World War 2

 Introduction:
World war Two began in September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on Germany
following Germany's invasion of Poland. Although the outbreak of war was triggered by
Germany's invasion of Poland, the causes of the war are more complex. It is Largest war in human
history. Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world. By the end, over 70
million were dead. It lasted from 1939 until 1945.

 Causes & Reasons:

The reasons which lead to second world war are as follow:

1. Treaty of Versailles:

In 1919, Lloyd George of England, Orlando of Italy, Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson
from the US met to discuss how Germany was to be made to pay for the damage world war one
had caused.

Woodrow Wilson wanted a treaty based on his 14-point plan which he believed would bring
peace to Europe.
Georges Clemenceau wanted revenge. He wanted to be sure that Germany could never start
another war again.
Lloyd George personally agreed with Wilson but knew that the British public agreed with
Clemenceau. He tried to find a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau.
Germany had been expecting a treaty based on Wilson's 14 points and were not happy with the
terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, they had no choice but to sign the document.
The main terms of the Treaty of Versailles were:
 War Guilt Clause - Germany should accept the blame for starting World War One
 Reparations - Germany had to pay 6,600 million pounds for the damage caused by
the war
 Disarmament - Germany was only allowed to have a small army and six naval ships.
No tanks, no airforce and no submarines were allowed. The Rhineland area was to
be de-militarised.
 Territorial Clauses - Land was taken away from Germany and given to other
countries. Anschluss (union with Austria) was forbidden.
The German people were very unhappy about the treaty and thought that it was too harsh.
Germany could not afford to pay the money and during the 1920s the people in Germany were
very poor. There were not many jobs and the price of food and basic goods was high. People were
dissatisfied with the government and voted to power a man who promised to rip up the Treaty of
Versailles. His name was Adolf Hitler.
The war had shattered Europe. It killed more than 8.5 million men. Most of the people in the
international level called Germany responsible for the war and wanted the country to pay
back and to crush them down economically and militarily. Germany had lost all of their
colonies after the war. Everyone wanted to punish Germany while signing the Versailles
Treaty of 1919.

2. The Treatment of Germany:

In the Versailles Peace Treaty, the losing country, Germany, was treated harshly by the
victorious countries. Germany was blamed for the war, and forced to pay for its entire cost.
Germany lost important chunks of its territory and also had its armed forces drastically
reduced.

Many people in Germany felt that their country had been unfairly treated by the winning
countries of the First World War. As a result, feelings of anger and frustration were present
 among the German population. These feelings increased when the German people suffered
large economic hardships because they had to pay for the war.

3. The Nazi Party in Germany:

In this atmosphere, a new party, called the Nazi Party, found supporters among the German
voters. The Nazis were led by Adolf Hitler. The party blamed Germany’s problems on the
Versailles Peace Treaty and on the actions of the Jewish people

4. Hitler's Actions:

Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately

he began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. In 1934 he
increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German
air force. Compulsory military service was also introduced.
Although Britain and France were aware of Hitler's actions, they were also
concerned about the rise of Communism and believed that a stronger Germany
might help to prevent the spread of Communism to the West.
In 1936 Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland. At this point the
German army was not very strong and could have been easily defeated. Yet
neither France nor Britain was prepared to start another war.
Hitler also made two important alliances during 1936. The first was called the Rome-Berlin Axis
Pact and allied Hitler's Germany with Mussolini's Italy. The second was called the Anti-Comitern
Pact and allied Germany with Japan.
Hitler's next step was to begin taking back the land that had been taken away from Germany. In
March 1938, German troops marched into Austria. The Austrian leader was forced to hold a vote
asking the people whether they wanted to be part of Germany.
The results of the vote were fixed and showed that 99% of Austrian people wanted Anschluss
(union with Germany). The Austrian leader asked Britain, France and Italy for aid. Hitler promised
that Anschluss was the end of his expansionist aims and not wanting to risk war, the other
countries did nothing.

Hitler did not keep his word and six months later demanded that the Sudetenland region of
Czechoslovakia be handed over to Germany.
Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, met with Hitler three times during September
1938 to try to reach an agreement that would prevent war. The Munich Agreement stated that
Hitler could have the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia provided that he promised not to
invade the rest of Czechoslovakia.
Hitler was not a man of his word and in March 1939 invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. Despite
calls for help from the Czechoslovak government, neither Britain nor France was prepared to take
military action against Hitler. However, some action was now necessary and believing that Poland
would be Hitler's next target, both Britain and France promised that they would take military
action against Hitler if he invaded Poland. Chamberlain believed that, faced with the prospect of
war against Britain and France, Hitler would stop his aggression. Chamberlain was wrong. German
troops invaded Poland on 1st September 1939.

