Major Causes of the Second World War 1939-45

The Second World War was the most destructive and involved all major powers. France, Britain, USSR and the USA against Germany, Japan and Italy.

Distant Causes of the Second World War

Some of the major Causes of the Second World War were Mistakes Made in the Peace Treaty of Versailles. Territorial changes made in Europe were not fairly done. Minority groups were placed under governments not of their own choice e.g. Germans in Sudetenland -a part of the newly created state of Austria. 

Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was over-punished. She lost all her overseas colonies and much of her territories in Europe. She was disarmed and made to pay reparations to France. This made the Treaty unpopular in Germany. This meant that the future leaders of Germany were going to violate the treaty thereby threatening world peace.

The failure of the League of Nationalism Maintaining Peace in the world since its formation in 1920 down to 1939. The League of Nations had failed to prevent the aggressive powers from attacking weaker nations.

This was best in:

MANCHURIAN AFFAIR- JAPAN VERSUS CHINA

In 1913 Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria. China appealed to the League of Nations for help. The League only condemned Japan’s action without doing anything to force Japan of Manchuria. This was a sign of failure by the League.

THE ITALIAN INVASION OF ABYSSINIA (ETHIOPIA)

Having seen that no action was taken against Japan for her occupation of Manchuria, Mussolini of Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935. Emperor. Haile Selassie was sent into exile and he appealed to the League for help. The League simply condemned Italy’s action and promised economic sanctions. There were not carried out.

THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 1936

When the Civil War broke out, the League of Nations decided to carry out a policy of non-intervention in the Spanish affair yet Hitler and Mussolini sent troops to help General Franco. The League did nothing about it.

THE DISUNITY BETWEEN WESTERN CAPITALIST NATIONS AND COMMUNIST USSR.

Britain and USSR were suspicious of each other between 1919 and 1929. They made Hitler so secure that the two powers will never unite against him and therefore, he would defeat them one by one.

THE POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

During the period of 1920 and 1939 European diplomacy failed to prevent aggression fearing another war. They gave dictators like Hitler and Mussolini what they demanded and hoped they would be satisfied. And this become one of the major Causes of the Second World War. Hitler’s demands could not be satisfied.

When he demanded the occupation of the Rhineland he was allowed in March 1938. He demanded the return of Sudetenland, and he was allowed at the Munich Conference between Britain and Germany. In the following year 1939, he occupied the whole of Czechoslovakia by force. He then wanted to take Poland as well. At the time, European powers like France and Britain wanted to stop his aggressiveness, which was a mistake on their part. They should have crushed Hitler before he became too powerful for them.

HITLER AND HIS AGGRESSIVE FOREIGN POLICY

He was the immediate cause of the second world war in 1939. From 1934 onward Hitler had carried out acts of aggression, which threatened world peace. He occupied Rhineland, forced Austria into Union, occupied Czechoslovakia and on 1^st September 1939 invaded Poland Britain and France asked Germany to withdraw from Poland and Hitler refused. On 3^rd September Britain and France declared war on Germans and the Second World War broke out