Factors that had the Greatest Influence in Starting WWII
The tensions that started World War Two arose from the legacies brought by the end of World War One. Among others were the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty brought the creation of the League of Nations, an organization that was established to keep peace worldwide. The League’s failures played an important role in starting World War Two . These factors stirred tensions in Europe around the 1920s and the 1930s. The Treaty of Versailles had a greater influence than the League of Nations in causing World War Two. The Treaty gave the Germans more motivation to begin the war. An examination of the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles will establish that the latter choice was indeed the factor that had greater influence in beginning the Second World War due to the fact that the Germans wanted their former territories, the League of Nations did not encourage the Germans to start the war, and the Treaty of Versailles humiliated the Germans and the Russians.
The Treaty of Versailles gave the Germans a sense of hopelessness. When the Treaty was signed on June 28th 1919, Germany lost a large portion of their colonies and provinces to Allied countries such as France, Poland and Britain . Millions of German citizens were removed from their country . Article fifty one in the Treaty stated “territories that were ceded to Germany […] are restored to French sovereignty as from the date of the armistice” (refer to appendix 1). This caused despair and hatred within Germany. It gave the German government the need to reconcile with their citizens so it provoked them to attack the Allied countries. Therefore, in the 1930s, Germany started capturing land by taking Austria and the land of other countries, which was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles . The League of Nations’ job was to stop Germany from taking those provinces (refer to appendix 2); however they were unable to do so because the League’s strongest members, England and France, would not penalize
The Treaty of Versailles gave the Germans a sense of hopelessness. When the Treaty was signed on June 28th 1919, Germany lost a large portion of their colonies and provinces to Allied countries such as France, Poland and Britain . Millions of German citizens were removed from their country . Article fifty one in the Treaty stated “territories that were ceded to Germany […] are restored to French sovereignty as from the date of the armistice” (refer to appendix 1). This caused despair and hatred within Germany. It gave the German government the need to reconcile with their citizens so it provoked them to attack the Allied countries. Therefore, in the 1930s, Germany started capturing land by taking Austria and the land of other countries, which was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles . The League of Nations’ job was to stop Germany from taking those provinces (refer to appendix 2); however they were unable to do so because the League’s strongest members, England and France, would not penalize