5. The Policy of Appeasement

Appeasement means giving in to someone provided their demands are seen as reasonable. During
the 1930s, many politicians in both Britain and France came to see that the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles had placed restrictions on Germany that were unfair. Hitler's actions were seen as
understandable and justifiable

Another important cause of the Second World War was the policy of appeasement. The policy of
appeasement was basically the policy to give into the demands of an unfriendly power Germany
to prevent hostilities. This was very similar to the failure of the League of Nations. As countries
were all preoccupied with their own problems, they did not want to add more problems to
themselves and did not bother to interfere with Germany’s plans—they just let Germany do
whatever it wanted. Germany remobilized the Rhineland, annexed Austria, and then took over the
Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. Then, when Germany took over the rest of Czechoslovakia and
the world finally realized what Germany was up to, it was already too late. By taking over Austria
and Czechoslovakia, Germany had gained tremendous military and industrial power, and had thus
become a lot more powerful. Had the rest of the countries not adopted the policy of
appeasement and had they stopped Germany from taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia,
Germany’s plan would not have gone successful and it would not have been able to fight in a war
as huge as the Second World War. The policy of appeasement allowed Germany to execute its
plans successfully and to become extremely powerful, and therefore it was a significant cause of
the Second World War.
When Germany began re-arming in 1934, many politicians felt that Germany had a right to re-arm
in order to protect herself. It was also argued that a stronger Germany would prevent the spread
of Communism to the west.
In 1936, Hitler argued that because France had signed a new treaty with Russia, Germany was
under threat from both countries and it was essential to German security that troops were
stationed in the Rhineland. France was not strong enough to fight Germany without British help
and Britain was not prepared to go to war at this point. Furthermore, many believed that since
the Rhineland was a part of Germany it was reasonable that German troops should be stationed
there.

In May 1937, Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Britain. He believed that the Treaty
of Versailles had treated Germany badly and that there were a number of issues associated with
the Treaty that needed to be put right. He felt that giving in to Hitler's demands would prevent
another war.
This policy, adopted by Chamberlain's government became known as the policy of Appeasement.
The most notable example of appeasement was the Munich Agreement of September 1938.

The Munich Agreement, signed by the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy, agreed that
the Sudetenland would be returned to Germany and that no further territorial claims would be
made by Germany. The Czech government was not invited to the conference and protested about
the loss of the Sudetenland. They felt that they had been betrayed by both Britain and France
with whom alliances had been made. However, the Munich Agreement was generally viewed as a
triumph and an excellent example of securing peace through negotiation rather than war.
This famous picture shows Chamberlain returning from Munich with the paper signed by Hitler
declaring 'Peace in our time.'
When Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, he broke the terms of the Munich
Agreement. Although it was realised that the policy of appeasement had failed, Chamberlain was
still not prepared to take the country to war over "..a quarrel in a far-away country between
people of whom we know nothing." Instead, he made a guarantee to come to Poland's aid if Hitler
invaded Poland.

