Root Causes of World War II World War II was a complicated war which was caused by a lot of factors. One of the root causes was the Treaty of Versailles, which put Germany to blame for World War I. Germany was forced to take repercussions and pay for the war. This set the path for future anger and economic depression in Germany, which caused people to lose hope and look towards a strong leader who would appeal to the people's interests and get them out of the economic crisis imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. The rise of a fascist leader caused fear within the League of Nations, since other countries did not want conflict after the Great War. This fear ascended into giving leaders what they wanted, also known as appeasement. The root causes
…show more content…
This led to the creation of the League of Nations, which was an international organization which promoted peace, but it did not include Germany to begin with. Additionally, Germany was to be stripped of a significant amount of territory and a massive cut in Germany’s standing military. Mainly, Germany was forced to pay for the war. In the primary document, “Document 2: The Economic Consequences of the Peace,” it states, “In very short time, therefore, Germany will not be in a position to give bread and work to her numerous millions of inhabitants, who are prevented from earning their livelihood by navigation and trade.Those who sign this Treaty will sign the death sentence of many millions of German men, women and children,” (Keynes). The German people, in dire need of any improvements regarding their debt and collapsed economy, wanted a trustworthy leader. Adolf Hitler, a skilled politician and veteran of the Great War, appealed to most with his nationalistic and anti-Treaty of Versailles ideas. With Hitler increasingly gaining the popularity that the Treaty of Versailles was able to provide, it allowed for a perfect condition to grow towards World War …show more content…
As they continued to do so, the League of Nations proved themselves to be powerless, as they did nothing to stop these countries from adopting fascist ideas, which allowed for their growth towards World War II. The main reason for this was the fear of another Great War, which was economically devastating all around the globe. In the primary document, “Mussolini Justifies his Invasion of Ethiopia,” an example of appeasement is briefly shown when it says, “The League of Nations, instead of recognizing the rights of Italy, dares talk of sanctions, but until there is proof of the contrary, I refuse to believe that the authentic people of France will join in supporting sanctions against Italy. Six hundred thousand dead whose devotion was so heroic that the enemy commander justly admired them—those fallen would now turn in their graves” (Mussolini). This briefly goes over the idea that the League of Nations wouldn’t have done anything, since it would be pointless to begin to fight over a “barbarian country.” Examples like these show how appeasement played a big role in the growth of these nationalistic and fascist ideas. As a result, this appeasement led to more power for the Nazi party, which would later expand into World War
This led to the creation of the League of Nations, which was an international organization which promoted peace, but it did not include Germany to begin with. Additionally, Germany was to be stripped of a significant amount of territory and a massive cut in Germany’s standing military. Mainly, Germany was forced to pay for the war. In the primary document, “Document 2: The Economic Consequences of the Peace,” it states, “In very short time, therefore, Germany will not be in a position to give bread and work to her numerous millions of inhabitants, who are prevented from earning their livelihood by navigation and trade.Those who sign this Treaty will sign the death sentence of many millions of German men, women and children,” (Keynes). The German people, in dire need of any improvements regarding their debt and collapsed economy, wanted a trustworthy leader. Adolf Hitler, a skilled politician and veteran of the Great War, appealed to most with his nationalistic and anti-Treaty of Versailles ideas. With Hitler increasingly gaining the popularity that the Treaty of Versailles was able to provide, it allowed for a perfect condition to grow towards World War …show more content…
As they continued to do so, the League of Nations proved themselves to be powerless, as they did nothing to stop these countries from adopting fascist ideas, which allowed for their growth towards World War II. The main reason for this was the fear of another Great War, which was economically devastating all around the globe. In the primary document, “Mussolini Justifies his Invasion of Ethiopia,” an example of appeasement is briefly shown when it says, “The League of Nations, instead of recognizing the rights of Italy, dares talk of sanctions, but until there is proof of the contrary, I refuse to believe that the authentic people of France will join in supporting sanctions against Italy. Six hundred thousand dead whose devotion was so heroic that the enemy commander justly admired them—those fallen would now turn in their graves” (Mussolini). This briefly goes over the idea that the League of Nations wouldn’t have done anything, since it would be pointless to begin to fight over a “barbarian country.” Examples like these show how appeasement played a big role in the growth of these nationalistic and fascist ideas. As a result, this appeasement led to more power for the Nazi party, which would later expand into World War