Nearly two decades after World War I ended, the Second World War began September 3, 1939. This sad date is still a terrible historical event that has shaped the world. We can live without Nazism or German tyranny now, almost 20 years later. There were many causes to the war. But, there are seven main ones.
The Treaty of Versailles was itself a document that caused anger among the Germans. The treaty ended war between Germans, France, Britain, and Greece. However, it required that the Germans take responsibility for the beginning of the First World War. A treaty stipulated that Germany must make certain territorial changes. The nation would also be required to disarm completely and the German emperor, along with many other members of the army, would be tried for war crimes. Although the German government opposed the treaty as a violation of national honor, given the weak position of Germany’s army, Germany was forced to ratify it. However, Germany felt resentful and angry for almost 20 years even though Germany was disarmed after the First World War ended. Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany, from 1934 to 1938. He is also a decorated veteran of World War I. He capitalized on this resentment by promising to avenge Germany’s wrongs by strengthening Germany’s Army and waging war against the Allied Powers. Hitler began to motivate the German people to militarization two years after he was elected Chancellor in 1933. Italy was similarly dissatisfied about the Treaty of Versailles. Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, in Italy, was a strong supporter of war and advocated conquest as the only way to achieve greater expansion. Italy, Germany and Japan joined forces with the Allies Powers to wage war in 1937. It would take two years for any battles to start. Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Party (shorthand: National Socialist German Workers Party), was elected in the 1930’s. This party gained support from the public for its ideology, which was to rebuild and restore Germany’s glory by war. The continuing resentment of the German population was fueled in part by the unpaid reparations from World War I. In addition, the people were encouraged to reject and officially renounce Versailles. Hitler was even more supportive of them and promoted Nazism to keep the German dream alive. Hitler believed in war, and Germany was made a war-camp by the enthusiastic employment and support of its army and arms industry. Benito Mussolini advocated Fascism for Italy to reach political goals and bring back the nation to its former glory. Mussolini was against the socialist ideology in Italy and wanted to change the government to one that is more authoritarian. Fascism’s World War I veterans actively supported Fascism and fought against communists, anarchists, and socialists. The result was that the Italian population started to love war as a way to achieve their political goals. Mussolini described Fascism’s core principle as “Everything in the State, Nothing Outside the State, and Nothing Against the State”. This meant that individuals’ interests were subordinated in order to serve the state’s interests. Fascism prohibited freedom of speech, expression, and thought, and also opposed socialism, communism, or internationalism. Since Germany and Italy could not possess arms, rearmament of countries was done under secrecy. Defence against potential aggressions programmes were also launched, also under secrecy. This was how Fascism & Nazism grew in Europe, which made it the ideal recipe for starting war.
Japan’s imperialist status was an important factor in the outbreak of World War II. Japan was the first Asian country to embrace mercantilism, expansion, and industrialization. Britain recognized Japan in 1902 when it signed the Anglo-Japanese Treaty. In 1904, Japan defeated Russia during the Russo-Japanese War. This war was over rival imperial ambitions of conquering Manchuria (a northern part China’s) and Korea. Japan joined forces in World War I with the Allied Powers to take control of German colonies and territories in China. Japan established a Fascist military government in 1931. They then invaded Manchuria. Manchukuo was a nominal sovereign under the control of Japan. It remained in China through the Second World War. Six years later, Japan won the Second Sino-Japanese War against Japan and China. These treaties were signed and the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis was formed. The Axis Powers, commonly known as the Axis Powers, emerged. The Axis consisted of a group of countries who would oppose the Allied Powers’ actions during the Second World War. Japan’s aggressive expansion led to conflict with the United States. This was the main reason for the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. However, secret Fascist agreements were signed, giving Japan, Italy, Germany and other countries the right to expand their respective territories. Japan’s founding of the Axis Powers together was the most important factor in the Second World War. The Axis did not unify the countries which were fighting against the Allied Powers. Therefore, the attack upon the Allied Powers was most likely to have been unsuccessful and would have been difficult to organize.
Another factor that contributed to the Second World War war was the mutual fear of communism in Europe by France, England France and Japan. Many European countries were afraid and concerned by the rise and success of communism. Capitalist countries like France or the UK saw communism pose a threat. The lack of communist governments that would allow them to live in equality with the wealthy could cause anger among peasants or other lower-class workers. This could lead to them organizing a socialist revolution. This means that these capitalist nations feared a revolution by communist ideas. Contrary to capitalists the Fascists were opposed to communists. They did not like communism’s non-authoritarian principles and didn’t want any other government influencing Fascism’s spread in Europe. Fascists saw communists as their enemy because they were able to clash with the left-wing egalitarian nature that communism had with Fascism’s authoritarian side. However, the Fascist-Communist animus was still in its infancy. Popular Front governments were created in many European countries with the support and aid of the Soviet Union. These governments were mainly leftists or egalitarian politicians. To unify the communist parties in all countries, a Comintern (Communist International), had to be established by 1935. In 1937, Italy, Japan, Germany and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact. This made Fascists a commitment to fighting communism. Germany even declared its ambitions of conquering the Soviet Union. The growing hostilities between Fascist and communist nations furthered the divide between the Axis Powers (Allied Powers) and made it a factor in the Second World War.
