Which event demonstrates Germany's violation of Versailles by sending troops into a demilitarized zone in 1936?

• A. Holocaust
• B. Anschluss
• C. Sudetenland
• D. Rhineland

Answer: (D)

The action shows Germany breaking the postwar order by rearming a region that was supposed to stay demilitarized. Under the Versailles Treaty, the Rhineland along Germany’s western border was to be free of German armed forces and fortifications as a buffer zone against France. In 1936, German troops crossed into the Rhineland and established a military presence there, directly violating that treaty and signaling a bold step in undoing the settlement’s limits. This move did more than just violate a clause; it demonstrated a willingness to challenge the European security framework and encouraged further aggressive moves by Hitler.

The other events are significant in their own right but don’t fit this specific action in 1936. The Holocaust refers to the genocide carried out during World War II. Anschluss is the 1938 union with Austria, and Sudetenland denotes the 1938 annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia.