World War 2 Cause And Effect Essay

613 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical Essay on the Treaty of Versailles

The causes of World War 2 can be traced to the conclusion of World War 1 through the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles. According to renown British Historian, Frank McDonough, the terms of the Treaty of Versailles created an anger in many Germans and in particular, Nazi leader, Hitler. When Hitler promised to destroy the Treaty, German’s flocked to support Hitler in his conquests. A letter written by a German general who served in World War I, known as Erich Ludendorff, talked about how Germany did not deserve the harsh terms given to it by the treaty. In his letter, Ludendorff describes the armistice as delivering Germany to the ‘destructive will of the enemy’. This suggests that the armistice only led to destructive …show more content…

It is clear that the large majority of Germans were infuriated with the treaty so much that they felt the need to protest against it. According to Nathaniel Harris, an experienced writer in history books, from 1919 onwards, a serious of uprisings created great instability in Germany. Thus, creating an opening for Hitler to recruit members for his new political party. Therefore, according to Frank McDonough in his book ‘The Origins of the First and Second World War Wars’, when Hitler announced his foreign-policy aims in his book ‘Mein Kampf’, Germans raced to follow his lead as their anger built. One of his main aims was to destroy the Treaty of Versailles which was appealing to the Germans as they felt suppressed by it3. Of course, because of the German’s anger towards the treaty, they were obliged to vote Hitler into parliament which led to Hitler’s rise to power. Without the Germany’s anger towards the harsh terms of the peace treaty, Hitler would have never been voted into politics for his opposition to the treaty and World War II may not have

Show More
Related

  • Treaty Of Versailles Dbq Essay

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. But one can get a better idea how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Treaty of Versailles was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States, to make peace. So how did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later? It was mainly because it was too hard on Germany’s territory, military, economy, and national pride.

    Read More

  • The Treaty of Versailles as a Cause of WWII

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, marks the day that WWI descended into armistice. However, the involved countries reached an agreement as to the events following the war on the 28th of June, 1919. The famous Treaty of Versailles was known for its role in ending war. But it was not known for being a double-edged sword, as the ending of war came with the consequence of causing future war. The Treaty consisted of uncontested biases due to Germany's unconditional surrender. The Allies held a gun to Germany's head, with their trigger finger tense. Each article of the Versailles Treaty only made Germany more restless, until 1933 when Hitler produced his own gun and pointed it at the Allies. The Treaty had a series of unproportional effects upon Germany and its people. It caused a rift between the two sides because of the alliances that it formed, brewing tension. The punishments enforced upon Germany were unrealistically huge and it increased the wish among the Germans for the nullification of the Treaty. Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to potential for a revolution. The Treaty of Versailles is, therefore, an indirect cause to World War II, because of the alliances it caused, the punishments it enforced, and the hatred it developed.

    Read More

  • World War 2 Dbq Essay

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, although the treaty of versailles was made in world war 1 but, it was a huge cause of world war 2. This is why world war 2 was caused by the treaty, because the Germans were punished in 4 key ways. One is territorial losses, two is proving that Germany is weak, third making them pay, and the last one is wanting to destroy the treaty. This is why it was such a big cause of world war

    Read More

  • Did the Treaty of Versailles Promote Hitler to Power

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the words of John Green, “The truth resists simplicity”. Assigning the blame of WWII to the Treaty of Versailles is far too simple of an explanation. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended WWI while sanctioning and punishing Germany, forced Germany to pay reparations. These reparations are said to have caused economic challenges in Germany, which allowed Hitler to take control on nationalist fervor. Thus, the story goes, that the Treaty of Versailles made Hitler’s rise to power, and his starting of WWII, inevitable. However, this mode of explanation is a deeply flawed oversimplification. The Treaty of Versailles did not make WWII inevitable because the independent forces of the Great Depression and Japanese expansion also played key roles, and because nationalism was most likely to arise in Germany even if there were less harsh terms to the treaty.

    Read More

  • Were Hitler's Actions The Main Cause Of World War Two

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    The actions of Adolf Hitler the Führer of the German Empire are the main causes for the starting of World War Two. The military actions of Germany such as rearming of the German forces, which increased Hitler’s power and confidence dramatically as did the assistance Germany provided during The Spanish Civil War. The breaking of The Munich Agreement by Hitler was also a very important cause because it made the other powers realise that Hitler could not keep his word and did not want peace. Finally Hitler’s overconfidence that he could invade Poland without starting a war was on of his most important actions as it the trigger point for the Second World War. As a result of Hitler’s actions millions of lives were lost and the entire world would never be the same again.

