Causes of the Second World War

Between 1919 and 1939 a series of events occurred which contributed to the increase of international tension and eventually the cause of World War II. The causes of the Second World War can be divided into two big causes: the failure of collective security and Hitler’s policies.
The failure of collective security: (long- term causes)

The failure of collective security is due to events that happened during the interwar years (1919 to 1939). The first event that is considered as one of the main events that caused the Second World War is the Versailles Treaty.
After the First World War, the Versailles Treaty was created. Its aim was to punish the countries that caused the First World War. In the points of the treaty Germany was severely punished with points that stated that they have to pay enormous amounts of money as reparations for the war. Also German territory was divided into the European countries, living Germany with a small portion of land.

The Versailles Treaty is considered as one of main long-term causes of the Second World War because it increased international tension with Germany. Eventually thanks to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany ended in a serious economic crisis.
The German economic crisis, which is known as Hyper- inflation started basically in 1922 when the value of sterling went from 20German marks to 760 marks. The German Hyper- inflation started with the high amount of reparations they were forced to pay and increased when the French Troops invaded the Ruhr; an important industrial area in Germany, in 1923. This event is known as the Ruhr Crisis and its effects on Germany increased more the tension between France and Germany.
France invaded the Ruhr to take raw materials as part of the war reparations that they were owed by Germany. Germany’s reaction was a passive resistance, meaning that the Germans went on strike. In the end Germany started printing more money as the economy collapsed.
In August 1923 Stresemann became Germany’s new chancellor. With Stresemann the “golden age of reparations started” due to the arrangements done. Between 1925 and 1929 the international tension was decreased, Stresemann cooperated with other countries in order to achieve international peace. A series of treaties and plans such as Locarno (1925), the Young Plan (1929) and the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) were signed to restore international peace. The Locarno Spirit last until the Great Depression in 1929 started.
The Great Depression is another event that is considered as main long-term cause of the war. The great depression was a harsh economic depression that occurred in the entire world. It is considered as one of the main long-term causesbecause as a consequence of it, Hitler arouse to power in 1933. The great depression left Germany is a serious economic crisis. Germany had 12 million unemployed people by 1932. As a result of the Great depression many countries adapted more radical political regimes. In Germany’s case, the Nazis came to power with fascist ideas to reform the country that eventually ended up as the outbreak of the war.
Before the Great Depression, a treaty was signed between Germany and USSR, the treaty was signed in Rapallo in 1922. By this treaty the Russians and the Germans started diplomatic relations and commit for future cooperation. This treaty was seen suspiciously because there would be military cooperation between the two countries, which meant that Germany would be able to rearm.
Other long-term cause is the failure of disarmament. The Washington Conference in 1921, the London Naval Conference in 1930, the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1932 and The London Naval Treaty in 1936 are events that occur in order to limit the amount of armament per country. By 1932, Germany left the League of Nations; after the Disarmament Conference where France refused to disarm. By 1936 Japan refused to limit the amount of naval tonnage that it had and left the conference before that, in 1933 it left the League of Nations.
Many countries left the League of Nations before1939; also many small countries lose faith in the League. Events such as the Manchuria Invasion and the Abyssinian Invasion are considered key moments in which the League failed to preserve collective security and also long-term causes of the war.
The Manchuria Invasion in 1931 is considered as a long-term cause of the war because it showed the failure of the League to preserve collective security, it made Japan more aggressive. The League didn’t count on an army of its own so it couldn’t defend Manchuria from the invasion. The members of the League were too affected by the Great Depression so they worried for their own domestic situations. The only powers that were ready to control the situation were USA that was out of the League and Britain was unwilling to act alone.
Another incident that contributed to the failure of the league was the Abyssinian Crisis in 1935. The Italians invaded Abyssinia and the League of Nations was supposed to act and sanction Italy as it was stated in the Article 16; all members and nonmembers of the League should cut any type of relations with a country that started an act of war. The League of Nations instead of sanctioning Italy as it should and cutting relations imposed minor punishment to the Italians, because the league feared that if they imposed several punishments, the Italians might possibly make an alliance withthe Germans. The alliance between Germans and Italians happened and the League lost another permanent member.


