Why were the Germans not permitted to have weapons on the rhineland?

Answer 1

The Germans were not permitted to have weapons in the Rhineland because this area of Germany bordered on France. The French were afraid that the Germans might invade France again. World War I was fought mostly in France and Belgium and Germany was never invaded.

In 1870, France started a war with Prussia, a German state, and the Prussians invaded France. The French never go over this. The French considered themselves to be the dominant country on the European continent and they thought of the Prussians as upstarts. The French started a war to prevent the Prussians from becoming powerful in Europe, and they were humiliated when the Prussians won.

After their victory over France, the Prussians united all the German states in the the new country of Germany. The king of Prussian had himself crowned the Kaiser of the new country of Germany in the Hall of Mirrors at the French palace of Versailles. This was the ultimate humiliation for the French and they never got over it. That's why they wanted to make sure that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles prevented the Germans from ever becoming powerful again.

Answer 2

The Treaty of Versailles after WWI disallowed it in attempt to keep Germany weak and manageable. France feared a military build-up in the Rhineland was a threat to its existence, especially if Germany ever decided to exact revenge for the Great War.