The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919 after World War I, imposed harsh penalties on Germany. It required huge reparations, territorial losses, and military restrictions. Germans viewed the treaty as humiliating and unjust. Economic hardship and national resentment grew, creating fertile ground for extremist ideologies like Nazism.

Adolf Hitler exploited this discontent, promising to restore Germany’s power and overturn the treaty. His defiance of the treaty's terms went largely unchecked, encouraging further aggression. Thus, the treaty inadvertently paved the way for World War II.