Editing Treaty of Versailles (section)

===Military===
In 1920, the head of the {{lang|de|Reichswehr}} [[Hans von Seeckt]] clandestinely re-established the General Staff, by expanding the ''[[Truppenamt]]'' (Troop Office); purportedly a human resources section of the army.{{sfn|Zaloga|2002|p=13}}{{sfn|Geyer|1984}} In March, {{nowrap|18,000}} German troops entered the Rhineland under the guise of attempting to quell possible unrest by the [[Communist Party of Germany]] and in doing so violated the demilitarized zone. In response, French troops advanced farther into Germany until the German troops withdrew.{{sfn|Shuster|2006|pp=112, 114}}

German officials conspired systematically to evade the clauses of the treaty, by failing to meet disarmament deadlines, refusing Allied officials access to military facilities, and maintaining and hiding weapon production.{{sfn|Shuster|2006|pp=112, 114}} As the treaty did not ban German companies from producing war material outside of Germany, companies moved to the [[Netherlands]], [[Switzerland]], and [[Sweden]]. [[Bofors]] was bought by [[Krupp]], and in 1921 German troops were sent to Sweden to test weapons.{{sfn|Shuster|2006|p=116}}
The establishment of diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, via the [[Genoa Conference (1922)|Genoa Conference]] and [[Treaty of Rapallo (1922)|Treaty of Rapallo]], was also used to circumvent the Treaty of Versailles. Publicly, these diplomatic exchanges were largely in regards to trade and future economic cooperation. But secret military clauses were included that allowed for Germany to develop weapons inside the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it allowed for Germany to establish three training areas for aviation, chemical and tank warfare.{{sfn|Bell|1997|p=133}}{{sfn|Tucker|Roberts|2005|p=967}} In 1923, the British newspaper ''[[The Times]]'' made several claims about the state of the German Armed Forces: that it had equipment for {{nowrap|800,000 men}}, was transferring army staff to civilian positions in order to obscure their real duties, and warned of the militarization of the German police force by the exploitation of the [[Krümper system]].{{sfn|Shuster|2006|p=120}} {{efn-lr|On 8 March 1936, {{nowrap|22,700 armed}} policemen were incorporated into the army in 21 infantry battalions {{harv|Bell|1997|p=234}}.}}

The Weimar Government also funded domestic rearmament programs, which were covertly funded with the money camouflaged in "X-budgets", worth up to an additional {{nowrap|10% of}} the disclosed military budget.{{sfn|Hantke|Spoerer|2010|p=852}}
By 1925, German companies had begun to design tanks and modern artillery. During the year, over half of Chinese arms imports were German and worth 13&nbsp;million ''Reichsmarks.'' In January 1927, following the withdrawal of the Allied [[Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control|disarmament committee]], Krupps ramped up production of armor plate and artillery.{{sfn|Kirby|1984|p=25}}{{sfn|Kirby|1984|p=220}}
{{efn-lr|[[Gustav Krupp]] later claimed he had duped the Allies throughout the 1920s and prepared the German military for the future {{harv|Shuster|2006|p=116}}.}} Production increased so that by 1937, military exports had increased to {{nowrap|82,788,604}} ''Reichsmarks''.{{sfn|Kirby|1984|p=25}}{{sfn|Kirby|1984|p=220}} Production was not the only violation: "Volunteers" were rapidly passed through the army to make a pool of trained reserves, and paramilitary organizations were encouraged with the illegally militarized police. Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were not limited by the treaty, thus this loophole was exploited and as such the number of NCOs were vastly in excess to the number needed by the {{lang|de|Reichswehr}}.{{sfn|Mowat|1968|p=235}}

In December 1931, the {{lang|de|Reichswehr}} finalized a second rearmament plan that called for 480&nbsp;million ''Reichsmarks'' to be spent over the following five years: this program sought to provide Germany the capability of creating and supplying a defensive force of 21 divisions supported by aircraft, artillery, and tanks. This coincided with a 1&nbsp;billion ''Reichsmark'' programme that planned for additional industrial infrastructure that would be able to permanently maintain this force. As these programs did not require an expansion of the military, they were nominally legal.{{sfn|Tooze|2007|p=26}}
On 7 November 1932, the [[List of German defence ministers|Reich Minister of Defense]] [[Kurt von Schleicher]] authorized the illegal {{lang|de|Umbau}} Plan for a standing army of 21 divisions based on {{nowrap|147,000 professional}} soldiers and a large militia.{{sfn|Tooze|2007|p=26}} Later in the year at the [[World Disarmament Conference]], Germany withdrew to force France and Britain to accept German equality of status.{{sfn|Tooze|2007|p=26}} London attempted to get Germany to return with the promise of all nations maintaining an equality in armaments and security. The British later proposed and agreed to an increase in the {{lang|de|Reichswehr}} to {{nowrap|200,000}} men, and for Germany to have an air force half the size of the French. It was also negotiated for the French Army to be reduced.{{sfn|Bell|1997|p=229}}

In October 1933, following the [[Adolf Hitler's rise to power|rise of Adolf Hitler]] and the founding of the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi regime]], Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference. In March 1935, Germany reintroduced conscription followed by an open [[German re-armament|rearmament]] programme and the official unveiling of the [[Luftwaffe]] (air force), and signed the [[Anglo-German Naval Agreement]] that allowed a surface fleet {{nowrap|35% of}} the size of the Royal Navy.{{sfn|Bell|1997|p=78}}{{sfn|Corrigan|2011|p=68}}{{sfn|Fischer|1995|p=408}} The resulting rearmament programmes were allotted 35&nbsp;billion ''Reichsmarks'' over an eight-year period.{{sfn|Tooze|2007|p=53}}