Appeasement, a policy adopted by the West powers (mainly England & France), was a key factor in World War II. It was born out of the rise Fascism Central Europe. Many countries were afraid of the possibility of another conflict after seeing the destruction caused by World War I. As they witnessed the rise of the military and economy in Italy and Germany, the fear that these countries felt grew stronger. These countries became a reckoning force within Europe and began to invade their neighbors, increasing their status. France and England were able to fulfill Hitler’s demands, which helped to prevent further conflict. These people believed that meeting their needs would prevent another conflict. This was false. The appeasement plan was a mistake that made the German military stronger and more bolder than it was originally.
England and France permitted Germany and Italy to continue their aggression against communist parties in hopes that favoring Fascist power would weaken the Soviet Union. France and England are, as the Fascists, against communism. Fascism favouritism was also used by the West to stop communism from spreading to western Europe. The Western powers used central Europe, dominated by Fascists, as a defensive wall or bulwark. Neville Chamberlain was the prime minister of Great Britain and Edouard Daladier was the prime minister France. They appeased Germany for self-protection. Appeasement seems innocent enough. It was simply put in place by the West to prevent communism spreading. But it only strengthened Fascist forces to dangerous heights and placed the world at the brink of World War II. The 1930’s provide a few examples that the West favored fascism. First, the Spanish Civil War began in 1936 because of the actions of Fascist and communist parties fighting in Spain. Germany and Italy sent large numbers of troops to Spain to assist the Fascists. However, Britain and France, whom the Soviet Union appealed for to help all communists together, remained indifferent and adopted a policy that was non-intervention. Due to the large German-speaking population, Germany attempted to purchase Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in 1938. Germany requested Czechoslovakia’s land, but Czechoslovakia refused Hitler’s request. Hitler then sought help from England and France. While the Western powers supported Fascism, they did not turn a blind eye to Czechoslovakia. Instead, they signed the Munich Pact. This gave Germany complete control to seize Czechoslovakia. Recall that the West’s policy of appeasement caused the Second World War due to the hostilities it facilitated between Fascist-communist groups.
Fascist aggression was another Fascist-related cause for World War II. After its new imperialistic ambitions in 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria and China. China asked for help from Britain, France and America in the attack on Manchuria. However, all three nations refused to intervene. Their policy of appeasement was the reason. However, simply allowing an unprovoked war to pass is clearly aggression, if it wasn’t by Fascists then by Fascist support. China, as a member of League of Nations was strongly protesting against the Japanese attack. However, this did not have any effect. Japan resigned from the League of Nations and, encouraged by Manchukuo’s formation (the Japanese puppet island located in Manchuria), invaded the rest China in the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war took place in 1937. Mussolini, in a similar fashion, attacked Ethiopian (Ethiopian) Abyssinia (1935) without any explanation. Again, League of Nations declared Italy the aggressor. The League of Nations was following the appeasement policy, so no action was taken to punish Italy. Abyssinia was subsequently conquered in 1936 by the Italian Fascists. In 1938, Austria was annexed by Italy in a flagrant breach of its treaties. Although this was a very large affair, France and Britain did nothing to protest. They remained steadfast in their appeasement policy. Fascist aggression is an indirect result the Western Powers’ appeasement policy. Fascists can be aggressive and conquest however they want. The Western powers were bound to refrain from intervening in international affairs that involve Fascist/communist wars. However, this aggression caused anger among the nations affected and created tension and resentment between them, closing the door to World War II.
The League of Nations collapsed and was rendered ineffective largely due to the Americans and Brits’ policy of appeasement. The League of Nations failed to have the support of France and Britain, which were both major League of Nations members. Without them, it was unable enforce any sanctions, take military action if necessary, or impose sanctions. to counter Fascist aggressions in Abyssinia and China. The League of Nations was unable to stop the appeasement policy of the major powers and was therefore left in limbo. It was unable to function without its members. This League of Nations was unable to maintain law, order and respect between nations. It only allowed aggressors like Nazis and Italian Fascists to continue their conquests and unprovoked aggressive actions. Fascist aggression was, in essence, directly caused by collapse of League of Nations.
The Polish question was ultimately the decisive cause of World War II. The conflict began when Germany, a growing nation, demanded the possession of Danzig in Poland in the 1930’s. As their ties were broken following the First World War, Germany would be able to regain connection to Prussia if it took possession of Danzig. Britain and France were both concerned by the rapid expansion of Germany’s Empire and considered ending their appeasement policy. They feared for Poland’s independence and threatened to go to war with Germany to stop it. However, Poland was far from France and Britain so it would have been difficult to help Poland before Germany conquered Danzig. The British had only one choice: They could make an alliance with Soviet Union and ask them to help the Polish save their independence. After watching France’s and Britain’s non-intervention policies, the Soviet Union realized that Germany was plotting to use them against them. Also, Poland was already pursuing anti-Soviet policy, so it would have been disastrous for the Russians to fight for them. The Soviet Union decided not to join the West and made a pact to refrain from attacking each other. The Mutual Non-Aggression Pact of Peace between Germany and Soviet Union was signed on August 23, 1943. In secret, the Russians & Germans agreed to invade Poland in order to take half of the country each. This accord gave the Russians ample time to prepare themselves for an encounter. Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. It assured the West that they would not and could do nothing about it. However, France and Britain declared war against Germany just days later. The Second World War was thus officially started. The Polish conflict was the main cause of Second World War. However, there were many other factors that led to it, including the policy of non-intervention and appeasement.
