how does hitler suggest germans should respond to the versailles treaty?
Hitler repeatedly argued that Germans should reject, overturn, and ultimately destroy the Treaty of Versailles, not accept or work within it.
Core idea in his message
Hitler portrayed the treaty as a “crime” and a humiliation that turned Germany into a kind of colony of other powers, stripping it of sovereignty, military strength, and economic independence. He insisted that a proud nation could not live under such conditions and therefore must refuse to recognize the treaty as morally or politically binding.
How he said Germans should respond
In speeches and in Mein Kampf , Hitler’s suggested response can be summed up in a few key points:
- Reject and denounce the treaty
- He urged Germans to see Versailles as an unjust diktat imposed by enemies, not as a legitimate peace settlement.
* He framed it as something to be morally repudiated, calling it a deliberate attempt to keep Germany weak and divided.
- Unite in nationalist resistance
- Hitler called for national solidarity around the goal of overturning Versailles, presenting opposition to the treaty as a patriotic duty.
* He argued that accepting the treaty meant accepting permanent inferiority; resisting it was presented as defending Germany’s honor and future.
- Prepare to break and “abolish” it
- He said openly that Germany should work toward abolishing the treaty’s restrictions, especially on the army and territory.
* This meant rearmament, rebuilding military strength, and eventually reclaiming lost lands—steps he later carried out (rearmament, remilitarizing the Rhineland, expansion into Austria and Czechoslovakia), all in defiance of Versailles.
- Accept the risk of conflict
- Hitler’s rhetoric implied that true liberation from Versailles would likely involve confrontation, not negotiation alone.
* He portrayed struggle against the treaty as necessary and inevitable if Germany was to become a powerful state again.
Example of his language
In early speeches, Hitler described the Versailles settlement as designed “to bring Germany to her knees” and insisted the nation must free itself from “the disgrace of the Armistice and the peace treaties.” The consistent message to Germans was: do not accommodate Versailles—organize, rearm, and work toward its complete removal.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
