THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR 2

« attention would turn to foreign affairs and people’s hatred would turn against other countries.

It is also because of this desperate situation that self-interest destroyed the international co- operation ideal of League of Nations. Short term causes: ­ At th e tim e, a s th ey s aw th e League of Nations was a failure, politicians started to try a new way to keep the peace: appeasement.

This was the policy of giving Hitler what he wanted to stop him from going to war.

It was based on the idea that Hitler’s requests were reasonable, and, as such , if they were satisfied, he would stop.

Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister believed in appeasement mainly for two reasons: public opinion supported appeasement and he wanted to please his country, and Great Britain was still suffering from effects of the Great Depression, and did not have a lot of money to spend on its defense.

If appeasement could avoid to Britain another war, that was better to focus on defending its empire in Asia.

The fact that Great Britain and France were suffering because of the Great depression explains why they chose the appeasement rather than re-arming against Hitler in the 1930s.

Gradually, Hitler ripped up the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and no one protested.

France and Great Britain governments proved to be too weak in front of Hitler’s determination.

Hitler had already acquired Rhineland and Austria, using intimidation tactics and diplomacy, and managing to acquire these territories without firing a single shot when the next step happened. ­ In th e Munich agreement , without asking Czechoslovakia, Britain and France accepted to give the Sudetenland to Germany, when the Treaty of Versailles had specifically given this piece of land to the Czechs.

Six months later, Hitler ordered German troops to seize the rest of Czechoslovakia, broking every promise made at Munich.

Chamberlain and Daladier realized that they could not trust Hitler, but it was too late.

­ Th e need for living space « lebensraum » by Germany in Europe, which needed an area for economic expansion, while Britain and France had their colonial empires was also a factor for starting World War 2.

­ Of cour s e, Hitler’s personality and his empire-building ambition were also a decisive factor.

­ Th e only country Hitler wa s worried a b out wa s th e S oviet Union.

He wa s worried th at a G erm a n inva sion of P oland might le ad to war with th e S oviet Union.

He m a d e s ur e to sign a non-a g gr e s sion a gr e e m e nt with th e S oviet Union, c alled Nazi-Soviet pact , where they promised not to go to war with each other.

But they also secretly agreed to invade and divide Poland between them.

­ Germany invaded western Poland on September 1st 1939 .

Russia invaded eastern Poland later in the month, as they had greed in the Nazi-Soviet pact in August.

­ Th en, in J u n e 1941, th e d e cisive ev ent of th e war in Europ e took plac e wh en th e Germans finally invaded Russia , which had always been Hitler’s plan as his main ambition was to conquer Soviet Russia.

­ Britain a n d Franc e d e cl ar ed war on G erm any to stop exp a n sion into th e re st of Europ e.

­ Fin ally, th e war b e c a m e a tru e world war in December 1941 when Japan attacked by surprise the American fleet in its Pacific base of Pearl Harbor , and followed this with attacks on British bases in the Far East.

Germany and Italy, in support of their Axis partner Japan, declared war on the USA as well.

Italy declared war on Britain and. »