'The Treaty of Versailles was the most important cause of World War Two' - How far do you agree? (16 marks) Answering 'how far' questions.

Introduction: define what you interpret 'most important to mean'. In this case examples could be which factor had the biggest impact, which caused the most upset economically, socially and politically etc. Mention what the other leading causes were e.g. appeasement and the Great Depression. State your line of argument e.g. 'It is true/not true that the Treaty of Versailles was the most important cause'. briefly explain why it is more important than the other factors e.g. 'appeasement policy would not have been required had it not been for the harsh sanctions of the treaty'. Summarize your argument and sustain it through the whole answer.Paragraph One: Always start with the given factor in the question to make sure you get time to discuss it. Follow a basic PEEL structure. e.g. 'The Treaty of Versailles was the most important factor as it was the basis for long term resentment in Germany and set the social and economic background for Hitler’s rise to power'. Add some supporting evidence e.g. Germany had to surrender around 10% of its territory, demilitarization, occupation of the Rhineland and the war guilt clause that demanded large amounts of reparations. The more specific the better. Explain that this had a very negative impact on the economy and on the general morale of Germany that was easy for Hitler to exploit, thus leading to WW2. Briefly analyse e.g. 'it is possible that these issues wouldn't have been enough to cause WW2 on their own and that other factors also had to be at play' but ultimately sustain your position by linking back to your judgment. e.g. 'it was the most important factor as it was what facilitated the impact of the great depression and appeasement. they would not have been as important without the pre-conditions made by the treaty'.Other Paragraphs/Conclusion: use the above format for your remaining factors. It is important that the argument stated at the beginning is sustained throughout the last paragraphs. For example, if you are discussing the immediate impact that Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland had on causing war you would mention that this development happened due to the appeasement policies, one of your other factors. However, to analyse this you would state that the appeasement policies were only put in place due to the harshness and upset that the treaty caused. Similarly, you would mention that the great depression took a particularly hard on Germany due to the economic weakness already established by the treaty. This allows you to analyse frequently and to link your points back to the original argument, thus sustaining your judgement throughout. Your conclusion should simply be a summary of your points and your judgment. Do not introduce any new ideas, arguments or evidence at the end of your answer.