Causes of WWII

• The Second World War began on September 1st, 1939, with Germany's invasion of Poland, quickly followed by the USSR.
• The causes of World War II are multifaceted, extending beyond a single event.
• The great democratic nations' role in the years preceding the war is a key question when analysing the causes of WWII.
• Economic crises of the interwar period, specifically the Great Depression, fostered totalitarian regimes.
• Totalitarian regimes were driven by populist movements, nationalist ambitions, and a desire for territorial expansion.
• The failure of diplomacy, the policy of appeasement, and weak international institutions such as the League of Nations also contributed.

Democratic Powers' Responsibility

• Democratic powers had a policy of weakness and passivity

Failure to Enforce the Versailles Treaty

• Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles by remilitarizing the Rhineland in 1936 and the Anschluss in 1938.
• France and Britain did not respond to Germany's treaty violations.
• Britain did not perceive the Rhineland occupation as a security threat.
• France felt isolated and insecure, and did not resist the occupation.
• Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, resulting in weak sanctions from the League of Nations.
• The weak sanctions against Italy showed that totalitarian aggression would not be punished.
• Britain and France struggled to coordinate a response to Italy's invasion and the limited economic sanctions pushed Italy closer to Germany.

Appeasement: A Policy of Weakness

• Britain and France adopted a policy of appeasement due to fear of war and a lack of military readiness.
• The Munich Agreement in 1938 allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland under the promise of peace.
• Six months after the Munich Agreement, Hitler invaded all of Czechoslovakia and later Poland in 1939.
• When Italy invaded Abyssinia in October 1935, Britain and France struggled to coordinate a response.
• Limited economic sanctions were imposed on Italy, pushing it closer to Germany.

Divisions Between Britain and France

• France was fearful of Germany but lacked the military strength to act.
• Britain was still recovering from World War I and was reluctant to engage militarily.
• The lack of a united front between Britain and France emboldened Hitler.
• Democratic powers contributed to an environment where aggression went unchecked but their response was reactive, not proactive.

The Role of the Economic Crisis and the Rise of Totalitarianism

• The 1929 Great Depression led to mass unemployment and social unrest, pushing people towards radical political solutions such as Nazism, Fascism, and militarism.
• Germany's industrial production fell by 40% and unemployment skyrocketed.
• Hitler's promises of economic revival were appealing to the German population.
• Western democracies focused on internal recovery and ignored the rise of aggressive regimes.

US Isolationism and Economic Protectionism

• The United States' isolationism in the 1930s was driven by domestic economic struggles.
• There was a belief that European conflicts were irrelevant.
• US isolationism removed a key pillar of deterrence and international stability.
• The League of Nations was weakened by the absence of the US.
• The League of Nations failed to respond meaningfully to aggression in Manchuria (1931), Italy in Ethiopia (1935), and Germany’s violations of the Versailles framework.
• The US adopted protectionist measures such as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, worsening global economic divisions.
• By 1933, the world was split into competing economic and trade blocs, weakening international cooperation.
• While Germany, Italy, and Japan turned to militarism, the US remained inward-looking and failed to counteract their expansion.

Axis Powers' Ambition to Expand

• Hitler's policy of Lebensraum in Mein Kampf and overturning the Versailles Treaty were central to Nazi ideology.
• German rearmament, the dismantling of Czechoslovakia, and the invasion of Poland were pre-planned and ideologically driven.
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 shows that Hitler was prepared to act regardless of Western reactions.
• Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937 was driven by economic necessity and militarist ideology.
• Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 was part of Mussolini's bid to build a new Roman Empire and was motivated by prestige and domestic politics.
• Democratic powers are not solely responsible as the political context led to internal conflict and the rise of extremist movements.

Conclusion

• While Germany, Italy, and Japan bear the primary responsibility, the failures of Western democracies in economic policies, appeasement, and weak enforcement of peace treaties played a crucial role.
• World War II was the result of economic collapse, failed diplomacy, and the ambitions of totalitarian regimes.