Causes of The Scond World War

What were the causes of the Second World War? What had led to what is considered to be the largest genocide in the history of mankind? What led Germany to attack Poland in 1939, beginning the Second World War? Two causes of the Second World War, were the Treaty of Versailles, written by the victors of the First World War, and the rise of the fascist movement in Germany. The leader, chosen to led the German people, and enforce the Nazi values was Adolf Hitler. He also violated the terms set out within the Treaty of Versailles. “To the German public, however, Hitler had promised to regain lost German territory and to restore his country to its rightful place in the world. Poland had received German territory through the Treaty of Versailles, the document that Hitler had pledged to revoke.”[1] The treaty led to a loss of pride within the German people, which in turn led to the fascist movement.

One explanation for the cause of the Second World War, was the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty weakened Germany so much that eventually, the outbreak of war became inevitable. The Treaty of Versailles enforced conditions upon the German people. “The Versailles proposal called for Germany to admit guilt, give up territory, and disarm its military. Germany’s Saar and Rhineland districts were to be placed under Allied occupation for fifteen years … All of Germany’s overseas possessions were to be occupied by the Allies and organized as “mandates,” under the supervision and control of a newly-formed League of Nations. … The German army was limited to 100, 000 men … Germany was prohibited from uniting with Austria … No German air force would be permitted. … The Germans would also have to pay for the damages caused by the war” [2]. France becam...

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...Cambridge University Press 2004, pg. 140-141

[10] C. Grove Haines “The Origins and Background of the Second World War” Oxford University Press, 1947, pg. 35

[11] Ronald J. Rychlak “Hitler The War and The Pope” Gensis Press Inc. 2000, pg. 7

Bibliography

Baumont, Maurice. The Origins of the Second World War Yale University Ltd. 1978

Bond, Brian. War and Society in Europe 1870 – 1970. Fontana Paperbacks. 1998.

Eubank, Keith. The Origins of World War II Queens College of the City University of New York, 1990

Haines, C. Grove. The Origins and Background of the Second World War Oxford University Press, 1947

Mann, Michael. Fascists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2004.

Rychlak, Ronald J. Hitler the War and the Pope. Gensis Press, Inc. 2000.

Sharp, Alan. The Versailles Settlement Peacemaking in Paris 1919 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, 1994