Title: World War I (1914–1919): Brief Overview | SparkNotes
Headings: World War I (1914–1919)
World War I (1914–1919)
The Start of the War
The Western and Eastern Fronts
The Ottoman Empire
Trench Warfare
The United States’ Entrance and Russia’s Exit
The End of the War and Armistice
Germany After the War

Content: Germany, under the Treaty of Versailles, was severely punished with hefty economic reparations, territorial losses, and strict limits on its rights to develop militarily. Germany After the War
Many historians, in hindsight, believe that the Allies were excessive in their punishment of Germany and that the harsh Treaty of Versailles actually planted the seeds of World War II, rather than foster peace. The treaty’s declaration that Germany was entirely to blame for the war was a blatant untruth that humiliated the German people. Furthermore, the treaty imposed steep war reparations payments on Germany, meant to force the country to bear the financial burden of the war. Although Germany ended up paying only a small percentage of the reparations it was supposed to make, it was already stretched financially thin by the war, and the additional economic burden caused enormous resentment. Ultimately, extremist groups, such as the Nazi Party, were able to exploit this humiliation and resentment and take political control of the country in the decades following. Next section Overview