Treaty of Versailles

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: Why were the victorious Allies eager to punish Germany in the aftermath of World War I?
• 2.: What short-term and long-term effects did the Treaty of Versailles have on Germany? What were its unintended consequences? For a possible answer, read the entry on Adolf Hitler’s Proclamation to the German People.
• 3.: How could a single assassination in Sarajevo be the fuse for such a widespread and lethal war?
• 4.: What role did the emergence of Communism play in the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
• 5.: Do you believe that the Treaty of Versailles as written was justifiable (and should have been more rigorously enforced), or do you think World War II might have been avoided had the spirit of Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points prevailed in writing the treaty?