Download ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR II The First World War

From 1914-1918, almost all of Europe was
deeply involved in of the most bloody conflicts
ever to have broken out in history. After four
years of fighting and after the deaths of more
than 15 million people, the Allies finally won
against the Central Powers in what later went on
to be known as the Great War.
THE ALLIES
great britain
new zealand
australia
america
france
russian empire
THE CENTRAL POWERS
austria-hungary
ottoman empire
german empire
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on January
1919 by the victors of the war to be imposed
onto the Central Powers. Agreed upon by
representatives from each allied nation, the
purpose of this treaty was to make Germany
pay for supposedly starting the war. Because
both the representatives for France and Britain
wanted a harsh treaty, the treaty ended up
being a crippling blow to Germany’s economy,
land and military strength.
In addition to the signing of treaties that were
designed to keep peace in Europe, the League
of Nations was also established. This was the
international body of representatives thought
up by US President Woodrow Wilson which
became a collective security council aiming
towards solving international disputes without
the need for fighting. Although it seemed like a
good idea, the League in reality had many
weaknesses. One being that three great
powers, America, Russia and Germany were
not members.
After the war, between the years 1924-1929,
many thought Europe to be on the mend. With
a number of new pacts and treaties being
signed that saw many countries renounce war,
the were also treaties that even gave Germany
more time to repay a lowered debt. In addition
to this, Germany also joined the League in
1926.
The optimism brought on by the steps towards
world peace in the 1920’s were quickly
smashed when in October 1929, the American
stock market collapsed, triggering a series of
economic disasters throughout the world.
Because of this single event, countless people
lost their jobs, businesses closed and banks
collapsed sending the world into complete
chaos.
Germany was one of the countries affected by
the depression. A country already in economic
turmoil, Germany’s people began to look for
someone for strong leadership in this time of
uncertainty. Adolf Hitler from the National
Socialist Party filled this role. He offered
solutions, explanations and promises of
prosperity to the German people which in turn
gained him mass support from the people. By
1933, Hitler had amassed enough support to
be appointed Chancellor of Germany.
In 1935, the peace Europe had known for only
a short amount of time began to be tested
when Italy and its dictator, Mussolini moved to
take Abyssinia. Also during 1935 and in 1936,
Germany had already began re-arming and
reuniting with a rich coal mining area named
the Saar. This went in direct violation of the
terms ruled by the Treaty of Versailles, but the
League of Nations failed to enforce both the
treaty and the Italian occupation of Abyssinia.
In between the years 1936-1939, Germany
continued to defy the Treaty by reoccupying the
Rhineland, uniting with Austria, as well as
occupying parts of Poland and Czechoslovakia,
areas which had been stripped from their
possession after the treaty. Additionally,
Germany forged an alliance with Mussolini’s
fascist Italy and Japan to keep communist
Russia in check.
Following the fall of Poland and
Czechoslovakia, Germany went on to capture
Norway, Denmark and France by May 1940. In
June of the same year Hitler launched
Operation Barbarossa, which saw Germany
launch a surprise attack on Russia and the
Soviet Union. By this time, France and Britain
had already declared war on the Rome-TokyoBerlin axis and on the 8th of December, 1941,
the United States did the same after the
bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese.
THE ALLIES
england
AMERICA
Soviet russia
vs.
The axis
Nazi germany
Italy
Japan
Winston
Churchill
Franklin
Roosevelt
Joseph Stalin
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
By: Aljohn, Nik, Kyle and Adam