To what extent did the Treaty of Versailles cause World War II? The Treaty of Versailles was written to establish peace between European nations; however, it did exactly the opposite of its purpose. Germany faced many economic difficulties due to having its land taken away from it. The Germans were looking for a government that could help their nation and their citizens; they believed Hitler was the right man for it. Hitler broke several conditions of the Treaty of Versailles which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II. This essay will examine the ways in which the treaty weakened Germany by allowing Hitler to come to power, which****************. The Treaty of Versailles played an important role in the outbreak of World War II. By taking land away from Germany, the treaty weakened their economy as it was largely dependent on trade in iron and coal. Some sections of the treaty took Germany's land away from them and distributed it to other countries. Areas such as the Saar basin and Upper Silesia were awarded to France and Poland respectively. The Saar basin was important to the German economy as it was home to many coal mines. Likewise, Silesia was equally important, as it too was rich in minerals and natural resources. Not only did Germany lose its source of coal, but it was also expected to pay millions of tons of coal to Belgium, France, and Italy as part of the reparations. Coal was essential for the Germans because it allowed trains to run. Additionally, coal was used to produce electricity in factories. The Germans' failure to keep their factories open also caused a huge decline in the economy. Furthermore, Danzig was ceded to Poland. Poland received full control of the railways and Germany could not... middle of paper... again was broken. As he had done several times in the past, Adolf Hitler ignored the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in March 1938, when Germany annexed Austria (also known as the Anschluss). The treaty had expressly prohibited any union between Germany and Austria. Hitler continued to strengthen Germany by trying to regain the territory he had lost. His goal was partially achieved when the Munich Agreement was signed in September 1938. Britain and France allowed Germany to have the Sudetenland as long as Germany promised not to take any more land. Britain and France thought this would prevent World War II. The final step towards war was taken on September 1, 1939. On this day, Germany invaded Poland in an attempt to regain the Polish Corridor. This would be Hitler's last attempt to break the treaty's restrictions as World War II began two days later.