World War II
War is one of the most tragic things in our world today. It is even sadder that usually it
comes around at least once in our lifetime. In the 20th century alone we have already had two
huge wars. These wars were call the World Wars simply because they involved most of the big
countries of the world. Many people have died in these wars, especially the second World
War. That is my focus for this essay.
The leader of Germany at the time of WW2 and the person who most think started
World War II was a man named Adolf Hitler. Although there are many other reasons, he was
definitely one of them. Another reason was the Treaty of Versailles. This was the treaty that was
signed at the end of World War 1. This treaty outlined the rules that Germany must follow
because of their defeat by Britain and France. Many Germans were angered by the treaty, for
most of the rules in the treaty were unfair and Germany lost a great amount of wealth. However,
One of the cruelest reasons for the war was Hitler's racist hate for Jews. He would actually be the cause of
one of the greatest injustices done againest human-kind in the history of the world.
As the war progressed many countries became involved in the war. British forces, which consisted
of troops both from England and Canada, along with France, originally declared war on Germany. Germany
allied themselves with Italy and Japan, known as the Axis powers, hoped to defeat the Allies. As the war
progressed though, and more countries allied themselves with the Allied Forces, such as the United States
and the Soviet Union, resistance became futile and in August, 1945, the allies had successfully defeated the
Nazi armies.
TREATY OF VERSAILLES
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participated in the war, by the end of the war, Canada was left with a very strong armed forces
At the end of World War One, Germany was required to pay a large sum of money to the Allies consequently resulting in the German Depression. The sum Germany had to pay was set after the Treaty of Versailles was enacted at approximately six billion, six hundred million – twenty-two billion pounds, (World War Two – Causes, Alan Hall, 2010). The large amount of reparations that Germany had to pay resulted in a depression and angered the Germans because they thought it was an excessive amount of money to pay, (World War Two – Causes) The Germans hatred of the Treaty of Versailles was of significant importance in propelling the Nazis to power. Germany could not pay their reparations and was forced into a depression, (World War II – Causes). The Treaty of Versailles deprived Germany of its economic production and its available employments, (World War II – Causes). The German Depr...
One reason the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II was it destroyed the German economy. Germany lost a large number of territories, resources and they were forced to pay respirations. According to the map in Document A, Germany lost Alsace, Polish Corridor, Danzig and Lorraine.This led to a 40 percent reduction in Germany’s coal production.In addition to losing land and resources, Germany was forced to pay reparations. Document C shows Germany had 30 years to pay 132 billion gold marks. The stock market crash of 1929 placed Germany in an economic depression, and they couldn’t pay the respirations.
One reason the Treaty of Versailles was a cause of World War II was because it destroyed the German economy. Germany lost a large amount of territories and resources and they were forced to pay for reparations. Germany had a large deduction of land (Document A, German Territorial Losses, Versailles Treaty, 1919). The loss of land lead to a 40% reduction in coal production. In addition to losing land and resources, Germany had to pay reparations. Document C shows how the $367 billion in reparations destroy the German economic system. The stock market crash of 1929 places Germany in an economic Depression, their economy greatly suffered.
National leaders from Britain, France the United States and Italy didn’t allow the defeated nations any say in the drafting of the treaty. The terms were severe, unjust and unfair. Germany’s territory and population was reduced. There was a war guilt clause that named Germany the aggressive nation in the war and responsible to make reparations to the Allied nations. This meant that losses and damage had to be paid for by them. The four nations wanted to keep Germany from becoming a threat again. The military was restricted. The Germans felt they were being dictated by the treaty. In 1936, Hitler remilitarized Germany in a violation of the treaty and the Allies did nothing to stop
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.
On June 28, 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed and World War 1 had officially come to an end. Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versaille because they could no longer afford to participate in the war. The Treaty of Versailles was put in place to punish Germany. (New York Times) There were three things that greatly affected Germany caused by the war and the Treaty. First Germany lost much of its land and territory and during this time the condition of Germany’s economy was terrible. The Treaty of Versailles caused many debts and limitations. The citizens of Germany were greatly affected by the treaty too. They were ashamed of what had happened during and after the war and they also had to pay for the mistakes their government made as well.
Many people in other lands thought that the treaty was a way of making legal the punishment on the Germans and this was in violation of Wilsonian idealism. The peacemakers should have been able to set aside hatred that was built up from the past in order to come up with a more proper and fair settlement. Instead of doing this, they placed the blame on the Germans by forcing them to pay for reparations they couldn't afford, insulting them with the accusation of guilt from the war and taking away their territory. The treaty would only intensify the hatred felt by all the parties involved in the treaty and heighten German nationalism. This was a poor beginning for democracy in Germany and for Wilson's New World.
British and French empires against the German Empire. Many soldiers on the British side were new to war and saw battle for the first time. This was also a factor in the large amount of casualties on the British side. There were also many colonial troops involved from the british commonwealth, for example: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India,etc.
The Great War , or as it is known now, World War One was a global conflict fought between the Allied Powers ; Great Britain, France, Russia, and the United States along will other smaller nations and the Central Powers ; Germany, Austria – Hungary, Turkey/Ottoman Empire and other small nations from 1914 to 1918. World War One began from a series of tumultuous events, that in turn affected the balance of alliances that had been made between countries at that time in the world.
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. This ensured that Germany would not have support from the smaller countries in Europe (Document B). Belgium had aligned itself with France previously, and it continued to do so, but Czechoslovakia and Poland...
World War II was one of the deadliest wars we know of in history, with as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all over the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively.
...ial elements.” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”) Many problems were raised because of this treaty, but Germany having to pay reparations for all wrong doings had to be one of the bigger ones (History.com Staff). “When asked about ultimate reasons for the failure of the Weimar Republic, German Politician replied: ‘Versailles and Moscow’.” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”) Moscow because of communist activity and Versailles because of the harsh effects it had on “the viability and domestic authority of the German democracy” (“D.1. The Treaty of Versailles”).
The treaty left Germany in poverty and struggling to feed its people. Germany suffered; though for a brief few years in the mid 1920s they cherished the temporary renewal of faith through Gustav Stresemann but due to his death only 1 year after being elected as chancellor he failed to make a everlasting impact.
One explanation for the cause of the Second World War, was the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty weakened Germany so much that eventually, the outbreak of war became inevitable. The Treaty of Versailles enforced conditions upon the German people. “The Versailles proposal called for Germany to admit guilt, give up territory, and disarm its military. Germany’s Saar and Rhineland districts were to be placed under Allied occupation for fifteen years … All of Germany’s overseas possessions were to be occupied by the Allies and organized as “mandates,” under the supervision and control of a newly-formed League of Nations. … The German army was limited to 100, 000 men … Germany was prohibited from uniting with Austria … No German air force would be permitted. … The Germans would also have to pay for the damages caused by the war” [2]. France becam...