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The causes and the effects of the Second World War
Causes and effects of the Second World War
Second world war causes and effect
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“We shall have to fight another war in 25 years time.” - David Lloyd George. One of the representatives who helped create the Treaty, David Lloyd George, believed that another war would be fought in 25 years time, despite the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was made to end all wars. 25 years came a lot quicker than he expected, partially because of the creation of the Treaty. The Treaty of Versailles is considered a large part of why World War Two broke out by many historians, but it is just that, a part. There were several other reasons why the Second World War happened which include the apathy of the newly created League of Nations, Hitler’s rise to power and the failure of appeasement. However, none of the causes were more prominent …show more content…
However, the main creators of the Treaty, the US, Italy, Britain and France, did not realize that the Treaty was potentially leading to the Second World War. The Treaty was very harsh to Germans, its main terms were Germany admitting to the blame for the First World War and changing territorial claims. A lot of land was taken from Germany and the economy became very poor because of the debt they had to pay to others. There were very little jobs, and food was very expensive as well as other services. It made Germans end up supporting Hitler a lot because he promised to ignore the Treaty shortly after coming to power. The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and as a result did not keep the peace if was supposed to, much like the League of Nations which was created alongside the Treaty. The League of Nations was created shortly after World War One and had a similar purpose to the Treaty of Versailles - to keep peace between the countries. However, the League was too apathetic and in the long run, was full of failures. The League had many instances in which they weren 't able to keep the peace between countries. Examples of these failures are when Italy attacked the port of Fiume which was given to Yugoslavia, or when France and Belgium invaded Germany’s biggest industrial zone, Ruhr. For both of these
...reaty, caused one of the most important parts of the war. Furthermore, the conditions that allowed for a fascist ruler to take control in Germany would have been in place if the treaty had not been signed, or had been less harsh on Germany. It is important to understand the causes of WWII because the war was a dominating part of the late 1930’s and 1940’s, and because the war laid the groundwork for the cold war. It also was a key part of leading America out of the Great Depression, which could have lasted years longer if the industrial production of the war had not taken place. The Treaty of Versailles did not make WWII inevitable, even though it may be tempting to claim so.
There is no excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did during World War II. But one can get a better idea how that war started by learning about how World War I ended. The Treaty of Versailles was created by the winners of World War I, like France, Great Britain, and the United States, to make peace. So how did it help contribute to an even worse war less than twenty years later? It was mainly because it was too hard on Germany’s territory, military, economy, and national pride.
The Treaty of Versailles was supposed to end in peace but instead it ended in disaster . The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28,1919 (exactly 5 years after Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated), the treaty was created in hope that it would stabilize Europe and ensure that another catastrophic war like World War 1 would never happen again. Although the Versailles Treaty didn’t cause World War 2 it did have a great affect on it, by taking away land, limiting Germany’s military, and making Germany pay for all the damages done after World War 1.
Many had the opinion that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh and unfair on Germany because as well as collective security there should is an aspect of collective responsibility. The treaty of Versailles was meant to rebuild European trade and wealth, these hopes. where destroyed because Germany could not afford to pay the reparations. The sand is a sand. The reparations Germany were forced to pay caused major problems and led Germany into a spiral of economic disaster.
The harshness of the Treaty and the way in which it blamed Germany for World War I crippled Germany. Much of its territory was taken away from it, including West Prussia that went to form a new Polish Corridor to the sea. Plus the Treaty forced Germany to reduce its army, demilitarise the Rhineland and get rid of its navy. The Treaty also forced harsh reparations for the War resulting in a great deal of the German people resenting the Allies. And it was later that Hitler used the bitter memories of Versailles to gain public support for his actions.
The goal of the treaty of Versailles was to prevent war, but instead it caused another. World War I was fought through 1914-1918 and ended with more than 41 million casualties. World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars but, the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany which led to more conflicts.Therefore, the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II because, it weakened the German economy, the terms of the treaty angered and humiliated Germany, and it helped Hitler to rise to power.
