Western Civilization. Second World War - Essay Example

?Western Civilization An event as catastrophic and disastrous as a world war cannot be a result of any single cause. Like a volcano that is simmeringtill the inner pressures causes it to erupt, so the simmering discontent of the German people finally resulted in the Second World War. The basic causes of war are always found in international rivalries, thwarted desires of nations, and the ambitions of their leaders. Most historians agree that the seeds of the Second World War have been sown soon after the end of the First World War. During the months and years after the First World War, political and economic events like the treaty of Versailles, the great economic depression of 1929, the rise of Nazism, and Hitler’s ambitions for German expansion were some of the causes of the war to come. The treaty of Versailles signed in June 1919 by the allied powers who were the victors of the First World War was very harsh on Germany and held the country solely responsible for the war. The German people believed that Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen points program would be the basis for the treaty, but the French president Georges Clemenceau and the British prime minister David Lloyd George bowed before the anger of their people who demanded that Germany should be severely punished for the suffering and devastation caused. The sentiment of the allies was as follows, “If these things are hardships for Germany, they are hardships which Germany has brought upon herself” (“Allied Reply”). The humiliating terms of the treaty whipped up feelings of anger and frustration among the Germans. Territorial losses, the reduction of the army and navy, and, above all, the fact that Germany was forced to accept the responsibility for having caused the war, were particularly galling. According to the treaty, Germany was forced to pay reparation for the damages suffered in the war by the victors; the map of Europe was redrawn, and parts of Germany were transferred to countries like France, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, and Czechoslovakia. The reparations that Germany was forced to pay was an added burden on the country’s already stretched finances. The German economy, in shambles after the war, was further eroded by the fact that the country had lost some of its colonies that were rich sources of income and raw materials. Besides the economic burden, Germany had lost millions of her able bodied men who would have constituted a strong work force. The people thought the government had betrayed them, so they did not trust it. The monarchy was overthrown and a new democratic republic called the Weimar Republic was proclaimed; it fell in 1933 under the onslaught of the myriad problems Germany faced. Hitler used the treaty of Versailles as a battle cry to rally the people and promised that Germany would take her rightful place as a strong nation before long. This was a balm to the wounded pride of the nation, and people were ready to back Hitler by 1933. By 1929, the German economy was just beginning to recover from the effects of the First World War with the efforts of Gustav Stresemann, Germany’s untiring foreign minister, beginning to show results. The stock market crash of 1929 that reverberated across the globe and sent financial markets around the world into a tailspin also crushed German hopes of economic recovery. The German economy, propped up by loans from America, was “only flourishing on the surface. Germany is in fact dancing on a volcano. If the short-term credits are called in, a large section of our economy would collapse” (“Weimar Republic and the Great Depression”). Just before Stresemann’s death, his words have proved prophetic. The German economy, which depended on American loans for capital, was badly hit when America needed the funds to prop up her own faltering economy after the crash. Foreign trade dried up, and German industry ground to a halt. As a result, workers were laid off, which has increased unemployment and resulted in the misery of the people just beginning to look forward to a brighter future after the hardships inflicted by the First World War. The government was helpless, as the banks failed and the weakened economy gave rise to inflation, putting essential goods and commodities beyond the reach of the average person. The people’s hard earned life’s savings suddenly disappeared due to events beyond their control, so they were devastated and bewildered. In July 1930, in an effort to control inflation, Chancellor Bruning sought to cut government expenditure, wages, and unemployment allowances. Angry, bitter, and goaded beyond endurance by the policies of the democratic government that could not help them people were willing to follow anyone who promised a solution to their misery. This fuelled the growth of Nazism. The years immediately after the stock market crash saw a sudden rise in the ranks of the Nazis. In 1928, the Nazis had 12 seats in the Reichstag, while by 1932 they were in a majority, and soon, by 1933, Hitler became Chancellor. After that, he took some steps to achieve his aim of restoring Germany’s pride that had been badly bruised after the end of the First World War. After becoming Chancellor, he told his fellow countrymen, “We are all proud that through God's powerful aid we have become once more true Germans” (“Relevant to Today: Excerpts From Adolf Hitler’s Speeches”). He made military service compulsory, began building warships, amassing weapons, building up an air force, and increasing the size of his army. In 1936, Hitler made two important pacts with Italy and Japan. His next step was to begin the systematic takeover of lands that had formerly belonged to Germany. In 1938, German troops marched into Austria and forced a vote for Anschluss, or union, with Germany. Although France and Britain were aware of these moves, they preferred to do nothing in order to avoid another war. Although Hitler always indicated that his latest conquest would be his last, he never kept his word and carried on, demanding first that Sudetenland be handed over to Germany and then invading Czechoslovakia. The Allied powers were still not prepared to go to war. "However much we may sympathize with a small nation confronted by a big and powerful neighbor, we cannot in all circumstances undertake to involve the whole British Empire in war simply on her account”( “Neville Chamberlain on Appeasement (1939)”). The treaty of Munich that Hitler had signed after he received Sudetenland with the promise he would not lay claim to any more territories was broken when he invaded Czechoslovakia. The last straw was Hitler’s blitzkrieg on Poland on September 1st 1939. Having tried appeasement to avoid the bloodshed and misery of another war and having failed, the allies were left with no choice but to declare war on Germany. In many respects, the Second World War was only a continuation of the disputes and the seething anger that was a result of the First World War. The uneasy truce during the period between the two wars was only aggravated by the unfortunate stock market crash of 1929 and the weakness of the League of Nations that was a toothless watchdog. Adolf Hitler was only the catalyst that ignited the powder keg that Europe had become – another conflagration was inevitable. The resulting war was the largest and the most lethal conflict in the history of the world. Works Cited “Neville Chamberlain on Appeasement (1939)”. The History Guide. n.p., 13 May 2004. Web. 11 May 2012. “Allied Reply to German Delegates’ Protest Against Proposed Peace Terms at the Paris Peace Conference, May 1919”. firstworldwar.com. n.p. 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 May 2012. “Relevant to Today: Excerpts From Adolf Hitler’s Speeches”. Cephas Ministry Inc. n.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2012. “Weimar Republic and the Great Depression”. History Learning Site.co.uk. n.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2012. Read More