Major Cause Of World War II

The appeasement policy adopted by the British and the French was not the major cause of World War II in Europe. The definition of appeasement is the act of satisfying grievances through a process of negotiation and compromise. In World War II, which started on 3rd September 1939 and ended on 1st September 1945, there were two groups fighting against each other: the Axis and the Allies. The Axis was made up of Germany, Italy and Japan and the Chief Allies were Britain, France, Soviet Union, China and later U.S.A in 1941. Appeasement was not the major cause of World War II as the Treaty of Versailles, and the Great Depression were both important factors of World War II.

On the 1st of September 1939, Germany invaded Poland breaching the rules …show more content…
The treaty was also known as the peace settlement and was signed after World War I. The main role of the treaty was to recognise that Germany alone was the sole cause of World War II and had to pay for what they had done numerous ways. The treaty was divided into three main sections: territorial, military and financial. Germany was to give back their conquered territory to Poland, France and Czechoslovakia, which the Germans were very angry about as that was a 13% decrease of their land. They were also required to pay 6.6 million euros in reparations when the average weekly pay was 3 euros. Accepting the Treaty of Versailles made the German people very angry and they resented the government for humiliating them. Another section of the treaty was that Germany’s armed forces were to be reduced to 100, 000 soldiers, as they were responsible for the war. This was required because the Allies did not want Germany to have the chance to start another war. The treaty also stated that a 50km stretch of Rhineland (west of Germany) was to be removed of all military forces. Hitler did not like this as Rhineland served as a barrier that defended Germany from any invasions if adequately fortified. These extremely harsh terms of the treaty enraged many …show more content…
Many Germans swore that they would have their revenge to reverse the effects of the treaty. Japan was also angry with the Treaty of Versailles because they were disappointed with the outcomes. Japan and Italy who were allies with Britain, France and USA in the First World War did not get more land, which was why they were not happy. Japan wanted to expand their empire so they felt like they had been cheated and were humiliated when they were not given any land. Furthermore, Japan felt that the rejection of the racial equality clause was a direct insult. Japan then swapped sides to the Axis in World War II as they felt they were treated unfairly. As we can see from the above reasons, the Treaty of Versailles was a very significant cause of World War II. Hitler’s swear that he would have his vengeance for his people and Japan’s anger for being treated unfairly support this