WW2

Causes 

1) Failure of League of Nations

• important nations not included, no real power given lack of membership by powerful countries such as USA and Russia

• blank threats - ineffective in preventing aggression. eg Japan invasion of manchuria in 1931

• Hitler kept pushing bit by bit and realised that he did not face Allied aggression, so he could keep extending his territory, bold to walk out of league, rearm Germany and invade Poland later on

• lack of enforcement mechanism - no military power

2) Policy of appeasement

• encouraged aggression because France and Britain gave in too much to Germany's demands (eg Munich Agreement allowing Hitler to take over Sudetenland from czecho)

• See kindness as weakness

• = "No one can stop me from capturing the European countries

3) Personality clashes

• 3 main characters - Stalin, Chamberlain, Hitler

• Chamberlain was more willing to compromise (policy of appeasement) as he thought this avoids conflict (he's conciliatory)

• vs power-hungry Hitler = can keep aggressing, expansionist ambitions clashed with Chamberlain's diplomatic approach, exploiting his compromise to expand his own territory

• Stalin and Hitler having diff viewpoints about lebenstraum (fascist is the opposite of communist) also they fought for each other's land

4) Unfair Treaty of Versailles

• Imposed unfair stuff on germany, causing economic difficulties, territorial losses, disarmament eg disallowing conscription. Loss of national pride

• All this unfair treatment fueled revanchist sentiments in Germany as they wanted to overturn the treaty's terms and prove that Germany was actually a colonial power

• Conflicts arose

• Made British and French more sympathetic towards Germany = don't stop Hitler when he expands

5) Nazi-soviet pact

• Divided eastern europe

• Germany would attack poland and eventually split between Germans and Soviets

• Ensured that Germans don't face two front attack

• Gave him confidence to attack Poland and other European countries without worrying about USSR

• Escalate tensions

biggest trigger is Treaty of Versailles because its fundamental thing that made Hitler mad and made him want to get more teritories