The Appeasement Policy (Short- term causes)
The Appeasement Policy was started in 1930 by Britain, in an attempt to solve international disputes by satisfying complains through negotiation and compromise. Examples of the appeasement policy are the Munich Conference, the takeover of Czechoslovakia and Anschluss.
The takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1938 is one of the main short term causes of the Second World War. The Sudetenland was a territory given to Czechoslovakia at the end of the First World War and its habitants were Germans. Germany claimed for this piece of land because the region contained key industries and railways.
On September 15, 1938 Chamberlain tried to resolve the problem by meeting with Hitler. At this initial meeting Hitler asked only for some parts of the Sudetenland and only for those if a referendum showed that the people wanted to be part of Germany. At the second meeting on September 22, Hitler increased his demands from parts of the Sudetenland. At the final meeting on September 29, Britain, France and Italy decided to give Germany the Sudetenland. This agreement is known as the Munich Agreement. On March 1939, Hitler broke the Munich Agreement and occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.
This event is consideredas one of the main short-term causes because Hitler was given what he demanded so he became overconfident and decided to claim more, because he knew that the League of Nations won’t stop him.
Another event that showed the appeasement policy and that is considered a short-term cause is Anschluss in 1938. Hitler sent troops into Austria and the League of Nations didn’t stop him. Chamberlain (the former British Chancellor) argued that the Versailles Treaty had been wrong to enforce the separation between Germany and Austria. Hitler took advantage when Kurt von Schuschnigg, former Austrian Chancellor, who called for a referendum over the issue with Anschluss; to send troops to ensure that the referendum was administrated peacefully. The voting result was 99.75% in favor of the0 German annexation of Anschluss. Hitler became stronger because now it had Austrian armed forces and the Austrian deposits of gold and iron ore. Tension build up as Hitler prepared for his next move.
European powers that made a contribution towards the outbreak of World War II

As mentioned before, each of the European Powers (excluding Germany) made its contribution towards the outbreak of the Second World War. Here are some of the most important issues that contributed as causes of the war:
Great Britain
 Signed the Anglo- German Naval Agreement, undermined the Stresa Front Did not attempt to use the League of Nations in response to the series of Crisis in the late 1930’s
 Failed to encourage a firmer stance from France over the Rhineland
 Failed to support Czechoslovakia at Munich
 Failed to work on an agreement with the USSR
 Failed to support Poland
 Policy of Appeasement, Hitler did not believe that Britain would go to war over Poland.
France
 Failed in committing to support Central Europe states in the Little Entente. Did not follow up military preparations to support them.
 Did not attempt to use the League of Nations in response to the series of crises in the late 1930’s.
 Undermined the principle of Collective Security
 Failed to support the Czechs in 1938
 Followed a defensive strategy focused on the Maginot Line
 Failed at working for an agreement with the USSR
USSR
 Stalin had oppress his armies in the 1930’s and was military weakend.
 Stalin believed that the Western powers’ policy of appeasement was basically anti- communist.
 As the USSR was not invited to be part of the Munich Conference in 1938 and the attempts of Britain and France appeared halfhearted, Stalin saw that his interests were best served by an agreement with Germany.
 The Nazi-Soviets pact unleashed World War II by allowing Hitler to invade Poland.
Italy
 Dealt a fatal blow to the possibility of collectivesecurity when it invaded Abyssinia and undermined the League of Nations. Italy then moved away from the Stresa Front towards Germany.
 Italy encouraged the political polarization of Europe by intervening in the Spanish Civil War.

