Causes of the Second World War - Case Study Example

Running Head: Causes of the Second World War Causes of the Second World War Inserts His/her Introduction 20th century has witnessed everything from inventions and industrialization to depressions and wars. The past century has seen events that still haunt the world today and one of those events is the Second World War. The atrocities caused by this war are so great that it gives chills to the world even today. In this essay we will make an attempt to highlight the causes of this war. There are many reasons why countries like Germany, Russia, France and Great Britain entered into the war. The First World War is also connected in many ways to the Second World War. World politics at that time was very different from today and this also contributed to the Second World War. Causes of the Second World War The main causes of the Second World War are expansionism, problems with treaty of Versailles, competition for resources, issues with League of Nations etc. The great depression is also one of the major causes of Second World War. The tipping point of the war was invasion of Soviet Union by the Germans and the attack on Pearl Harbor. All these causes will be discussed in great detail below. Expansionism The desire for territorial expansion was ubiquitous in the 20th century. Countries wanted to display their power of military through invasions. It is also noteworthy here that Germany did not have any colonies like France and Britain. These two powers had colonies all over the world and Germany wanted the same power. This desire of expansion can be regarded as the major cause of Second World War. The ambitions of Italy and Germany were to hold territories like other European powers. It was thought that it was the only way to survive in the long run. Japan also was motivated by similar desires of expansionism (Sir. Kershaw, I. 2011). Japan wanted to extend its influence in the pacific and that is why Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor. It was done as a display of its superior air force. The doctrine of expansionism therefore contributed greatly to the Second World War. Problems with Treaty of Versailles Treaty of Versailles can safely be regarded as one of the main causes of the Second World War. The treaty was signed not to discourage future wars but to punish perpetuators of the First World War. The problem with the treaty was that it instilled hatred in the hearts of German people. This hatred played a pivotal role in the Second World War. The main aim of the treaty should have been to prevent future wars and to establish long lasting peace instead it put financial burdens on Germany so much so that the ordinary people started to feel a sense of injustice. Germany was forced, in the Treaty of Versailles to pay damages of war to Britain and France. The damages were great so Germany started borrowing money and printing Marks (German currency) in order to pay off the damages. This caused the life of normal people to be disturbed by hyperinflation. These were the people who had nothing to do with the war but were paying the cost of it. The problems faced by common people of Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles greatly kindled the German populace to unite against their enemies namely the French and the Britain. Another consequence of the Treaty of Versailles was that it divided German ethnic groups in different regions and this is regarded as the greatest weakness of the Treaty of Versailles (Ross, S. 2003). The aim of the treaty was to divide the German nation in order to prevent any future war adventures. France wanted Germany demilitarized so that it can retain its previous status of the biggest military power in Europe. By dividing and demilitarization Germany it was thought that future wars would be made impossible. Unfortunately this never happened instead German people united themselves under Nazi Party and Hitler, and waged another war to avenge all injustices of the Treaty of Versailles. Competition for Resources and Markets One of the less discussed causes of the Second World War is the competition for natural resources. In early 20th century rapid industrialization began and countries tried to produce more and more in order to enhance their economic superiority. This made countries search extensively for raw materials that contributed to the process of industrialization. One example would be of Japan which lacked coal and iron reserves. For this sole reason Japan invaded its neighbor China and attempted to decrease western influence in the region. All this was done in search of natural resources. European markets were also not giving access to Japan. Japan was not able to buy raw materials from Europe and was also disallowed to sell its goods in European markets. Britain and France were exploiting the resources of its colonies and were shipping raw materials from India and Africa to their homeland. This was not possible for Japan so it invaded its neighbor China in search of minerals. This was not seen favorably by United States of America. Japan could not afford to draw its army out of China because of the natural resources in the region and this gave rise to the tensions between the two countries that eventually led them to war. Issues with the League of Nations After the First World War the whole world was shocked by the destruction caused by the wars and attempts were made to avoid such wars in future. This paved way for League of Nations, an intergovernmental organization that aimed to prevent wars through talks and negotiations. The League of Nations aimed at collective security of the countries in order to prevent war like situations. This League of Nations and its problems are also a major cause of the Second World War. The League of Nations could put economic sanctions on its members but this was rarely done simply because the members were not willing to do so. Also the League had no authority of its own to make sure that all its decisions were enforced. United States of America did not join the League even though it was the first one to suggest such an intergovernmental organization. The