CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF WORLD WAR –II

World War II, also called Second World War, conflict that involved virtually every part of the
world during the years 1939–45. The principal belligerents were the Axis powers—
Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allies—France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet
Union, and, to a lesser extent, China. The war was in many respects a continuation, after an
uneasy 20-year hiatus, of the disputes left unsettled by World War I. The 40,000,000–50,000,000
deaths incurred in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict, as well as the largest war, in
history.

CAUSES OF 2nd WORLD WAR

There were many causes for the beginning of World War II but one of the most important was
the effect that the Treaty of Versailles had on Germany after World War I. When world leaders
Wilson, Clemenceau and George gathered to discuss the treaty they had a combination of wants;
Wilson wanted to find a way to bring peace to Europe whilst Clemenceau wanted revenge on
Germany and George wanted a compromise of both (Eyewitness to History, 2010). With these
thoughts in mind The Versailles Treaty was developed. Ultimately the treaty held Germany
responsible for the majority of World War I. The War Guilt Clause stated that Germany should
accept blame for starting the war. Along with this huge repatriation sums were charged, in excess
of GBP6.6 million for damages caused during the war. The disarmament of Germany’s military
was required, leaving them with a miniscule army and only six naval ships. Furthermore they
were allowed no tanks, air force or submarines. Territories that Germany had taken control of in
World War I were returned to the native countries. All of these factors began to cause a deep
resentment throughout Germany and towards their government. The affect of the Great
Depression in the decade preceding World War II, left Germany with a valueless currency, huge
unemployment and a sense of hopelessness. Hitler took advantage of this and preached the return
of the Third Reich to its former glory. This hope attracted many followers and allowed Hitler to
carry out his plans to create a German Empire.

1-TREATY OF VERSAILLES: The seeds of 2nd world war were sown in the Treaty of
Versailles. Following World War I, the victorious Allied Powers met to decide Germany’s future.
Germany would be forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had to accept guilt for the war
and to pay reparations. Germany lost territory and was prohibited from having a large military.
Germany lost territory and was prohibited from having a large military. The humiliation faced by
Germany under this treaty, paved the way for the spread of Ultra-Nationalism in Germany.

Rise of Fascism and Nazism: Victors’ stated aims in World War I had been “to make the world
safe for democracy,” and postwar Germany was made to adopt a democratic constitution, as did
most of the other states restored or created after the war. In the 1920s, however, the wave of
nationalistic, militaristic totalitarianism known by its Italian name, fascism. It promised to
minister to peoples’ wants more effectively than democracy and presented itself as the one sure
defense against communism. Benito Mussolini established the first Fascist, European
dictatorship during the interwar period in Italy in 1922.

Adolf Hitler, the Leader of the German National Socialist (Nazi) party, preached a racist brand
of fascism. Hitler promised to overturn the Versailles Treaty, restore German wealth & glory
and secure additional Lebensraum (“living space”) for the German people, who he contended
deserve more as members of a superior race. In 1933 Hitler became the German Chancellor,
and in a series of subsequent moves established himself as dictator. Moreover, in 1941 the Nazi
regime unleashed a war of extermination against Slavs, Jews, and other elements deemed
inferior by Hitler’s ideology.

2- FAILURE OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM

3-FAILURE OF DISARMAMENT

4- WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS: The whole world was hit by an economic depression in the late
1920s. In a depression, economies shrink, trade is reduced, businesses close, prices fall, banks fail, and
unemployment rises. Sometimes during a depression, people look for a strong political leader to resolve
their problems. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany by promising to restore German
wealth and power.

5-ROME-BERLIN-TOKYO AXIS Hitler immediately began secretly building up Germany’s army

and weapons. Although Britain and France knew of Hitler’s actions, they thought a stronger Germany
would stop the spread of Communism from Russia. In 1936 Hitler ordered German troops to enter the
German-speaking areas of the Rhineland (France), Austria, and Czechoslovakia. At this point neither
France nor Britain was prepared to go to war. In 1936, Hitler made alliances with Italy and Japan. The
military alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan was called the Axis Powers.

By the early 1930s, a highly-militaristic and aggressive national ideology prevailed

in Germany, Japan, and Italy.[18] That attitude fueled advancements in military technology,
subversive propaganda, and ultimately territorial expansion as well. It has been observed that
the leaders of countries that have been suddenly militarized often feel a need to prove that their
armies are formidable,

-EXPANSIONISM: Both Germany and Italy invented the concept of “have” and “have-nots” by
stating that those who are economically prosperous wanted status quo and labelled as “Haves”
while axis states are “Have-nots.” For that reason of economics, strategy, and prestige they
demanded additional territory, for instance, Germany’s absorption of Austria, the Sudeten areas,
Czechia, Slovakia, and Memelland, and Italy’s occupation of Albania. In Italy, Benito
Mussolini sought to create a New Roman Empire, based around the Mediterranean. It
invaded Ethiopia as early as 1935, Albania in early 1938, and later Greece. That provoked angry
words and an oil embargo from the League of Nations, which failed.
Failure of Disarmament: The task of preparing a plan for reduction of armaments was entrusted
to the League of Nation. No success could be achieved in this area. The temporary Mixed
Commission appointed by the League in 1920 could not do any substantial work. In 1925
Preparatory Commission was constituted. It could not do any substantial work. Finally, a
Disarmament Conference met in Geneva in February 1932 but could not reach any agreement. In
1935, Germany declared that she was no more bound by the military clauses of the Treaty of
Versailles.
The Problem of National Minorities: The US President Wilson had advocated the concept of
self-determination but his principle could not be implemented on various occasions. For instance,
large German minorities were in company with non-Germans in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
There were Russian minorities in Poland and Rumania. This gave rise to feeling of insecurity
among the minorities.
-FAILURE OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS: The League of Nations was an international organization
set up in 1919 to keep world peace. It was intended that all countries would be members and that if there
were disputes between countries; they could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. The League of
Nations was a good idea, but ultimately a failure. Not all countries joined the league of nation, the major
proponent of this system, i.e. USA wasn’t its member and the League had no army to prevent military
aggression such as Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in Africa or Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in China.

