Download The Causes of the Second World War

The Causes of World War II
Global History and Geography II
Name: ______________________________
E. Napp
Date: ______________________________
“Germany could not afford to pay the
money and during the 1920s the people
in Germany were very poor. There
were not many jobs and the price of
food and basic goods was high. People
were dissatisfied with the government
and voted to power a man who
promised to rip up the Treaty of
Versailles. His name was Adolf Hitler.”
6: What difficulties did Germans face
in the 1920s?
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7: Why did many Germans vote for
Adolf Hitler?
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Adapted from historyonthenet.com
“World War Two began in September
1939 when Britain and France declared war
on Germany following Germany’s invasion
of Poland. Although the outbreak of war
was triggered by Germany's invasion of
Poland, the causes of the war are more
complex.”
Questions:
1: When did the Second World War begin?
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2: What event triggered the war?
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3: Review Question: What event triggered
World War I?
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4: Of course, the event that triggers a war is
never the only cause of the conflict. Review
Question: What were the causes of the First
World War?
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The Failure of the Treaty of Versailles: A
Cause of the Second World War
A War Guilt Clause - Germany had to
accept the blame for starting WWI
Reparations - Germany had to pay £6,600
million for the damage caused by the war
Disarmament - Germany was only allowed
to have a small army and six naval ships. No
tanks, no air force and no submarines were
allowed. The Rhineland area was to be demilitarized.
Territorial Clauses - Land was taken away
from Germany and given to other countries.
Anschluss (union with Austria) was
forbidden.
5: Why were Germans unhappy with the
Treaty of Versailles?
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Word Bank: Poland, Adolf Hitler, Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations, Reparations,
Great Depression, Anschluss, Rhineland, Benito Mussolini, Japan, Neville Chamberlain,
Appeasement, Sudetenland, Joseph Stalin, Severe Climate, Neville Chamberlain
Adolf Hitler’s Rise to Power
Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he
began secretly building up Germany’s army and weapons. In 1934, he increased the size of
the army, began building warships and created a German air force. Compulsory military
service was also introduced
Although Britain and France were aware of Hitler’s actions, they were also concerned
about the rise of Communism and believed that a stronger Germany might help to prevent
the spread of Communism to the West.
1: Why did the British and the French not stop Hitler as he violated the Treaty of
Versailles and rebuilt the German army?
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In 1936, Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland. At this point the German
army was not very strong and could have been easily defeated. Yet neither France nor
Britain was prepared to start another war.
2: Why did the British and the French not stop Hitler from entering the Rhineland?
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Hitler also made two important alliances during 1936. The first was called the RomeBerlin Axis Pact and allied Hitler’s Germany with Mussolini’s Italy. The second was called
the Anti-Comitern Pact and allied Germany with Japan.
3: With which nations did Hitler form alliances?
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Hitler’s next step was to begin taking back the land that had been taken away from
Germany. In March 1938, German troops marched into Austria. The Austrian leader was
forced to hold a vote asking the people whether they wanted to be part of Germany. The
results of the vote were fixed and showed that 99% of Austrian people wanted Anschluss
(union with Germany). The Austrian leader asked Britain, France and Italy for aid. Hitler
promised that Anschluss was the end of his expansionist aims and not wanting to risk war,
the other countries did nothing.
4: What was the Anschluss?
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Hitler did not keep his word and six months later demanded that the Sudetenland region
of Czechoslovakia be handed over to Germany. Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of
Britain, met with Hitler three times during September 1938 to try to reach an agreement
that would prevent war. The Munich Agreement stated that Hitler could have the
Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia provided that he promised not to invade the rest of
Czechoslovakia. Hitler was not a man of his word and in March 1939 invaded the rest of
Czechoslovakia. Despite calls for help from the Czechoslovak government, neither Britain
nor France was prepared to take military action against Hitler. However, some action was
now necessary and believing that Poland would be Hitler’s next target, both Britain and
France promised that they would take military action against Hitler if he invaded Poland.
Chamberlain believed that, faced with the prospect of war against Britain and France,
Hitler would stop his aggression. Chamberlain was wrong. German troops invaded Poland
on 1st September 1939.
5: What were the terms of the Munich Agreement?
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6: What did both Britain and France promise they would do if Hitler invaded Poland?
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7: Why was Chamberlain wrong?
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The Failure of Appeasement
Appeasement means giving in to someone provided their demands are seen as reasonable.
During the 1930s, many politicians in both Britain and France came to see that the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles had placed restrictions on Germany that were unfair. Hitler's
actions were seen as understandable and justifiable.
1- Why did a policy of appeasement not bring a lasting peace?
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The League of Nations was an international
organization set up in 1919 to help keep world peace.
It was intended that all countries would be members
of the League and that if there were disputes between
countries they could be settled by negotiation rather
than by force. If this failed then countries would stop
trading with the aggressive country and if that failed
then countries would use their armies to fight. In
theory, the League of Nations was a good idea but
ultimately it was a failure. When countries called for
the League to intervene, the League had to set up an
emergency meeting, hold discussions and gain the
agreement of all members. This process meant that
the League could not act quickly to stop an act of
aggression.
1. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the rise of
totalitarian governments in Germany, Italy,
and Spain was largely the result of
(1) the success of the Communists in
establishing a command economy in the
Soviet Union
(2) severe economic and social problems
that arose in Europe after World War I
(3) the active support of the United States
(4) movements demanding the return of the
old monarchies
2. The harsh conditions imposed by the
Treaty of Versailles after World War I
helped lay the foundation for the
(1) rise of fascism Germany
(2) uprisings during the French
Revolution
(3) division of Korea along the 38th
parallel
(4) Bolshevik Revolution in Russia
3. Between the Meiji Restoration and
World War II, Japan tried to solve the
problem of its scarcity of natural resources
by
(1) exporting agricultural products in
exchange for new technology
(2) establishing a policy of imperialism
(3) building nuclear power plants
(4) cooperating with the Soviet Union to
gain needed resources
4. Which idea was included in the Treaty of
Versailles to show the intent of the Allies to
punish the Central Powers for their role in
World War II?
(1) all nations shall maintain open
covenants of peace
(2) freedom of the seas will be maintained
(3) Germany will accept full responsibility
for causing the war
(4) territorial settlements shall be made
along clearly recognizable lines of
nationality
5. Fascism in Europe during the 1920’s and
1930’s is best described as a
(1) demonstration of laissez-faire capitalism
that promoted free enterprise
(2) form of totalitarianism that glorified the
state above the individual
(3) type of economic system that stressed a
classless society
(4) set of humanist ideas that emphasized
the dignity and worth of the individual
6. Censorship, mass arrests, and a secret
police force are most characteristic of
(1) parliamentary democracies
(2) republics
(3) totalitarian regimes
(4) constitutional monarchies
7. Which policy shows that appeasement
does not always prevent war?
(1) British policy toward Germany in
Munich during the 1930’s
(2) French policy in Indochina in the 1950’s
(3) United States policy toward Cuba in the
early 1960’s
(4) Iraqi policy toward Iran in the 1980’s
8. What was one reason the Nazi programs
and policies of the early 1930’s appealed to
many people in Germany?
(1) the people were frustrated with their
current economic and political situation
(2) Germany had been denied membership
in the United Nations
(3) a coup d’etat had forced communism on
the German people
(4) the German people feared that the
French of the British would soon gain
control of the Polish corridor