6. Failure of the League of Nations:

The League of Nations was an international organisation set up in 1919 to help keep world peace.
It was intended that all countries would be members of the League and that if there were
disputes between countries they could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. If this failed
then countries would stop trading with the aggressive country and if that failed then countries
would use their armies to fight.
In theory the League of Nations was a good idea and did have some early successes. But
ultimately it was a failure.
The whole world was hit by a depression in the late 1920s. A depression is when a
country's economy falls. Trade is reduced, businesses lose income, prices fall and unemployment
rises.
In 1931, Japan was hit badly by the depression. People lost faith in the government and turned to
the army to find a solution. The army invaded Manchuria in China, an area rich in minerals and
resources. China appealed to the League for help. The Japanese government were told to order
the army to leave Manchuria immediately. However, the army took no notice of the government
and continued its conquest of Manchuria.
The League then called for countries to stop trading with Japan but because of the depression
many countries did not want to risk losing trade and did not agree to the request. The League
then made a further call for Japan to withdraw from Manchuria but Japan's response was to leave
the League of Nations.
In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia. The Abyssinians did not have the strength to withstand
an attack by Italy and appealed to the League of Nations for help.
The League condemned the attack and called on member states to impose trade restrictions with
Italy. However, the trade restrictions were not carried out because they would have little effect.
Italy would be able to trade with non-member states, particularly America. Furthermore, Britain
and France did not want to risk Italy making an attack on them.
In order to stop Italy's aggression, the leaders of Britain and France held a meeting and decided
that Italy could have two areas of land in Abyssinia provided that there were no further attacks on
the African country. Although Mussolini accepted the plan, there was a public outcry in Britain
and the plan was dropped.
The main reasons for the failure of the League of Nations can be summarised into the following
points:
Not all countries joined the League
Although the idea for the League of Nations had come from Woodrow Wilson, there was a change
of government in the United States before the signing of the treaty and the new Republican
government refused to join. As a punishment for having started World War One, Germany was
not allowed to join and Russia was also excluded due to a growing fear of Communism. Other
countries decided not to join and some joined but later left.
The League had no power.
The main weapon of the League was to ask member countries to stop trading with an aggressive
country. However, this did not work because countries could still trade with non-member
countries. When the world was hit by depression in the late 1920s countries were reluctant to
lose trading partners to other non-member countries.
The League had no army
Soldiers were to be supplied by member countries. However, countries were reluctant to get
involved and risk provoking an aggressive country into taking direct action against them and failed
to provide troops.
Unable to act quickly
The Council of the League of Nations only met four times a year and decisions had to be agreed by
all nations. When countries called for the League to intervene, the League had to set up an
emergency meeting, hold discussions and gain the agreement of all members. This process meant
that the League could not act quickly to stop an act of aggression.
 7. Isolationism
While the Canadian government rejected Jewish refugees, it also rejected involvement in the
international community during the 1930's. Canada, like the United States, was following a policy
of isolationism. American Isolationism ,The failure of peace efforts such as the Kellogg Briand
Treaty during the 1920s disillusioned many Americans about international involvement. The U.S.
was in a major depression throughout the 1930s and was mostly concerned with its own
problems. Conflict in Europe seemed distant, and the U.S. tried to remain neutral. This policy
weakened the European democracies The Nye Committee held congressional hearings in the mid-
1930s, concluding that the U.S. was tricked into entering WWI by arms manufacturers and Allied
propaganda.
Both countries attempted to stay away from issues that took place away from North American
shores. Both countries virtually ignored the happenings in Europe that involved Hitler and Nazi
Germany.

8. The Allies and Axis:

There were two major alliances during World War II: the Axis and the Allies.
The three principal partners in the Axis alliance were Germany, Italy, and Japan. These
three countries recognized German domination over most of continental Europe; Italian
domination over the Mediterranean Sea; and Japanese domination over East Asia and the
Pacific.
The Allied Powers were led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
Formation of the Axis Alliance
Although the Axis partners never developed institutions to coordinate foreign or military
policy as the Allies did, the Axis partners had two common interests:
1) territorial expansion and foundation of empires based on military conquest and the
overthrow of the post-World War I international order; and

2) the destruction or neutralization of Soviet Communism.

On November 1, 1936, Germany and Italy, reflecting their common interest in destabilizing
the European order, announced a Rome-Berlin Axis one week after signing a treaty of
friendship. Nearly a month later, on November 25, 1936, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan
signed the so-called Anti-Comintern Pact directed at the Soviet Union. Italy joined the Anti-
Comintern Pact on November 6, 1937. On May 22, 1939, Germany and Italy signed the so-
called Pact of Steel, formalizing the Axis alliance with military provisions. Finally, on
September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, which became
known as the Axis alliance.