But who really wanted the league of Nations, is it Italy or France or America? There was no such time, the big ones were just partying and involved in petty strife between each other on the peace table so that they could divide Ottoman between themselves or Arab lands. It was all at the table at the same time and too hot to be eaten so it left a little bit stale.56
The Treaty of Versailles, initially created to keep peace in Europe and ensure that another war like World War I wouldn’t happen again, had in fact, backfired and spiraled the world down into a deeper, bloodier battle. The treaty discriminated strongly against Germany, with the loss of territories, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the War Guilt Clause. It caused humiliation and anger within Germany, and led to Hitler and the Nazi Party coming to power. World War II was not only started by Adolf Hitler and Germany, but had a lot to do with the humiliation that Germany felt when the terms for the Treaty of Versailles were laid down. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles may be indirectly related to the cause of World War II, but nonetheless was a huge factor in starting the war.
At the end of World War 1, the victorious nations met in France to hammer out a treaty that would officially end what was the most destructive war in modern history. That treaty’s name was the Treaty of Versailles. Over the last 75 years, historians have argued that the Treaty of Versailles, and the demands within it, directly led to World War II; there is far too much evidence supporting the fact that the treaty did lead to World War II. Evidence such as territorial losses, reforming of the German military, Reparations to be paid from the Germans to the Allies, and the War Guilt Clause, all point to the fact that the Treaty of Versailles directly led to World War II.
Finally, the accumulated hatred amongst the people gave birth to the potential for a revolution. The Treaty of Versailles is, therefore, an indirect cause to World War II, because of the alliances it caused, the punishments it enforced, and the hatred it developed. The coalitions brought by the Versailles Treaty contributed greatly to starting WWII. The Treaty was responsible for the formation of the Allies. However, when made, these alliances were based on promises from the superpowers, particularly France.
While the Treaty of Versailles became a catalyst for WW2, it was not the singular reason for the “Second Great War”. WW1 being that cocktail problems on its own, became a breeding ground of malicious intent, anger and rage, even after the last bullet was fired. The treaty of Versailles was mainly just a push to make the WW2 problem child grow even badder and faster. First of all Hitler was already sore and angry from WW1, secondly Japan was already going to invade Manchuria, thirdly Fascism was growing. These reasons combined would eventually cause another World War by themselves even without the treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed due to WWI. WWI was one of the most destructive wars in history. nearly ten million soldiers died as a result (Ushmm 1). The war was brutal and due to the technological advances, it was a different type of warfare. Scholars estimate that nearly thirteen million non-combatants died as well (Ushmm 1). That would account for almost 23 million deaths. It is obvious why such a harsh treaty would be put into effect. Industry and property losses were also catastrophic, more so in France, Belgium, Poland, and Serbia, where fighting was the most intense (Ushmm 1). WWI did call for some harsh action, but the actions
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles marked the end of World War I and was the starting point in the chain of events that enabled Germany to spark World War II shortly after the first. Many components of the Treaty of Versailles and the actions of the Allies contributed to the toxic climate that was developing in the Germany. Germany’s economy, left destroyed in the wake of World War I, and the citizens of Germany feared the worst for their country’s future. The establishment of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I enabled the Nazi Party to rise to power in the German state and form a Fascist dictatorship in place of the democratic system.
The French; for example, was one who thought this treaty was too moderate and was highly disappointed by it (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”). They wanted to get rid of Germany all together, but on the other hand, the British and Americans wanted to avoid forming pretext for a new war (History.com Staff). Allied countries thought that the treaty was a just punishment to Germany, but in the United States it was received with mixed feelings and reviews (Adams). All responsibility for World War I was given to Germany, and they were ordered to pay reparations (Benson). Germany had been anything except pleased about this, and not to mention they felt utterly embarrassed about the situation (Benson). They also felt completely betrayed by Wilson and the United States (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”). Under protest and the threat of an invasion, they signed this document (Benson).
World War One was a war of bloodshed and suffering that left Europe devastated after the war (History Learning Site, 2000). Woodrow Wilson, stated that The Great War was the war to end all wars (Sturgeon A., 2009). At the end of World War One, Woodrow Wilson came up with the Fourteen Points which was a peace plan to prevent all future wars (Sturgeon A., 2009). Unfortunately, not all of its recommendations were part of the final agreement known as the Treaty of Versailles (Bolotta A., Hawkes C., Jarman F., Keistad M., Watt J., 2000). The Allies wanted to take revenge on Germany by humiliating them for the cause of World War One (Sturgeon A., 2009). Without having any say, Germany was forced to sign the treaty and unwillingly signed it on June 28, 1919. This treaty led to the outbreak of World War Two because some land was taken away from Germany, they were forced to pay huge reparations for the damages and more importantly, had to take all the blame for World War One that angered many Germans (Pollata A., September).