Causes of WWII

• WWII impacted the entire globe and led to the creation of global organizations
• The was a turning point in geo-political history

Factors Causing WWII

• Treaty of Versailles (1919), Treaty of Versailles placed economic and territorial penalties on Germany
• This ultimately created the atmosphere of resentment that was exploited by Adolf Hitler
• Fascism emerged in Italy, and Nazism in Germany, the Nazi Party took advantage of the economic turmoil, while Japan exhibited growing militarism
• Hitler's desire for "Lebensraum" (living space) led to German expansion, including the annexation of Austria, Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 for its resources, while Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935
• Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, leading Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
• In the 1930s, European powers followed a policy of appeasement towards Hitler, Britain and France allowed हिटलर to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland which weakened the country
• The Great Depression (1929) caused global social instability as Germany's Nazi Party gained support by promising to restore economic prosperity and national pride
• The rise of communism in the Soviet Union created a deep ideological divide between them and the fascism of Hitler and Mussolini
• The League of Nations failed to act decisively when Japan, Italy, and Germany violated international agreements due to its lack of military power and the absence of key nations

Key Agreements

• Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939) was a non-aggression pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in August 1939 and secretly divided Eastern Europe
• The pact allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention, directly starting World War II
• The Munich Agreement was signed on September 30, 1938
• Nazi Germany – Represented by Adolf Hitler, Britain, Represented by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, France, Represented by Premier Édouard Daladier, Italy, Represented by Benito Mussolini, Czechoslovakia, excluded from the negations
• The Munich Agreement marked the failure of appeasement as Hitler continued to expand his territorial ambitions

Key Events Leading to WWII

• Germany sought to remilitarize the Rhineland on March 7, 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties
• Hitler annexed Austria into Nazi Germany on March 12, 1938 (Anschluss) leading to persecution and the suppression of any Austrian government
• Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, employing Blitzkrieg tactics characterized by fast-moving infantry, tanks, and airstrikes
• The Soviet Union joined the attack in Poland, and invaded the Eastern European nation on September 17, 1939

Leaders and Political Ideologies

• Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany and Benito Mussolini was the leader of Italy
• They followed Nazism (National Socialism), based on extreme racism and imperialism.
• Japan’s Emperor Hirohito and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo followed Militarlism and expansion
• England's Winston Churchill embodied the power of Liberal Democracy
• After Roosevelt died in 1945 Harry Truman pushed Liberal Democracy to new heights

Tactics and Formations of WWII

• The blitz, and blitzkrieg was German tactics to overcome large areas with little resistance
• This would lead to major military defeats
• A key example of Allied powers teaming up and using power was Operation Overload

Battles of WWII

• Some of the bloodiest conflicts in history were included in the Battle of Stalingrad and Siege of Leningrad, and would change geo-politics forever
• Major Allied events were the attack on Pearl Harbour and the atomic bomb

Turning Points

• While WWII was a devastating war, it led to the creation of global organizations
• Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill would unite to create the Allies
• The war ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany
• However this shifted quickly and the world moved into the Cold War era