Preceding Conflicts
Even before the Tripartite Pact, two of the three Axis powers had initiated conflicts that
would become theaters of war in World War II. On July 7, 1937, Japan invaded China to
initiate the war in the Pacific. The German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939,
unleashed the European war. Italy entered World War II on the Axis side on June 10, 1940,
as the defeat of France became apparent.
Germany Pressures other States to Join the Axis
In July 1940, just weeks after the defeat of France, Hitler decided that Nazi Germany
would attack the Soviet Union the following spring. In order to secure raw materials, transit
rights for German troops, and troop contributions for the invasion from sympathetic
powers, Germany began to cajole and pressure the southeast European states to join the
Axis. Nazi Germany offered economic aid to Slovakia and military protection and Soviet
territory to Romania, while warning Hungary that recent German support for Hungarian
annexations of Czechoslovak and Romanian territory might change to the benefit of Slovakia
and Romania.
Italy’s failed effort to conquer Greece in the late autumn and winter of 1940-1941
exacerbated German concerns about securing their south eastern flank in the Balkans.
Greek entry into the war and victories in northern Greece and Albania allowed the British to
open a Balkan front against the Axis in Greece that might threaten Romania’s oil fields,
which were vital to Nazi Germany’s invasion plans. To subdue Greece and move the British
off the European mainland, Nazi Germany now required troop transport through Yugoslavia
and Bulgaria.
Hungary
After the Italo-Greek front opened on October 28, 1940, German pressure on Hungary and
the Balkan States intensified. Hoping for preferential economic treatment, mindful of recent
German support for annexation of northern Transylvania, and eager for future Axis support
for acquiring the remainder of Transylvania, Hungary joined the Axis on November 20, 1940.
Romania
Having already requested and received a German military mission in October 1940, Romania
joined on November 23, 1940. The Romanians hoped that loyal support for a German
invasion of the Soviet Union and faithful oil deliveries would destroy the Soviet threat,
return the provinces annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940, and win German support for
the return of northern Transylvania.
Slovakia
Both politically and economically dependent on Germany for its very existence as an
“independent” state, Slovakia followed suit on November 24.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, whose leaders were reluctant to get involved in a war with the Soviet Union, and
Yugoslavia, which was nominally an ally of Greece, stalled, resisting German pressure. After
the Germans offered Greek territory in Thrace and exempted it from participation in the
invasion of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria joined the Axis on March 1, 1941.
Yugoslavia
When the Germans agreed to settle for Yugoslav neutrality in the war against Greece,
without demanding transit rights for Axis troops, Yugoslavia reluctantly joined the Axis on
March 25, 1941. Two days later, Serbian military officers overthrew the government that
had signed the Tripartite Pact.
Independent State of Croatia
After the subsequent invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia by Germany, Italy,
Hungary, and Bulgaria in April, the newly established and so-called Independent State of
Croatia joined the Axis on June 15, 1941.
Finland
On June 26, 1941, four days after the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, Finland, seeking to
regain territory lost during the 1939-1940 Winter War, entered the war against the USSR as
a “co-belligerent.” Finland never signed the Tripartite Pact.
After Japan’s surprise attack on the United States fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
on December 7, 1941, and the declaration of war on the United States by Germany and the
European Axis powers within a week, the Atlantic and Pacific wars became a truly world
war.
Allied Victory
The Allied Powers, led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, defeated
the Axis in World War II.

Italy
Italy was the first Axis partner to give up: it surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943,
six weeks after leaders of the Italian Fascist Party deposed Fascist leader and Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini.
Romania
On August 23, 1944, following the overthrow of dictator Marshal Ion Antonescu, Romania
switched sides: Romanian troops fought alongside Soviet troops for the remainder of the
war.
Bulgaria
After the Soviets rejected its offer of an armistice, Bulgaria surrendered on September 8,
1944, as the Communist-led Fatherland Front seized power from the Axis government in a
coup and then declared war on Nazi Germany.
Finland
On September 19, 1944, Finland signed an armistice with the Soviet Union.
Hungary
The German occupation of Hungary in March 1944 succeeded in its primary purpose: to
prevent the Hungarian leaders from deserting the Axis as the Romanians would later do.
Hungary never surrendered; the war ended for Hungary only when Soviet troops drove the
last pro-Axis Hungarian troops and police units and the members of the Arrow Cross
government across Hungary’s western border into Austria in early April 1945.
Slovakia
Slovakia, which German troops occupied in the summer of 1944 to suppress the Slovak
uprising, remained in the Axis as a puppet state until the Soviets captured the capital,
Bratislava, in early April 1945.
Croatia
Fanatical remnants of the Croat Ustasa remained in Croatia until Tito’s Partisans captured or
drove them across the border into German-occupied Slovenia and Austria itself in the last
days of April 1945.
Japan
On May 7, 1945, seven days after Hitler committed suicide, Nazi Germany surrendered
unconditionally to the Allies. Japan fought on alone, surrendering formally on September 2,
1945.
 9. Anti-Semitism:
The Nazis made the Jewish people scapegoats (people blamed for the wrongdoings of others). The
Jewish people were targeted because they had different religious and cultural practices from the
majority of Christian Europeans. Hundreds of years ago, Jewish people had been excluded from
many professions. Some went into banking and business and experienced large success. This in
turn led some to be jealous and suspicious of Jewish people.
Prejudice and hatred against Jewish people is called anti-Semitism.
After Adolf Hitler and the Nazis gained control of the government in 1933, they began to pass
laws that discriminated against Jewish people. Jews were forbidden to take government and
professional positions, or to join the armed forces. They lost their German citizenship rights and
their children were banished from the government schools.
In 1938, the Nazi party organized an attack on Jewish shops and offices. It was later called "The
Night of Broken Glass" or “die Krystallnacht.”
Approximately 100 Jews were killed, and another 20,000 sent to the newly formed concentration
camps.
Such examples of anti-Semitism promoted and in fact, heralded by government, prompted many
Jewish people to attempt to leave Germany. One family that was able to flee Germany was the
Frank family. Anne Frank and her sister and parents moved to Amsterdam, Holland.
Unfortunately, the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, and the Frank family went into hiding in 1942.
They were eventually found more than two years later. Anne Frank died in a concentration camp,
but her story captured the imagination of millions when her diaries were published at the end of
the war.
In May 1939, over 900 Jewish refugees from Germany tried to reach safety in the United States,
by way of Cuba. They were aboard the ship, the S. S. St. Louis. When the promised landing in Cuba
was denied, the passengers asked other countries to accept them. Countries in South America,
and both the United States and Canada, refused to help. Canadian officials stated that they did
not wish Canada to become “the dumping ground” for Jewish refugees, and if one shipload were
allowed, others would follow.
In his diary, Mackenzie King wrote that he wished to avoid “internal problems” and he refused to
accept the passengers on the St. Louis. Belgium, Holland, France, and England did accept the
passengers. Soon, however, the Nazis occupied the first three of these countries, and most of the
passengers eventually perished in concentration camps.

