Why did World War 2 happen?

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Treaty of Versailles

  • Countries affected by the treaty and others like it wanted revenge. These countries contributes to WW2 but didn't cause it.

Failure of the League of Nations

The Great Depression

  • Critically weakened the League
  • Set countries against each other due to self - interest
  • Weakened economies so countries didn't want to do deals

Manchuria - 1931

  • Japan's 'disobedience' to the League made it look weak and stupid
  • The League failed to act in a decisive way, which paved the way for Hitler's aggression

Abyssinia - 1935-36

  • Italy's 'disobedience' to an indecisive League encouraged Hitler
  • The public stopped trusting the League because of the Hoare-Laval Pact which went against the League's values

Appeasement

  • Base on the idea that Hitler was trustworthy
  • Britain and its allies were more concerned with communism
  • Everyone wanted to avoid another world war
  • Germany was rearming more quickly than another European countries
  • The US' support had been vital for the Allies' win in 1918, but in 1919 isolationism was put in place in the US, so Britain was worried
  • A lot of countries couldn't afford a war

Hitler's Aims

Lebensraum

Anschluss with Austria - 1938

  • In 1934 Hitler had tried to take over Austria, but Mussolini stopped him, but in 1938 they were allies.
  • Hitler pressured the Austrian leader Schuschnigg to agree to Anschluss
  • In March 1938 Nazi troops were sent in to Austria to assure a "double-free" plebiscite, where 99.75% voted for Anschluss.
  • France and Britain didn't interfere.
The Sudetenland - 1938
  • Benes (Czechoslovakia's prime minister) was horrifies at Anschluss and made a pact with France for protection.
  • On September 15th 1938, Hitler said he only wanted part of the Sudetenland and through a plebiscite.
  • Britain and France told the Czechs to give it to Hitler on the 19th.
  • Under the Munich Agreement (which was without Benes or the USSR) the Sudetenland was given to Hitler on September 29th.
The Saar Plebiscite
  • The Saar had been run by the League of Nations since 1919.
  • In 1935 the promised plebiscite was held and it was a overwhelming success for the Nazis as the people voted to join Germany.

Rearmament

  • Hitler was clever and at first said he was only re-arming because of the other countries that wouldn't disarm.
  • In 1936 conscription was reinforced in Germany.
  • The British supported Hitler, and thought a strong Germany would be a buffet against communism.

Remilitarization of the Rhineland - 1936

  • Hitler claimed Germany was under threat from the Mutual Assistance Pact between France and the USSR.
  • In 1936 he moved troops into the Rhineland, feeling secure that Britain wouldn't interfere but taking a gamble on France.
  • In the end, it paid off as nobody did anything.

Spanish Civil War

  • In 1936 a civil war broke out between republicans and nationalists (under General Franco).
  • Mussolini and Hitler supported Franco.
  • Stalin supported the republicans.
  • Hitler used it as a training ground for troops and artillery.
  • There was no response from the League of Nations (except Italy and Germany due to the NI (Non-Intervention Committee made up of the UK, France, Italy and Germany).
  • The UK and France provided some weapons, as did the USSR.

Nazi - Soviet Pact

  • On August 23rd 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the pact where they publicly agreed not to attack each other and privately split Poland.
  • Hitler needed at least one German front to not be troublesome.
  • Stalin needed more time to arm for a war which happened a few weeks later.

The Munich Agreement

  • It dealt with the Sudetenland
  • Hitler wanted it but the Czechs refused, so on September 30th, without consulting Czechoslovakia, Britain and France gave the Sudetenland to Germany.


  • Hitler's gamble that France and Britain wouldn't declare war without the USSR didn't pay off.
  • Britain declared war in Germany on September 1st, 1939 World War 2 started.

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