8-APPEASEMENT BY BRITAIN AND FRANCE and -GERMAN ATTACK ON POLAND:

Appeasement meant agreeing to the demands of another nation in order to avoid conflict. During the
1930s, politicians in Britain and France began to believe that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to
Germany and that Hitler’s actions were understandable and justifiable. Also Britain felt that economic
recovery of Germany will be in its interest as apart from all their tension regarding naval supremacy and
disarmament etc, Germany was the major customer of British goods and thus enjoys a great trade relation
with it. This belief, adopted by Britain, was the Policy of Appeasement. An example of appeasement was
the Munich Agreement of September 1938. In the Agreement, Britain and France allowed Germany to
annex areas in Czechoslovakia where German-speakers lived. Germany agreed not to invade the rest of
Czechoslovakia or any other country. In March 1939, Germany broke its promise and invaded the rest of
Czechoslovakia. Neither Britain nor France was prepared to take military action. Then, on September 1,
1939, German troops invaded Poland. Britain and France immediately declared war on Germany. World
War II had begun in Europe

CONSEQUENCES:

The major consequences of World War II are:

Start of Decolonisation and emergence of new states: Firstly, the decades following the end
of the Second World War involved the gradual fall of the traditional great empires and the rise
and spread of nation states that replaced the colonial territories throughout the world (Brower,
1989, pg 1). Unlike the First World War which was mainly fought in Western Europe, the
Second World War was a truly global conflict. Because of this the entire world was altered and
consequences were felt in all countries across the world. The improved communications
developed during the war and the replacement of empires with nation states led to the world
becoming much more interconnected and “globalised”. It became difficult to avoid the eyes of
the world or to act independently – the Information Technology revolution had begun.

The second consequence was that the events of World War II led directly to the Cold War
developing over the next five years. During World War II the leaders of Liberal Democracy, the
US, joined forces with the Communist Soviet Union, to break down the Fascist Regime. When
this was completed in line with the end of World War II, it left these two differentiated societies
virtually competing against each other for world power. The development of nuclear weapons
during World War II also heightened the tensions leading up to and felt during the Cold War.
The fear of nuclear war and/or terrorism persists today (Siracusa, J 2010, Lecture 6).

BIRTH OF UN: One of the momentous results of the war was the birth of the United
Nations Organization. Although the League failed to deliver, mankind did not altogether
lose its hopes of making the world a safer and happier place to live in. The UN Charter
enshrines the hopes and ideals of mankind on the basis of which countries can work
together to maintain lasting peace. However, the establishment of the UN was agreed,
much before the end of World War II under the Atlantic Charter.
Start of Cold War: After the end of the war, a conference was held in Potsdam, Germany,
to set up peace treaties. The countries that fought with Hitler lost territory and had to pay
reparations to the Allies. Germany and its capital Berlin were divided into four parts. The
zones were to be controlled by Great Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union.
The three western Allies and the Soviet Union disagreed on many things and as time went on
Germany was divided into two separate countries: East Germany, which had a Communist
government and West Germany, which was a democratic state. The events of World War II
led directly to the Cold War developing over the next five years. During World War II the
leaders of Liberal Democracy, the US, joined forces with the Communist Soviet Union, to break
down the Fascist Regime. When this was completed in line with the end of World War II, it left
these two differentiated societies virtually competing against each other for world power. The
development of nuclear weapons during World War II also heightened the tensions leading up to
and felt during the Cold War. The fear of nuclear war and/or terrorism persists today (Siracusa, J
2010, Lecture 6).

New Economic World Order: Bretton Woods Conference, formally United Nations
Monetary and Financial Conference, meeting at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (July 1–22,
1944), during World War II to make financial arrangements for the postwar world after the
expected defeat of Germany and Japan. It drew up a project for the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD-now known as World Bank) to make long-term
capital available to states urgently needing such foreign aid, and a project for the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance short-term imbalances in international
payments in order to stabilize exchange rates. Also, the US dollar was established as a
reserve currency for the world trade.
 the most horrific and probably the most consistently remembered outcome of World War II was
the monolithic death toll. Although statistics vary, it is thought that approximately fifty six
million people, including both military personnel and civilians, were killed during World War II
(Hitler.org website, 1999). Included within this number are the deaths that resulted from Hitler’s
Holocaust. The systematic method of killing associated with the Holocaust is one feature which
differentiates it from other mass killings throughout history. Detailed lists of current and future
potential victims were meticulously kept and considerable effort was put into finding more
effective means of increasing the killings (World War II website, 2010). As a result, over six
million Jews were killed along with an estimated 11.5 million Slavic civilians, Prisoners Of War,
political dissidents, handicapped, homosexuals & Jehovah’s Witness in extermination camps
(World War II website, 2010). Consequently, upon liberation, many of these people were left
without any family and nowhere to go. There was a mass migration of Jews leading to the
creation of Israel, which has had a profound effect on world politics and today is one potentially
one of the most likely causes of future conflict. Children, particularly the very young, suffered
loss of identity with no parents to claim them and no family connections. Many were sent to
England to live with foster/adoptive families (Williams, Sandra, 1993). The loss of a large
proportion of the world’s young people, particularly men changed the way society operated with
women more likely to perform tasks previously taken on by men. The horror of this war is still
vivid in the minds of its victims and their families today, and appears to have been, in Western
societies at least, a lesson of history which has been remembered and not repeated.