A Brief Note On The Treaty Of Versailles - 1584 Words

After having to pay compensation for World War I due to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was in shambles; people were unemployed, humiliated, and divided almost to the point of a civil war. They were in need of a strong leader to bring them together, and Adolf Hitler, with his powerful speaking skills and manipulative speeches, seemed to be the desirable candidate. His speeches and charisma, timing and strategy, and the fact that Germany was in disarray, allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks of the German Worker’s Party and seize the hearts and minds of his fellow Germans. The Treaty of Versailles, an important element leading to Hitler’s rise to power, divided Germany and provided the perfect conditions for a new ruler to take†¦show more content†¦Sure enough, the treaty sent Germany into an economic downward spiral and the government quickly went bankrupt. To fix this the German government tried to print more money, but hyperinflation followed, backf iring and making money practically useless. People, including Adolf Hitler, were left homeless, hungry, and desperate for any type of work. â€Å"There was never really an effort to deal with the damage done in World War I,† said Leon Panetta, the 23rd US Secretary of Defense, in the TV series, The World Wars, â€Å"failure to do that is what ultimately produce the seats for Hitler and Nazism.† The German people were dealing with the damage by themselves and had no one to help them. They were in dire need of a savior, and Adolf Hitler, a new member of the German Worker’s Party, would prove to be just the man they needed. He took advantage of the state Germany was in and used it to become a powerful figure. People wanted someone strong and stable to help them and needed a person or group of people to blame their problems on; Hitler offered both of these, himself and the Jewish. Taking advantage of the German people at their worst would be an important part of Hit ler’s rise to power; however, to do this Hitler would first need to make himself