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====German Reaction====
[[File:Mass_demonstration_in_front_of_the_Reichstag_against_the_Treaty_of_Versailles.jpg|thumbnail|left||300px|Mass Demonstration against the Treaty of Versailles at the Reichstag in 1919.]]
Naturally, Germany was less than thrilled about their situation. By November 1918 , nary a square mile was under Allied occupation, and the Kaiser's troops still occupied a substantial part of Belgium. German propaganda had been announcing for months that their soldiers were very close to victory through much of 1918. And in many ways, they had been. The shock of defeat , coupled with the harsh terms proposed , carved an indelible mark in the German psyche. This unexpected defeat led to the famous "stab in the back" theory that was utilized by Hitler. The sight of American, British, French, and Belgian occupying the Rhineland pierced the brief calm after the fighting ended.
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Furthermore, Germany's acceptance of Article 231, commonly referred to as the War Guilt Clause , was for many the final straw. Germany had to accept the full responsibility for the war, including the actions of its allies. This came at a heavy price. Across its territory, various portions were carved off or plebiscites prepared. Germany lost all of its overseas colonies. France gained Alsace-Lorraine , and its resources and industry were lost in the Franco-Prussian War. France also occupied the Saarland, also rich in coal. Votes were held in other regions, with Denmark regaining territory lost to Prussia in the 19th Century and Poland gaining territory in both Prussia and Silesia. Perhaps most insulting was the Allied requirement that Poland has access to the sea, creating a strip that divided Germany into two. The predominately German-speaking city of Danzig became a free city. <ref>Roekmeke, ''Reassessment'', Page 45.</ref>
The treaty required Germany to disarm. German troops were not allowed in the Rhineland, Germany's main industrial region that bordered France. Furthermore, the Reichswehr was limited to just 100,000 soldiers. The air force was banned from having combat aircraft, and the German navy lost most of its surface ships and all of its submarines. Tanks were forbidden. What had been arguably the strongest army in the world was humiliated for a second time. <ref>Sharp, Alan. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/033380077X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=033380077X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=3c0f73cc4aacf358986394a403a79bed The Versailles Settlement]</i> (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, Second Edition, 2008. Page 132-133.</ref>
Versailles hung heavily on the German consciousness immediately. Various political parties, especially on the emerging far -right , desperately campaigned against the terms. Furthermore, armed militias often called the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmets) organized across the country burnished by Great War veterans and armaments. This militia helped lead to further undermine the unstable Weimar government, already accused by many on of the right of being to be born on the empire's corpse of the empire. A bizarre combination of the new political party combined with militias led to emerging Communist and National Socialist conflict.
====Conclusion====