Hitler’s Foreign Policy (Long-Term Causes)
When Hitler arouse to power in 1933, he had several ideas which he put on practice. He wanted Lebensraum, the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles and to fight Communism. These ideas are considered as the principal long- term causes of the Second World War as they gradually increase the tension in Europe and lead to the outbreak of the war.
Hitler wrote a book while he was in prison in 1923; the book’s name was Mein Kampf. The book had his political philosophy included. There he talked about Lebensraum and his other policies.
Here is an extract from it:
Only an adequate large space on this earth assures a nation of freedom of existence. Moreover, the necessary size of the territory to be settled cannot be judged exclusively on the basis of present requirements, not even in fact on the basis of the yield of the soil compared to the population. For, as I explained in the first volume, under 'German Alliance Policy Before the War,' in addition to its importance as a direct source of a people's food, another significance, that is, a military and political one, must beattributed to the area of a state. If a nation's sustenance as such is assured by the amount of its soil, the safeguarding of the existing soil itself must also be borne in mind. This lies in the general power-political strength of the state, which in turn to no small extent is determined by geo-military considerations…As opposed to this, we National Socialists must hold unflinchingly to our aim in foreign policy, namely, to secure for the German people the land and soil to which they are entitled on this earth.
From Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1925.
Lebensraum means living space. Hitler wanted to expand territorially. His plan was to conquer almost all Europe. This is considered as a main cause of the war because Hitler’s policies made his regimen more aggressive in addition he achieved his plan of territorial expansion. That led to the outbreak.

Hitler and the short- term causes of World War II
As mentioned before, Hitler and the Nazis had a constant ambition to control race and space. The Nazis wanted Lebensraum and racial purity. These themes were represented in Hitler speeches and political statements during the 1920’s and once arose to power in 1933, he became consistent with achieving this ideals, and the only way to achieve them was through war.
The Treaty of Versailles
When Hitler arouse to power, he started revising the Treaty of Versailles, thisprocess lead to tension in Europe and placed a lot of tension in the League of Nations. Hitler first step regarding the Treaty of Versailles was reparations. Reparations had been suspended before Hitler arouses to power however he announced that Nazi Germany won’t resume payments. Later the tension with other countries increased when Hitler showed signs of reaming German. Hitler broke the treaty when he withdrew Germany from the League of Nations. Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles by the union with Austria which was prohibited in the treaty, the rearmament, the takeover of Czechoslovakia, remilitarization the Rhineland, Anschluss; all this events belong to Hitler’s policy of Expansionism.
Effects on Europe
Hitler was allowed to start war because he wasn’t stopped. The members of the League of Nations didn’t stop him because they were severely affected by the Great Depression, which cause them huge problems to deal with and not enough power to stop Hitler from his ideals. Also as mentioned before, European powers adopted the Appeasement Policy, which gave Hitler the enough confidence to keep risking and moving forward in order to achieve his ideals. Countries such as Italy gave Hitler more power because a union was born between them. The Anti- Comintern pact for example gave countries such as the USSR, Japan, Italy and Germany a union that inshort-term will give Hitler the enough confidence to start a war.
Hitler’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War
Hitler had entered the Rhineland while Mussolini was occupying attention to Abyssinia. When the League criticized Italian invasion in Abyssinia, Germany and Italy became closer. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 both Germany and Italy sent support to Franco’s Forces. The involvement of German troops in the Civil War was not only because Hitler was interested on more right-wing regimes in Europe but to test the new and improved army forces.
Rome-Berlin Axis and the Anti-Comintern Pact
A treaty of friendship between Germany and Italy was concluded in October 1936 and in November Mussolini first suggested the idea of a Rome- Berlin Axis. Hitler broadened his alliance bade when Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in November 1936. In 1937 Italy joined the pact.
Hitler and the immediate causes of World War II
The most immediate cause of WW2 was the conflict over independence of Poland. The important German port of Danzig was to be a free city under the League’s supervision. Which mean that the Poles could use it. Soon after Hitler came to power, National Socialists won a majority in the city’s government. The other main immediate cause is the Nazi-Soviet Pact which gave Hitler the power to attack and start the war.