Treaty of Versailles

The impact of the TOV on the Weimar republic to 1929 was more significant than any other factor.   How accurate is this statement?
The impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Weimar republic was more significant than another factor leading to its collapse, however it’s downfall cannot be attributed to any single factor.   The Treaty of Versailles had major economic, social and political impacts on Germany after WWI. However these were compounded by other factors such as fundamental flaws in the democratic system, hyperinflation and the occupation of the Ruhr. All of these factors in combination provided the situations where civil unrest, violence and revolution could place intolerable strain on the already struggling democratic Weimar republic. It is possible to trace the factors that led to the collapse of the Republic back the conditions of the TOV and its impact on the German economy. Therefore it can be said that the TOV was paramount in the fall of the Weimar Republic.
One of the conditions of the Armistice in 1918 was that Germany was to become a democracy.   Therefore the beginnings of democracy in Germany came in times of civil and political unrest following Germany’s defeat in WWI. During the war Germany had essentially been a military dictatorship under Hindenburg and Ludendorff, this style of government being popular among the German people. Therefore when democracy was introduced it was viewed with contempt, primarily among the conservative elites. The defeat in the war also brought about changes in how political maters were handled in Germany. Richard Evans in “the Coming of the Third Reich” argues that WWI had sanctioned the use of violence for political gain, leading to the formation of paramilitary groups that further undermined the effectiveness of the democracy. However the TOV ultimately worsened the situation, having major economic, social and political effects on Germany.
Almost all Germans on both the left and right side of politics opposed...