You know, they hammered the "treaty of versailles sowed the seeds of ww2" into our heads throughout middle school, high school, and college.
A few years ago I really started thinking about it . . . it really starts to come off as a "its really our fault that Hitler and the German people started the war . . .we were mean to them." Then I started thinking about the people who said, "its really our fault the hijackers flew those planes into the buildings . . .we were mean to them"
Pat Buchanan has said it. But I agree with you.
The "we were mean to them" answer is at least partly true. Among other things, it provided some ready-made grievances and problems that made militarism attractive, and it prompted the Weimar government to initiate hyperinflation to pay off the reparations.
Moreover, although the treaty was tough, it depended on the political will of (especially) the French -- which was of course non-existent.
Also, however, the Germans were not defeated in WWI the way they were in WWII. The lack of damage to the homeland allowed the militarists (who were not punished) to formulate the "stabbed in the back" excuse.
At the same time, we cannot forget the commies, who were actively trying to foment revolution in Germany, which gave traction to the various "marching societies," of which the Nazis were one.
Punitive conditions in the Treaty of Versailles were so harsh that some Germans literally starved. If a family had two cows, the Treaty called that one be taken from them as a form of come-uppance. Most of what the German people produced or earned was confiscated due to the Treaty. It debilitated the German economy to the point that there was little incentive to be productive. It also totally demoralized the German people. It wasn't a matter of being "mean to them." It was a matter of an ugly desire for vengeance on the part the Treaty writers. It backfired big-time, which is perhaps why the bible says to leave vengeance to God.
NOTHING like the Treaty of Versailles was ever inflicted on "the hijackers who flew those planes into the buildings." It's a poor analogy.
Cultural Marxist Dictionary definitions....
Grievance: The cause of all heinous acts committed by either people of color or non-democratic societies.
Evil: A trait that is only inherent to Capitalists, caucasions, Christians and Jews.