In World War I, Allied powers defeated Central powers and as a result the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 was concluded. Though termed as a peace treaty, its provisions were considered unfair and humiliating for Germany. It laid down the foundations of an even greater war i.e. World War II due to following provisions:

• Imposed treaty: This Treaty is considered as a dictated peace on Germany, as the Germans were not allowed in the discussions at Versailles. They were asked to sign it without voicing their concerns.
• War indemnity: Germany was held guilty of aggression and was asked to pay a huge amount of money as war indemnity. This was to ensure that Germany would have a crippled economy and not threaten Britain and France.
• Loss of territory: Germany had to give Alsace-Lorraine to France. Parts of its territories were given to Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Lithuania. It also had to cede its overseas colonies in China, Pacific and Africa to the Allied nations.
• Demilitarisation of Rhineland: Rhineland, the land between France and Germany, was demilitarised and brought under the control of the Allied powers.
• Loss of control of Saar Valley: The coal rich Saar Valley of Germany was to be governed by France and Britain under the mandate of League of Nations for 15 years.
• Disarmament: The German army was disbanded and restricted to 100,000 soldiers, its navy to six cruisers and a few smaller vessels. It also could not have planes, tanks and submarines. Conscription was also banned.
• Union with Austria was forbidden to ensure that Germany doesn’t become a powerful state again.

Thus, the provisions of the Treaty were extremely harsh on Germany. It shattered Germany politically, economically and militarily. The German populace and the leaders blamed reparations for their economic ills, which were exacerbated by the Great Depression of 1929. Ultimately, it destabilised the Weimar Republic of Germany. Further, due to lasting resentment against the Versailles Treaty, the Nazi Party and other radical political outfits were able to gain support in the 1920s and early 1930s by promising to overturn its harsh provisions and make Germany a major European power. Eventually, Adolf Hitler came to power and denounced the Treaty of Versailles. Germany stopped paying war reparations, armed itself at a rapid pace, drifted towards extreme nationalism and began an expansionist foreign policy. Thus, peace and order established by the Treaty of Versailles was short-lived and prepared a strong ground for World War II. However, apart from the Treaty of Versailles, various other major factors played a significant role in triggering World War II. Failure of the League of Nations, appeasement policy of Britain and France towards Germany despite its aggressive foreign policy, non-aggression pact between USSR and Germany, rise of fascism in Italy and Japan etc. cumulatively led to the outbreak of World War II.