 United States Senator Henrik <unk> argued that the failure to revise the article became a factor in Hitler 's rise to power . A view held by some historians , such as Tony Rea and John Wright who wrote that " the harshness of the War Guilt Clause and the reparations demands made it easier for Hitler to gain power in Germany . " Despite these views , the historical consensus is that the article and the treaty , did not cause the rise of Nazism but that an unconnected rise in extremism and the Great Depression led to the NSDAP gaining greater electoral popularity and then being maneuvered into office . Fritz Klein wrote that while there was a path from Versailles to Hitler , the former did not make " Hitler 's takeover of power inevitable " and that " the Germans had a choice when they decided to take this path . In other words , they did not have to . Hitler 's victory was not an unavoidable result of Versailles . " 
