
inability to repay
1923 France marches on Germany’s
industrial Ruhr Valley and takes control of
coal and steel industry
Economic Troubles
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Germany lost valuable income from industry
to France
Germany prints more $ to pay striking
workers
By the end of 1923 inflation has wiped out
the savings of the entire middle class
Nationalist Socialist Workers Party
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Started as a valid political party challenging
the Weimar Republic
Led by Adolph Hitler
Formed the “brownshirts” private army of
nationalist, out of work, young men
Adolph Hitler
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Born in Austria in 1889
WWI Veteran
Wrote “Mein Kampf”
(My Struggle) while in
prison for “Munich Beer
Hall Riot”
Blamed Jews and
Communists for
Germany’s WWI defeat
Nazism
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The philosophy of Hitler and the Nationalist
Socialist Worker’s Party
Declared Germans to be the “master race”
Gained strength after the Depression began
in 1929
Blamed Jews for the depression
Hitler in power
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The Nazis won 229 seats in the “Reichstag”they are not a majority, but are the largest
party
Hitler becomes Chancellor on January 30,
1933
Hitler blames Communists for a 1933 fire that
destroyed the “Reichstag” building
Hitler consolidates power
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Brownshirts force the voters to choose Nazi party
leaders
Hitler in total power because of “Communist threat”
Bans all other political parties
Threw out freedom of press, speech, religion and
assembly
Nazi party regulated all aspects of German life
Hitler’s Paranoia
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1935 Nuremburg laws stripped Jews of their
rights
Jewish businesses destroyed, Jews forced to
wear yellow badges so they could be
recognized and discriminated against
The Gestapo, or secret police, arrested Jews
and sent them to Concentration Camps
Third Reich
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Hitler took the title of “Fuhrer” (The Leader)
in 1935
He declared that the “Third Empire” would
last 1000 years
Ignored Versailles and began to produce
weapons and ammunition
Brought all intellectual activity under the
control of the Nazi Party
“Lebensraum”
(Living Space)
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Hitler said living space was needed to
expand the German population
1936 Germany invades the Rhineland
France backs down for fear of war
1938 Hitler sends troops into Austria- Britain
and France do nothing
Axis Powers
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Hitler and Mussolini sign the “Rome-Berlin
Axis” in 1936
1936 Japan joins Germany and Italy in the
“Anti-Comertern Pact”
Western Europe ignores Russia’s Stalin and
his plead for help
Hitler invades
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September 12, 1938 Germany invades
Czechslovakia
Britain and France choose “appeasement
policy”
September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland
with “blitzkrieg” –lightning war
Western Europe finally accepts the threat,
but it is too late. War is imminant.
Works Cited
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http://www.flholocaustmuseum.org/history_wi
ng/assets/room2/map_versailles_treaty.jpg
http://www.newgenevacenter.org/portrait/hitle
r.jpg
“World History- The Human Experience”
Glencoe, 1997; Westerville, Oh.