In 1919 at the close of the Great War, the combined world powers convened at Versailles, on the outskirts of Paris, to define the conditions of the Armistice that ended the war. The product of their meeting was the Treaty of Versailles which placed restrictions on the German military, forced Germany to pay reparations to the Allies and placed full responsibility of the war on Germany. These conditions of the treaty created a loss of sovereignty of Germany and placed hardships on the German population. The combined result was a decline of social and economical capital in German society. The Nazi party capitalized on the conditions present in Germany and was able to rise to power. The following sections provide a brief overview of the problems that Germany faced because of the Treaty. For further information please reference the primary and secondary sources.
