Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, is infamous for his aggressive expansionist policies that led to the Second World War. However, his ambition to establish a Greater Germany and dominate Europe was not possible without breaking the agreements made in the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War. In this article, we will discuss how Hitler broke the agreements made in the Treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war and pay reparations to the Allies. Germany was stripped of its colonies, its military was limited to 100,000 men, and its territory was reduced. The treaty was meant to cripple Germany and prevent future wars, but instead, it created resentment and anger among the German people, who saw it as a punishment for a war they did not start.
Hitler, who rose to power in 1933, promised to restore Germany`s pride and power, which he believed had been humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles. One of his first steps was to rearm Germany, a clear violation of the treaty, which forbade Germany from mobilizing its military beyond a certain limit. Hitler used the excuse of creating jobs and defending Germany against threat to justify his military buildup.
Hitler also violated the treaty by annexing Austria in 1938. The treaty had forbidden any union between Germany and Austria, but Hitler argued that the two countries were of the same race and deserved to be united. The international community, including Britain and France, protested but did little to stop him.
The next year, Hitler turned his eyes to Czechoslovakia, a country with a significant German minority. He demanded that the Czechs cede the Sudetenland to Germany or face war. The British and French leaders appeased Hitler and agreed to the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise not to make any further territorial demands. However, Hitler broke this promise and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia six months later.
The final straw that led to the outbreak of the Second World War was Hitler`s demand for the Polish city of Danzig and the Polish Corridor, which gave Poland access to the sea. When Poland refused to comply, Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, and Britain and France declared war on Germany.
In conclusion, Hitler broke the agreements made in the Treaty of Versailles by rearming Germany, annexing Austria, seizing Czechoslovakia, and invading Poland. The treaty was intended to prevent another war, but Hitler`s aggressive expansionism proved that it was not enough to stop a determined aggressor. The Second World War was the catastrophic result of Hitler`s break of the treaty, which brought death and destruction to millions of people and changed the course of world history.