War Guilt Clause
Article 231, or the War Guilt Clause, in the Treaty of Versailles fixed the blame for the outbreak of WWI on solely on Germany. This clause was added by the Allies to force Germany to admit responsibility for the war and the destruction it caused throughout Europe in order to make Germany liable to pay war reparations.
This was significant because it brought much humiliation and frustration to the German public, leading many to call the Versailles Treaty a 'Diktat'. In the years to come during the Inter-War Period, Hitler would use this anger towards the unfair terms of the Versailles Treaty, such as this one, as the justification for breaking the treaty and his acts of aggression.
Article 231, or the War Guilt Clause, in the Treaty of Versailles fixed the blame for the outbreak of WWI on solely on Germany. This clause was added by the Allies to force Germany to admit responsibility for the war and the destruction it caused throughout Europe in order to make Germany liable to pay war reparations.
This was significant because it brought much humiliation and frustration to the German public, leading many to call the Versailles Treaty a 'Diktat'. In the years to come during the Inter-War Period, Hitler would use this anger towards the unfair terms of the Versailles Treaty, such as this one, as the justification for breaking the treaty and his acts of aggression.