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
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 Sudeten land -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 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 of the pope to be satisfied. But 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 1st September 1939 invaded Poland Britain and France asked
Germany to withdraw from Poland and Hitler refused. On 3rd September
Britain and France declared war on Germans and the Second World War broke out
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