WW2 Causes

• Treaty of Versailles


  Imposed 132 billion gold marks of reparations on Germany, restricted Germany's military to 100,000 troops, and required Germany to give up tanks, aircraft, submarines, heavy artillery, and demilitarize the Rhineland
• Dawes Plan 1924


  Gave loans to Germany (2.5 billion) and extended the payment period to 59 years
• Young Plan 1929


  Extended the payment period for German reparations to 59 years and made Germany fall into debt to the United States
• Japan and Italy were also dissatisfied, wanting more land
• League of Nations


  Established as part of the Paris Peace Conference in 1920, aimed to prevent future conflicts but failed to address the aggression of other countries
• Crises that the League of Nations failed to address


  • Manchurian Crisis 1931 - Japanese invasion of China
  • Abyssinian Crisis 1934 - Italian invasion of the Ethiopian Empire
  • Remilitarization of the Rhineland 1936 - German Reich entered the Rhineland
• Great Depression


  In the US, unemployment reached 25% in 1933, while in Germany it was at 30% in 1932. Financial instability allowed extremist parties to rise, and countries were reluctant to impose economic sanctions and instead relied on appeasement
• Extremist governments


  By 1932, the Nazis were the largest party in the Reichstag. Hitler's rearmament policies had rebuilt Germany's forces by 1939. In Japan, economic turmoil fueled militarism, and they wanted to expand in the Asia-Pacific region for new markets. By 1937, 13.7% of Japan's GDP was military expenditure
• After the Russian Revolution in 1917, communism grew in Russia, and Britain and France worked together in fear of communism, which contributed to policies of appeasement
• Alliances and agreements


  • Non-Aggression Pact 1934 - Germany signed a 10-year non-aggression pact with Poland to secure its Eastern border
  • Stresa Front 1935 - Britain, France, and Italy formed an alliance to counter Germany
  • Anglo-German Naval Agreement 1935 - allowed Germany to violate the Treaty of Versailles by having a large navy
  • Rome-Berlin Axis 1936 - after the Abyssinian Crisis, Italy moved closer to Germany, paving the way for the Axis Powers
  • Anti-Comintern Pact 1936 - Germany and Japan applied pressure to Asia
  • Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact 1939 - Germany and Russia would divide Poland, allowing Germany to avoid a two-front war and Russia to focus on Japan
• Remilitarization of the Rhineland 1936


  Germany's army was ordered to retreat at the first signs of resistance, but nothing happened, which increased Germany's confidence
• Anschluss with Austria 1938


  Had Italian support and British sympathy, and the Austrian Chancellor called for a referendum which Hitler then ignored and sent in troops
• Sudetenland Crisis 1938


  3 million Germans lived in the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia called for French and British support, the Munich Agreement 1938 gave Hitler the Sudetenland if he didn't demand anything more, in 1939 he invaded all of Czechoslovakia
• Hitler invaded Poland in 1939


  Britain and France declared war
• Intentionalist view of Hitler


  Hitler was a planner, as shown in "Mein Kampf" and the "Hossbach Memorandum" 1940, which outlined his plans to preserve the racial community
• Functionalist view of Hitler


  Hitler was an opportunist who saw how weak France and Britain were and took chances to violate the Treaty of Versailles. He was a long-term planner but flexible in his methods, continuing Germany's long-term aims while making individual agreements like the Anglo-German Naval Treaty 1935