    Read More

  • The Causes of World War II

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Treaty of Versailles is a cause of World War II because of the restrictions it placed on Germany as the alleged sole aggressor of the war. The war reparation totaled $98 billion, and under Clause 231 Germany was forced to take the entire load onto her ruined economy and attempt to repay the debt starting with an initial $5 billion payment. In terms of military, Germany was limited to a 100,000 man army, with her navy stripped to the level of a coast guard, she was allowed no heavy artillery, no weapons of mass destruction and the border with France became a demilitarized zone for 15 years following the signing of the treaty on June 28 1919. Germany also lost all her territories in Africa and became a mandate of the Allied Forces, those living in mandated zones could participate in “self-determination” after the Allies taught them how to be a democracy (...

    Read More

  • The Brilliant and Evil Hitler

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    " Hitler had a brilliant mind. He brought Germany out of the post-war depression and created jobs, comraderies, and a better economy, yet he was very evil. He used his power, coercion, and manipulation to convince Germans to commit unthinkable atrocities against millions of innocent people. & nbsp; The signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, marked the end of WW1 and the beginning of severe depression in Germany. The treaty mandated disarmament, heavy reparations, a loss of 15% of German territory, which in turn took 7 million of its citizens, 75% of its iron-ore, its entire Navy, and all merchant men (Siegel 3).

    Read More

  • Was the Treaty of Versailles the Major Cause of World War Two?

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    World War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of humanity. It crippled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forced Germans to admit full responsibility for starting the war. Furthermore, to gain the support of the German populace, Adolf Hitler adopted an effective propaganda campaign. Adolf Hitler employed a successful propaganda campaign to gain the support of the German people combined with the Treaty of Versailles harsh economic and political sanctions ignited World War Two.

    Read More

  • How Did The Versailles Treaty Help The World War II?

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Treaty of Versailles, initially created to keep peace in Europe and ensure that another war like World War I wouldn’t happen again, had in fact, backfired and spiraled the world down into a deeper, bloodier battle. The treaty discriminated strongly against Germany, with the loss of territories, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the War Guilt Clause. It caused humiliation and anger within Germany, and led to Hitler and the Nazi Party coming to power. World War II was not only started by Adolf Hitler and Germany, but had a lot to do with the humiliation that Germany felt when the terms for the Treaty of Versailles were laid down. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles may be indirectly related to the cause of World War II, but nonetheless was a huge factor in starting the war.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Causes Of World War 2

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    The causes of World War 2 were : the failure of both Versailles Treaty, League of

    Read More

  • Causes & Effects of the Holocaust

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    As an Austrian born soldier-turned-politician, Hitler was fascinated with the concept of the racial supremacy of the German people. He was also a very bitter, very evil little man. In addition, having lost the war, the humiliated Germans were forced by the Allies to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 that officially ended World War I. According to the harsh terms of the treaty, Germany had to hand over many of its richest industrial territories to the victors, and was made to pay reparations to the Allied countries it devastated during the war. Germany lost its pride, prestige, wealth, power, and the status of being one of Europe's greatest nations.

    Read More

  • Why Did A.J.P Taylor’s Analysis of the Origins of the Second World War Cause Such Controversy Among Historians?

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Second World War was caused by Germany’s desire to revoke the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and Hitler’s relentless quest for empire. This was considered a valid response to why the war began in 1939, until 1961 when A. J. P Taylor...

    Read More

  • Why was it inevitable that there would be a second world war, even though measures were set in place to avoid this?

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Treaty of Versailles was one of the factors that led to the inevitability of World War Two. The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty that occurred as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that was held after Germany was defeated in World War One. The Treaty was put into action and required that Germany should accept responsibility for the war; of course Germany was humiliated by this. They were required to pay colossal war reparation payments. This was one of the main reasons the treaty had a severe impact on Germany; it crippled the German economy and critically reduced the living standards of the people. This made it virtually impossible for the German economy to function productively. The effects that the treaty had on Germany directly led to the rise of Hitler who he capitalised on German resentment at their treatment. He provided a focus for the German people and their desire to take back what they once had, and to restore their pride once again becoming a glorious nation.

    Read More

  • Effects of World War II

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War II had a large effect on America, on how we were regarded in the world, on how our culture would grow and develop, and on how our citizens would develop and settle the land on their return. It brought people together for a while that were later torn apart, and changed the way Americans looked at higher education. Perhaps most importantly, it brought America to the world and served it up to them as something that could grow and become part of their culture, call it the Coca-Colonization of the world (Marling).

    Read More

  • World War Compare And Contrast Essay

    2116 Words  | 5 Pages

    Both of the World Wars proved to be devastating to the world because of the great amount of sacrifices they both caused. Each war claimed a countless number of lives along with blood, sweat, and tears. The wars not only affected the soldiers, but they played a big role in civilian lives as well. These wars are still the biggest conflict to ever happen in modern human history, but between the wars, the second World War proved to be more devastating than the first because there was a greater loss of life, deadlier weapons were used, and much more (CNN Library, 2017).

    Read More

More about World War 2 Cause And Effect Essay

Open Document