The Second World War 1939-45

Causes of the Second World War

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Historians disagree about the causes of World War Two (WW2). Some trace it back to the anger created in Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. Some blame Neville Chamberlain and the appeasers for being too weak. Some ascribe it to Hitler's aggression.

The war broke out when Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Britain declared war two days later, on 3 September.

The Treaty of Versailles

In January 1919, 32 countries met in the Palace of Versailles to decide the terms of the final peace treaties. This became known as the Paris Peace Conference.

The discussions were led by the 'Big Three': David Lloyd George of Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of America.

What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?

Germany were furious at the terms of the Treaty and wanted it destroyed:

Blame

Article 231 – Germany had to accept blame for the First World War.

Armaments

100 000 men in the army
6 battleships
0 submarines
0 tanks
0 air force
Rhineland de-militarised

Reparations

£6.6 billion in reparations to be paid to the Allies.

Territory

Alsace and Lorraine to France
Anschluss was forbidden
Germany was split in two by the Polish Corridor

Hitler's Foreign Policy

Hitler's aims:

Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. His foreign policy aims were:

Lebensraum (living space for the German people)

Overturn Versailles

Unite German speaking people in a Greater Germany

Destroy Communism

Rearmament

Why was Hitler to blame for the Second World War?

Hitler wrote in his book Mein Kampf that he would use violence to make Germany strong again
His foreign policy aims such as Lebensraum and uniting German speaking people meant that he had to invade other countries
He rearmed Germany and therefore broke the Treaty of Versailles which was international law!
He invaded Poland, refused to withdraw his troops, which prompted Britain and France to declare war on him

Appeasement

Appeasement: The policy of giving someone what they want in the attempt to avoid war.

Why did Britain and France appease Germany?

Britain and France did not want to start another war, so they let Hitler get away with breaking the Treaty of Versailles, even though it was international law. They did this because:

They needed time to rearm (their armies were not big enough to fight and win a war)
Many people thought that Hitler was reasonable because the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
Many people remembered the horrors of the First World War and didn't want another war
Countries could not afford to go to war during the Depression

How did Appeasement lead to World War Two?

Neville Chamberlain had missed opportunities to stop Hitler due to appeasement
He failed to act when Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland (at this stage the Nazis were not ready for war) - If Chamberlain had acted then, Hitler would have been forced to stop!
Chamberlain gave the Sudetenland to Hitler without consulting the Czechs, then allowed Hitler to invade a country he had no claim to, which enabled him to strengthen his army
By appeasing Germany, Hitler became confident that Britain would continue to follow this policy and therefore ignored their threats over Poland.

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