Treaty of Versailles: Catalyst for WWII

The peace treaty that ended WWI actually started WWII. After the first war,

the Treaty of Versailles absolutely crushed Germany. They lost land, had their army shrunk,

and were forced to pay billions in reparations while taking all the blame. This massive humiliation

made Germans furious and desperate. Along came Hitler, who promised to tear up the treaty

and restore national glory. People loved it. Meanwhile, other major powers

like Britain and France were too broke and scared of another war to stop him.

They adopted a policy of appeasement, basically giving Hitler what he wanted, hoping he'd be satisfied.

It only made him bolder.