Causes of World War II

World War II may be the single most complicated conflict in all of history and it is therefore difficult to explain its origin. Never have so many nations gone to war in so many different ways and by so many different means. Regardless, there are a few basic causes of the war which are recognized by most authorities.

Table of contents

1 Causes of World War II in general 2 Causes of World War II in Europe 3 Causes of World War II in Asia 4 See also 5 External links

Causes of World War II in general

• Nationalism: Perhaps the greatest underlying factor causing the war, nationalism was the primary reason for German, Italian and Japanese aggression. Fascism in these countries was built largely upon nationalism and the search for a cohesive "nation state." Hitler and his Nazi party used nationalism to great effect in Germany, already a nation where fervent nationalism was prevalent. In Italy, the idea of restoring the Roman Empire was attractive to many Italians. In Japan, nationalism, in the sense of duty and honor, especially to the emporer, had been widespread for centuries.
• Militarism: Both the leadership of Germany and Japan, a highly militaristic attitude prevailed. Compounding this fact was the traditional militant attitude of both these nations (see below).
• Territorial Issues: All the nations that started World War II were left wanting for territory in some way by World War I. Germany lost territory after the war. Notably the Polish Corridor (see below), the Memel Territory (from Lithuania), the Province of Posen and the most economically valuable eastern parts of Upper Silesia. The economically valuable regions of the Saarland and the Rhineland were placed under the authority (but not jurisdiction) of France. Italy, which was part of the Allies in World War I, had been promised large chunks of Austrian territory. It got most of Austrain territory it wanted, such as the South Tyrol, however promises made regarding Albania and Asia Minor were ignored by the more powerful nations. Hungary, an ally of Germany had also been stripped of enormouse territories after the partition of Austria-Hungary and hoped to regain those lands by allying with Germany. Japan had also, in 1915, joined the Allies and taken a German colony in China and a few islands which it had occupied. All of these nations were left stinging by the loss (or little gain) they received from the war. This attitude led many members of these nations to support those individuals and political parties who wished to gain territory for these nations.

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.

• Raw materials: One of the most alluded to reasons is Japan's need for raw materials. Other than a few coal and iron deposits, Japan lacks true natural resources. Japan, the only Asian country with a burgeoning industrial economy, feared what a lack of raw materials might lead to. Japan invaded Manchuria in order to procure these resources.
• Fear of America: Japan feared American power in the region. Later, when America blocked oil and scrap metal exports to Japan to stop its war with China, Japan felt its fears (including those of a shortage of raw materials) were confirmed. This lead to the disastrous (for both America and, eventually Japan) Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Militaristic leadership: Japan, although technically an absolute monarchy, was dominated by a group of militaristic generals. A great problem with having a standing army is the tendency to use it, and this fact, in combination with the leadership, was a primary cause of the war in Asia.
• Traditional practices in Japan: The centuries old respect, almost worship, for the Emperor played into the hands of the militaristic leaders of Japan. They exploited his name and image to create support for the war. They used him to silence the opposition to the war in Japan.

Events preceding World War II in Europe

External links