10. Totalitarianism:

It is a government that takes total, centralized state control over every aspect of public and
private life. The three major totalitarian leaders of World War II are:

1. Joseph Stalin of Russia

2. Benito Mussolini, of Italy

3. Adolf Hitler, of Germany

 The start of World War II was caused, in part, by the rise of totalitarian governments.
Germany, Italy, and Japan all had totalitarian governments. For the most part, the leaders of
these countries were free to do whatever they wanted. They talked about restoring pride in
their country. They began to build up their militaries. They talked about undoing past
wrongs. Germany wanted revenge for the Versailles Treaty. Italy felt it didn’t get enough
land from the Versailles Treaty. Japan felt it was treated unfairly at the Washington Naval
Conference because they could have fewer warships than Great Britain or the United States
could have. These countries eventually formed the Axis Power alliance.

These countries eventually became aggressive. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China
in 1937. Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and Albania in 1939. Germany moved its military into
the Rhineland in 1936. In 1938 and 1939, Germany invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia, and
Poland. There were few voices within each country that would oppose these actions. When
the Japanese Prime Minister opposed the invasion of Manchuria, he was assassinated. The
rest of the world ignored these actions also.

As a result, these totalitarian governments and their leaders began to think they could do
whatever they wanted. They felt they were invisible. they took nationalism to an extreme
level. Totalitarianism was one of the causes of World War II.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, world war II was not an extension of world war I, but world war I was a big cause of
world war II. Most of the causes of world war II came out of the Treaty of Versailles, and if that
treaty had been better there might not have been world war II. Nevertheless, world war II
happened and we can only learn from the mistakes we see from the past. World War II created
new opportunities for women, African Americans, and other minority groups. The exigencies of
increased production during the war forced employers to tap into previously ignored labor pools
and to hire women and minorities. In this way, Americans marginalized before the war found new
job opportunities both at home and in the armed forces. As a result, historically powerless groups
in American society enjoyed newfound prosperity and began to emerge from pariah status.

Despite great social leaps forward, hurdles still remained. Japanese Americans benefited not at all
from the opportunities created during the war; instead, they found themselves corralled into
concentration camps in the U.S. Rockies. While justified at the time as a national security
measure, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is now universally viewed as
a shameful incident in American history. In addition, African Americans experienced racial
segregation, exclusion, and subordination within the armed forces, and few soldiers saw actual
combat. Those who did fought bravely, and many emerged from World War II determined to end
racism in the United States. African American civilians at home did find jobs in defense plants, yet
they, too, endured racist treatment on the job and racist rioting in the streets, the most notable of
which occurred in Detroit in 1943.

Women joined the workplace in numbers never before seen, fulfilling positions traditionally open
only to men, and their involvement added to American prosperity during the war. After the war,
however, most women quickly reverted back to their traditional roles as homemakers.

World War II provided unprecedented job and service opportunities to women and minorities on
the U.S. home front, thus laying the groundwork for the civil rights and feminist movements later
to come. The advances made by marginalized groups during the war spurred them — and others
— on to make the gains they had briefly enjoyed a fixture of American life.