-
Treaty of Versailles
Before World War 1, Germany was a very powerful nation. After the passing of the Treaty of Versailles, the German economy collapsed and a substantial amount of territory was lost. The Germans were incredibly enraged because of these unfortunate consequences, allowing for the uprising of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler. Revenge was encouraged on the nations that drove Germany into economic collapse, causing World War 2. -
Period: to
Causes of World War II
-
Great Depression / Hitler's Actions
Following World War 1, many countries on the losing side had an economic crisis due to overloading debt, such as the one Germany owed the U.S. When the U.S ordered Germany to repay them, Germany along with many other countries (including the U.S) entered the Great Depression. This was a period of all-time lows in the economy, and during this period in Germany, a former world war 1 veteran known as Adolf Hitler came to power as the Nazis. His actions were the main cause of the war. -
Japanese Expansion
The Japanese massively expanded before World War 2 because of their desire for more land, otherwise known as lebensraum. They took over parts of China and other islands surrounding them, and as a result, the United States created sanctions against Japan. Because of these trade restrictions, Japan was not happy and realized that the United States would cause opposition to their plans for expansion. This desire for expansion led to the beginning of World War 2. -
Spread of Fascism
Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, and Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, both practiced fascism and tried to spread to other countries around Europe. Their desire for expansion and fascist beliefs proved to be a very bad combination for their neighboring countries. As both dictators began to spread fascism, the Allies became worried. This opposition to fascism led to World War 2. -
U.S. Isolationist Policies
Another cause for World War 2 was U.S isolationism. When Japan started to expand and the Nazis began to grow, the U.S declared it was going to remain neutral throughout the war. This encouraged Germany and Japan to continue their ways as they knew that the U.S wasn’t going to do anything about them, and stimulated the beginning of the war. -
Appeasment
Appeasement was the British policy that gave the Germans land in order to satisfy their need for it. The Allies ended up giving up Sudetenland to the Germans, which didn’t appease them for long. Now, instead of expecting retaliation for taking over other countries, German knew that there would be few consequences based on the appeasement policies. This lazy reaction to the German’s lebensraum gave the Germans the confidence to start a world-wide conflict. -
Pearl Harbor
Prior to this event, the U.S had remained neutral in the war without taking any actions. That soon changed after the Japanese bombing in Pearl Harbor. This was a surprise attack orchestrated by Japan in a harbor located in Hawaii that resulted in thousands of deaths and the sinking of many war ships such as the USS Arizona. This was the trigger point for America officially entering the war and stimulated the war on the pacific front.
