Causes of World War II in Europe
(In Order of Relative Importance)
The causes of the war in Europe are closely linked to the causes of the rise of fascism. The most important points are:
- Treaty of Versailles: The Treaty can be said to be the single most important, direct cause of the war. It placed the blame, or "war guilt" solely upon Germany. Secondly, harsh reparations imposed by the treaty hampered the German economy by causing rapid hyperinflation (the Weimar Republic printed trillions to help pay off its debts) and caused people to support authoritarian parties like the Nazis and the Communists. In Germany, the Treaty forced Germany to limit its armed forces to 100,000, forbade it having an airforce, demilitarized the Rhineland, a region in western Germany next to France, and placed the Saar region under the League of Nations' control. These restrictions not only hampered the German economy (the Saar region, though small, was fairly industrialized) but also created bitter resentment towards the victors of the First World War within Germany.
- The First World War: The First World War did not solve any of the problems of that had caused it. Large groups of nationalistic minorities still remained trapped in other nations. For example, Yugoslavia (originally the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) had 5 major ethnic groups (the Serbs, Croats, Macedons, Montenegrins, and the Slovenes), and it was created after the war(Though as there was no majority present in that nation, it is somewhat of a unique case). Other examples abound in the former lands of Austria-Hungary which were divided up quite arbitrarily and unfairly after the war. For example, Hungary was held responsible for the war and stripped of two thirds of its territory while Austria, which had been an equal partner in the Austro-Hungarian government, had its territory expanded.
- Appeasement: A major part of the blame for the war lies with English and French politicians. Both these nations repeatedly followed a policy which not only gave Hitler what he wanted and therefore more likely to push for more, but also gave the Germans time to rearm. Hitler himself said that when he reoccupied the Rhineland, "that the Army had a standing order to retreat" if the French showed any resistance. When he invaded Poland, he doubted that France and Britain would intervene any more decisively than they did for Czechoslovakia. This made the war unavoidable.
- The Great Depression: The Great Depression hit Germany second only to the United States. Severe unemployment prompted the Nazi party, which had been losing favor, to experience a surge in membership. This more than anything contributed to the rise of Hitler in Germany, and therefore World War II in Europe.
- Anti-semitism: Adolf Hitler was by far not the first person to have had a hatred for the Jews. Even today anti-semitism is experiencing a troubling resurgence (also in the Middle East, but for another reason) though not nearly as powerful as before World War II. The hatred of the Jews in Europe, so foreign to citizens of other continents, stems from Catholic practices. The Church (at least originally) said that the practice of charging interest was a sin. Because they could not charge interest, few banks were opened by Christians because there was little money to be gained. However, Jews freely built banks, leading to some members of the Jewish community in Europe becoming extremely wealthy (though millions remained poor). Over time, many Europeans developed a stereotype in which they saw Jews as arrogant (especially regarding wealth), and this eventually became manifest as a prejudice or hatred. For instance, in the middle ages, people sometimes burned Jews in fires. This is the where the word Holocaust originates. Also, the Dreyfus Affair in France surrounded a Jewish man. Therefore, Hitler's virulent anti-semitism attracted Germans to his cause because anti-semitism was already commonplace in Europe anyway.
- The "Italian reason": Italy entered the war because Mussolini hoped to grab French territory (he got a couple of hundred yards). He had only entered after France was obviously defeated. Mussolini hoped to create a kind of New Roman Empire around the Mediterranean. This caused him to invade Albania in early 1939 (before the official start of the war) and to later invade Greece (where Hitler had to save him from being defeated by Greek troops).
- Other causes:
- Poland: The creation of Poland in itself was not the issue, but a little known territory called the Polish Corridor. This was a narrow strip of land separating East Prussia from Germany allowing access for Poland to the Baltic Sea. This was a continual annoyance for the Germans.
- The Russian Revolution: The Russian Revolution created a new fear in many German business men of communist insurrection in their own country. Shortly after World War I, there had been an attempted revolt by the communists to seize power in the country, which had only been put down by ex-soldiers operating under former commanders. These men then began to give Hitler and his Nazi Party money and their own support.