What Are The Causes Of Ww2

World War 2 was one of the greatest milestones in 20th-century history, involving more than 70 countries around the world. The war began in Europe on September 3rd, 1939, when the British and French prime ministers, Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier declared war on Germany. The main Allied powers were Great Britain, The United States, and the Soviet Union, who had the goal of defeating the Axis powers, whose leaders were Germany, Japan, and Italy. The war was initiated by Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939, and the war continued for years until the Allies defeated both Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945. The war was in many regards a continuation of the unresolved disputes from World War 1. The war lasted for six years and resulted
in an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths, making it the bloodiest conflict and largest war in history. The main causes of World War 2 were the Treaty of Versailles, the reparation payments from World War 1 and Hitler's rise to power.

The aim of the Treaty of Versailles was simply to make Germany as weak as possible. The treaty deprived Germany of over 65,000 square kilometers of land, which included over 7 million people, as well as forced Germany to cease control over their African territory; making them mandates of the League of Nations. Places such as Alsace-Lorraine (which was given to France), West Prussia (Poland), and the Saar Basin and coalfields (France) were areas that were critical to the German economy. More than 16% of Germany's coalfields as well as over half of its iron and steel industry were lost. With the loss of many vital ports in Germany and the international control over German rivers, importation of goods was nearly impossible due to lack of transportation and funds, therefore causing much of the German population to starve. Large areas of German land were used to create a new nation known as Czechoslovakia, and public outrage resulted among the Germans who were completely stripped of their national identity. The territorial loss allowed for further hatred towards Western Europe within the German population, which also allowed for future attempts at retaking the lost territory.

The German economy would also become overwhelmed with reparation payments surpassing 132 billion gold Marks (around the US $31.4 billion in 1921, US $442 billion in 2015) to be paid in gold, ships, securities, commodities or other forms. Outrage surfaced among the German population that would convert into resentment towards the Western Europeans that made the treaty as well as the German government that accepted it. Hyperinflation arose in 1923, which caused famine, unemployment, and poverty. The German government was forced to print an immense deal of new money, which caused higher prices and much lower dollar value. The average person's life savings could no longer buy even a postage stamp, and a loaf of bread cost 200 billion Marks. The economy suffered even greater during the Depression in the 1930s, which saw German unemployment rate reach ten percent. This percent was greatly due to the loss of coal, iron, transportation, and mainly the significant industrial losses received from the Treaty. The economic struggle that the German people underwent allowed them to feel rage and a need to strive towards dominance once again.

The effect on the German military was also substantial. There were many restrictions implemented on the army, of which was to be reduced to only 100,000 men (contrasting to the 5,000,000+ involved in World War One). The Rhineland (an area in Western Germany) was also to be occupied by the French and demilitarized by German forces, and several military structures were to be abolished. Germany was also banned from having an air force, and the navy was limited to thirty-six ships, including only six battleships. As a result, the German people were left feeling hatred towards those who imposed the Treaty and the penalties they had to suffer. Countless citizens were stripped of their national identity due to territorial loss, and they wanted revenge. "This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years" recognized Marshal Ferdinand Foch, a French General involved in the First World War. The German people had a longing desire to return their country to a national power, which eventually led them to endorse and seek the help of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Government. The Treaty of Versailles allowed the German population to gain hatred towards Western Europe, which was taken advantage of by Hitler.

Adolf Hitler took advantage of the state of the German public and rose to power.
Following the Treaty, Germany was in a state of depression, humiliation, and a lack of confidence towards the weakened Weimar Republic. Adolf Hitler spent considerable amount of his early life in homeless shelters and hostels, where he was exposed to an extensive deal of influence from anti-Semitic works and nationalist viewpoints. He looked up to people such as Georg Ritter von Schönerer, a German nationalist and anti-Semite said to have influenced Hitler the utmost. He joined the German Army and became a decorated veteran of World War One, fighting in many notable battles such as Ypres, Arras, Passchendaele and the Somme. He was injured from a gas attack at the Somme towards the end of the war and was forced to stay out of the battle for the remainder of the war. He was overcome with devastation by the German loss and believed in the stab-in-the-back myth, which concluded that it was the civilians (especially Jews) fault and Germany were betrayed on the home front. In Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, he states: "There followed terrible days and even worse nights – I knew that all was lost...in these night’s hatred grew in me, hatred for those responsible for this deed." Hitler's background of nationalism and anti-Semitism provided the grounds for pursuing dictation of Germany and joining the Nazi
Party.

Hitler was a highly effective public speaker and in 1921 was appointed as the Führer of the Nazi Party.
The Nazi Party's beliefs branch from a fascist viewpoint and include racism as well as an anti-Semitic view for a society that allows a pure, single Aryan race. Before the economic depression, the Nazi party received very limited support, winning only three percent of public votes in 1924. Hitler took advantage of the stock market crash in 1929 to increase political strength. He stated that he would seek vengeance for the punishments imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, improve the economy, and create jobs. By 1930, the Nazi party received 18.3 percent of votes and 33 percent in 1932. Hitler lost his campaign to become president of Germany to Paul von Hindenburg but was insisted to be appointed chancellor in 1933. Due to the Enabling Act of 1933, Hitler had the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag. This law rejected any political opposition to Hitler's plans as he could effortlessly ban opposing parties and seize their assets. Hindenburg died on August 4th, 1934, and Hitler became the sole dictator of Germany. Hitler was then able to effectively restore the German economy and end mass unemployment, all of which significantly increased the popularity of the Nazi's. All around Germany, applications to join the Nazi's flooded in, and those who were turned away would enlist with the SA or the SS. Germany was now frequently having Nazi rallies, marches,
meetings and parades. The propaganda of Joseph Goebbels was present all throughout Germany, which demonized Jews and endorsed warfare. The Nazi party allowed Hitler to acquire governmental power and become the most powerful man in Germany, defeating German democracy. It allowed him to share opinions and force his beliefs, especially the hatred of the Jews, onto his supporters, turning Germany into a National Socialist nightmare.

Shortly after taking over Germany, Hitler began imposing restraints on the Jewish population. Boycotts were ordered against Jewish-owned shops; Jews were deprived of the ability to attend university, and they were no longer allowed to hold any type of position in the civil service. The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in 1935, which defined Jewish people as anybody with at least one Jewish grandparent (affecting around 2.5 million people) and denying their rights as citizens. When the first concentration camps began appearing, they were originally used for challengers of the Nazi party, but were then transformed to condemn thousands of innocent Jewish people. While the Holocaust was occurring, Hitler was also aspiring to overthrowing the Christian church as well as revising the German education system. The new German curriculum consisted vastly of racial profiling and fitness. Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, was mandatory, thus his anti-Semitic views were shared with the German youth. The German youth were also given high grade military training to prepare them for the upcoming war. Hitler defies the Treaty of Versailles by expanding the German military and navy and used his mesmerizing public speeches to persuade Germans to enlist and prepare to fight for their homeland. Adolf Hitler used the Jews as inducement to further increase the national sense of vengeance, which already included an intense hatred towards Western Europeans. His ability to manipulate the population gave him the support he needed to take over the land that was lost after World War One and he began to defy the Treaty of Versailles even further. Hitler's rise to power allowed for the German population to become supportive of his decisions, including the defiance of the Treaty, which primarily caused World War Two. Hitler began to defy the Treaty of Versailles in many ways, and the League of Nations and Allies failed to stop him.