League of Nations was actually a powerless entity with little or no control on almost anything. It could only ask its members to follow its directions but big powers usually were reluctant to do things that were not in their best interest. The League of Nations actually failed to provide a system of effective sanctions in order to prevent wars from taking place (Townshend, C. 2011). It was a powerless body that could not play a role in the peace building process. It could also not do anything when Austria, one of its members, was attacked by the German forces. If the League of Nations would have played a more dominant role in peace keeping then Second World War could have been avoided but that was not the case. The First World War and its after effects The effects of the First World War also had a significant impact on the Second World War. The way German aggression was attempted to tame was insufficient to say the least. German people did not really accepted defeat because Germany was never invaded by the allied armies. It should also be noted here that German military base was not completely dismantled after the First World War. This allowed Germany to develop its war ambitions even after the sanctions. The idea that united the German people under the leadership of Hitler was that the German army was never defeated in the first place. It was only because of the traitors who surrendered that it lost. This belief drove the German to believe that they would surely be successful in the next war. The First World War according to many never ended. It only temporarily stopped Germany from advancing in other territories. The German ambition to challenge the supremacy of Soviet Union and France did not ended with the First World War and it motivated them to wage another war to take back all the honor and territory they lost in the first one. The Great Depression The Great Depression of 1929 was the longest economic crisis of modern history. The whole world was affected by it so much so that it took almost a decade to recover from the after effects of the depression. This economic depression was contributed to the Second World War in many ways. The depression of 1929 affected the masses. Unemployment levels rose to staggering heights and standard of living dropped drastically in all corners of the world including Germany and United States of America (Beinhart, L. 2008) . The rebuilding of Europe was also affected as a result of the depression. High unemployment levels in Germany and Italy forced people to join the authoritarian regimes of dictators. People like Hitler and Mussolini became the center of people’s attention because people thought that they had something to offer to them in the times of economic hardship. The membership of Nazi party increased rapidly due to the economic tough times as a result of the great depression. The failing governments in Germany also added to the popularity of the Nazi Party. In situations where there is no hope people find solace in believing that a savior would solve all their problems. This belief led them to support dictators like Hitler and Mussolini. It was because of their wide admiration by their people at least initially that they were able to cause such havoc in the world. The Great Depression surely contributed to the popularity of dictators in Germany and Italy. The problem of unemployment was solved by Hitler by revitalizing industries and making weapons for war (Stanley, G. 2005). Unemployed Germans were recruited into factories that produced weapons and war related products. In this way Hitler fought the evils of depression and also contributed to his expansionist ideas. Fascism and the Second World War The rise of fascism in Europe also contributed to the Second World War. After the First World War Germany and Italy saw rise in Fascist regimes. These regimes played a major role in the Second World War. The wave of nationalism in Germany after its defeat also strengthened the fascist Nazi Party (Crozier, A. 1997). As a result fascist regimes gained power and followed their own mindset. The attacks of Soviet Union and attack on Pearl Harbor The invasion of Soviet Union marked the beginning of the Second World War. Hitler wanted to catch the Russians off guard and believed that Soviet Union can be defeated. German forces invaded Soviet Union but the aims of Hitler were not fulfilled according to plan and Britain also attacked Germany along with France. On the other hand Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and started a war against United States that brought US in the Second World War. Conclusion The tremendous atrocities caused by the Second World War still haunt us today. There were many causes to this war and some of these causes are highlighted in this essay. The nationalistic fervor of Germany gave rise to authoritarian rule and Italian fascism also played a role in war. The policy of expansion of Germany and Japan was the main cause of Second World War. These countries wanted to gain territories. Japan specifically wanted to get hold of the natural resources in order to boost its industrialization. The great depression contributed to the Second World War by increasing the support of the people towards authoritarian regimes. Finally the tipping point of the war was the attack on Soviet Union by the Germans and the Pearl Harbor attack by Japanese. References Beinhart, L. (2008). The Great Depression, the new deal, World War 2 and the crash of 08. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-beinhart/the-great-depression-the_b_151572.html Crozier, A. (1997). The Causes of the Second World War. London: Wiley-Blackwell Ross, S. (2003). Causes and Consequences of the First World War. New York: Evans Brothers Sir. Kershaw, Ian. (2011). Hitler’s expansionist aims. WW2 History. Retrieved from http://ww2history.com/experts/Sir_Ian_Kershaw/Hitler_s_expansionist_aims Stanley, G. (2005). The Great Depression and World War II 1929-1949. California: Gareth Stevens Pub Townshend, C. (2011). The League of Nations and the United Nations. BBC History. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/league_nations_01.shtml Read More