The Causes of the Second World War

What caused the Second World War?

Many consider Hitler as the key cause of the Second World War, but historians argue that it is much more complex than that and consider a number of reasons that contributed to the outbreak of war in 1939.

What were the key reasons that caused the Second World War?

The key reasons that caused the Second World War include: the Treaty of Versailles, the failure of the League of Nations, the Great Depression, Chamberlain and appeasement, Hitler and his aggressive foreign policy, a fear of communism, Stalin and the Nazi-Soviet Pact, and America's policy of isolationism.

How did The Treaty of Versailles cause the Second World War?

The Treaty of Versailles was a long term cause of the Second World War, and contributed to the outbreak of war in a number of ways:

• ❖ From the moment the treaty was signed, many argued that it was too harsh. The severity of the terms caused long term bitterness amongst the German people. Hitler was able to manipulate this ill feeling for his foreign policy aims.
• ❖ It wasn't only Germany that felt the treaty was harsh, many world leaders shared this belief. So when Hitler began to act on his foreign policy, people were sympathetic to his actions (for example, the re-occupation of the Rhineland).
• ❖ One of the key terms of the treaty was the creation of Poland. This happened by taking territory from Germany and the USSR. This caused long term bitterness, and eventually led to the Nazi-Soviet pact.
• ❖ One of the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles was that many German-speaking people found themselves living in new nations such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. Hitler aimed to reunite all German-speaking people.

How did The League of Nations cause the Second World War?

The failure of the League of Nations contributed to the outbreak of war in a number of ways:

• ❖ The League had structural weaknesses. One way it could stop international conflict was with economic sanctions, but with the absence of the USA these measures were ineffective. This motivated dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.
• ❖ When the League did try to act nations such as Britain and France would undermine the League if it benefitted them, for example the Hoare-Laval Pact. This showed that the League was ineffective, and encouraged dictators like Hitler and Mussolini.
• ❖ As dictators like Hitler and Mussolini became more powerful, the League's continued failures only encouraged them further. The events in Manchuria and Abyssinia proved that the League was powerless to stop countries that broke the rules.

How did the Great Depression cause the Second World War?

The Great Depression affected most nations across the globe. It created an environment in which the Second World War was possible in a number of ways:

• ❖ The situation in nations created by the Great Depression made dictators like Hitler popular. People were suffering from poverty and high unemployment, and were promised solutions for this. One way to achieve this was through aggressive foreign policy.
• ❖ Leaders like Hitler's aggressive foreign policy came at a time when other nations were also suffering from the social and economic problems of the Depression, and were preoccupied with solving their own problems rather than getting involved with foreign affairs.
• ❖ Two of the measures that the League of Nations could use to manage international conflict were made especially difficult during the Depression. It could not impose economic sanctions as nations couldn't afford to harm trade. They also relied on member's armies as they didn't have one of their own, but members couldn't afford the cost of a war.

How did appeasement cause the Second World War?

Appeasement was a short term cause as it served to strengthen Hitler's position and enabled him to prepare for war in a number of ways:

• ❖ The First World War left the people of Europe with mental scars from the horrors of war and they wanted to avoid another war at all costs. This meant that there were many missed opportunities to stop Hitler for example the reoccupation of the Rhineland.
• ❖ Appeasement was also followed due to a fear of communism and this soured the relationship between Britain and the USSR.
• ❖ A negative consequence of appeasement was that it eroded the little trust that Joseph Stalin had in Britain and France. The Munich Agreement was the trigger that led to Stalin signing the Nazi-Soviet pact with Hitler.
• ❖ Chamberlain was wrong to trust Hitler. Hitler had made many speeches since the 1920s about his intentions and Chamberlain's inaction enabled Hitler the time to get Germany ready for war.

How did Hitler cause the Second World War?

Hitler caused the Second World War in a number of ways:

• ❖ Hitler's foreign policy was very aggressive, and a short term cause of the Second World War:
• ❖ Hitler was very open about his ambitions from early in his career. He wrote in his book, Mein Kampf that the only way to restore German pride and strength was through violence, by overturning the Treaty of Versailles, and by reuniting all German-speaking people. These actions are what led to war.
• ❖ Hitler saw communism as an enemy and wanted to annihilate it. In order to achieve this aim he would have to invade the USSR.
• ❖ Hitler's foreign policy aim of Lebensraum could only be achieved by invading other countries.

How did a fear of communism cause the Second World War?

The fear of communism was a long term cause of the Second World War:

• ❖ Stalin proposed alliances with Britain and France several times during the 1930s but these were rebuffed as European leaders often regarded the Soviets as worse, and were supportive of the idea of a strong Germany that could fight against communism.
• ❖ One of the key factors behind following the policy of appeasement which allowed Hitler and Germany's military to grow stronger was the fear of the spread of communism and therefore Hitler would be an important ally due to his hatred of communism.
• ❖ The fear of communism meant that the USSR was not consulted on a number of measures when dealing with Hitler. Stalin was not consulted about the Munich Agreement and he was furious about this and felt betrayed. It was this that led to the Nazi-Soviet pact which put Hitler in the position to invade Poland.

How did the Nazi-Soviet Pact cause the Second World War?

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was a trigger cause, and led to the outbreak of war in a number of ways:

• ❖ Hitler's foreign policy aims meant that he would at some point invade the USSR. The pact with Stalin meant that he could focus on the west before turning his attention to the east. It meant he could avoid a war on two fronts.
• ❖ Britain and France had both committed to supporting Poland in the event of an invasion by Hitler. The Nazi-Soviet pact made this inevitable.

How did America's policy of isolationism cause the Second World War?

America's policy of isolationism was a long term cause of the Second World War:

• ❖ America's lack of intervention in world politics in the 1930s meant Hitler became increasingly aggressive as he knew that due to the economic climate nations like Britain and France did not have the financial or military means to fight a war without the support of America.
• ❖ America's lack of intervention is partly why Britain and France followed the policy of appeasement as they needed time to rearm - without the resources of America they would have quickly lost a war against Hitler.