Hitler's Aims and Actions as the Cause of World War II When considering the reasons for the outbreak of war in 1939 it is easy to place the entire blame on Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy in the late 1930s. One British historian, writing a few years after the end of the war, claimed that ‘the Second World War was Hitler’s personal war, in that he intended it, he prepared for it, he chose the moment for launching it.’ In this assignment it is my intention to show that Hitler’s foreign policy was a major factor in causing the conflict but that other reasons, both long term and short term, need to be recognised as well. Probably the first factor that need considering is the Treaty of Versailles, of 1919. 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. Another factor in causing World War II was the Wall Street Crash of 1929 resulting in a 2-year economic depression all over the world. Not only did these cause countries such as Britain and France to take a less active foreign policy, but also it destroyed the newly found prosperity in Germany and made many people jobless. This led to Hitler
The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, affected Germany terribly. Pauley says that, “Virtually all Germans were equally convinced that it was an instrument to suppress, exploit, and permanently humiliate Germany” (37). The Treaty exclusively blamed Germany for the outbreak of World War I, forced massive reparations on the German economy, shrunk the German army, took away German colonies and returned Alsace-Lorraine to France, and did not allow Austria to merge with Germany through self-determination (Geary 14). The Weimar Republic, which only recently took over the German government, was blamed signing the Treaty. The German citizens were extremely enraged by the terms of the Treaty mainly because they were unaware of how poorly the war was going; German propaganda told them that Germany was winning on the
A.J.P. Taylor believes that Hitler did not plan or desire for a world war to occur. Many historians have judged Hitler’s intentions when preparing his military as deliberate proof of his strategizing for an expansive war. The justification for Hitler's military plans according to Taylor, was that he viewed other countries as a threat to him and the restoration of Germany. As a result, both sides believed the other was preparing aggressively against them. Germany, Britain, and many other countries directed their generals to prepare for war. Taylor uses this to prove that Hitler’s preparation was not peculiar, or specific to only Germany; everyone during that time was preparing for a possible war.
The causes of World War II can be attributed to the following ideas or events: the mentality of power is strength by Heinrich von Treitschke, the Treaty of Versailles, the global depression following the end of World War I, and Nazi Imperialism.
World War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of humanity. It crippled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forced Germans to admit full responsibility for starting the war. Furthermore, to gain the support of the German populace, Adolf Hitler adopted an effective propaganda campaign. Adolf Hitler employed a successful propaganda campaign to gain the support of the German people combined with the Treaty of Versailles harsh economic and political sanctions ignited World War Two.
In the early quarter of the twentieth century, a young man was beginning to fill his mind with ideas of a unification of all Germanic countries. That young man was Adolf Hitler, and what he learned in his youth would surface again as he struggled to become the leader of this movement. Hitler formed views of countries and even certain cities early in his life, those views often affecting his dictation of foreign policy as he grew older. What was Hitler's view of the world before the Nazi Party came to power? Based in large part on incidents occurring in his boyhood, Hitler's view included the belief that Jews should be eliminated, and that European countries were merely pawns for him to use in his game of world dominion.Adolf Hitler grew up the son of a respectable imperial customhouse official, who refused to let his son do what he was most interested in-art.
as a historian it is clear that in the years of 1941 and 1942 things
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 of 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.
The Second World War was caused by Germany’s desire to revoke the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and Hitler’s relentless quest for empire. This was considered a valid response to why the war began in 1939, until 1961 when A. J. P Taylor...
The extreme policies of Treaty of Versailles caused horror and outrage in the German people. Both Hitler and the German people felt their army had not been defeated on the battlefield, but had been “undermined by political treachery at home.” (History Place) The people did not like the humiliation
The treaty of Versailles was humiliating; it forced Germany to accept the full responsibility for the war. The treaty also commanded that no German troops could be stationed in their industrial heartland; it capped their military size for the country; it took away foreign holdings and forced Germany to pay reparations that were crippling. The treaty of Versailles paved the rise of Hitler and the Nazis just as the World War I did for the Communist revolution in Russia.
Some people think that the beginning of World War Two was all Germany or Hitler’s fault. Yes, it may have been their fault, but there were other events that occurred that may have also started it. There was a lot of stuff that happened in those years. Manchuria and Abyssinia were invaded, there was some trouble with the Treaty of Versailles,the policies of appeasement, the Nazi-soviet Pact, and the invasion of Poland. There is more explanation between these events. Of what happened, what they did to help, and what they did to help.
The Treaty of Versailles did not just end World War I, but it also changed the world. From it changing every countries view on Germany, to changing Germany itself. It contained many conditions, which led to the countless numbers of results. This treaty created a completely different outlook on the world.
There were many causes of World War II. Germany wanted to expand in Europe. Italy wanted to expand in Africa. Japan wanted to expand in Asia & the Pacific. Other causes of the War include: the Treaty of Versailles, rise of dictatorship in Italy and Germany, expansionist policy of the Axis Powers, policy of Appeasement, and the weakness of the League of Nations.
World War Two Was the Result of the Aggression and Ambition of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party
The Responsibility of Hitler for World War Two In this essay I will be looking at the main causes of World War 2 and deciding whether it was all Adolf Hitler's fault that it began. I will be looking at things Hitler did, other causes and then concluding with my opinion. In some ways the war was Hitler's fault.