Causes of World War II

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World War II is one of the most complicated conflicts in history and it is therefore difficult to explain why it started. With that, there are a few basic causes of the war which most experts can agree on. Many people see World War II as a continuation of World War I, so many of the Causes of World War I relate to World War II.

1 Underlying Causes of World War II
2 Causes of World War II in Europe continued
3 Causes of World War II in Asia
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

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Underlying Causes of World War II

Nationalism: Nationalism was the main reason for German, Italian and Japanese aggression. Fascism in these countries was built mostly upon nationalism and the search for a "nation state." Hitler and his Nazi party used nationalism to get what they wanted in Germany, already a nation where patriotism was widespread. In Italy, the idea of rebuilding the Roman Empire was attractive to many Italians. In Japan, nationalism, in the sense of duty and honor, especially to the emperor, had been common for centuries.
Militarism: The leaders of Germany, Japan and Soviet Union strongly favored using military forces and aggression to control the population. Germany and Japan were countries where this type of leadership had always taken place.
Territorial Issues: All the nations that started World War II were left wanting territory that they didn't get after World War I.
- Germany lost territory after the first war, including Poland. Land was also lost to Lithuania, France, and Czechoslovakia. The result was bitterness among Germans for the loss, and also difficult relations with those in these opposing countries.
- Italy, a part of the Allies in World War I, had been promised large chunks of Austrian territory. Italy received large portions of Austrian territory, however promises made about Albania and Asia Minor were ignored by the more powerful nations.
- Hungary, an ally of Germany had enormous territories taken away after the partition of Austria-Hungary and hoped to regain those lands by allying with Germany.
- Japan was forced to give up all but the few islands it had gained in the first World War. All of these nations were left stinging by the loss (or little gain) they received from the war. This attitude led many members of these nations to support those individuals and political parties who wished to gain territory.

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Causes of World War II in Europe continued

The causes of the war in Europe are closely linked to the causes of the rise of fascism. The most important causes are:

Treaty of Versailles: The Treaty can be said to be the single most important, indirect cause of the war. It placed the blame of World War I upon Germany and its allies. Secondly, Germany had to pay back massive amounts of money after the war, causing an economic depression in the country. Because they were suffering, the people supported authoritarian parties like the Nazis. In Germany, the Treaty forced the country to limit its armed forces to 100,000 and forbade it from having an airforce.
World War I: The so-called "War to End All Wars" did not solve any of the problems which had caused it; indeed, some of the problems became worse.
Appeasement: A major part of the blame for the war lies with British and French politicians who followed a policy of caving to Hitler's influence and demands. Fueled by a desire to avoid another war, these actions encouraged Hitler's escalating arrogance.
The Great Depression: The Great Depression hit Germany badly, second only to the United States. Severe unemployment prompted the Nazi party, which had been losing favor, to experience a surge in membership, contributed to the rise of Hitler in Germany.
Anti-semitism: Although historians disagree that anti-Semitism was a cause of the war, it is undoubtable that Hitler's anti-Semetic and pro-Aryan policies and programs were a driving force in his rise to power.
The "Italian reason": Italy entered the war because Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, hoped to gain French territory (he ultimately obtained barely a few hundred yards) in his plan to create a New Roman Empire around the Mediterranean. This plan was his primary reason for invading Albania in early 1939, before the official start of the war, and later invading Greece (where Italy barely avoided defeat -- saved only by Hitler's troops).

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Causes of World War II in Asia

Raw materials: Other than a few coal and iron deposits, Japan lacks true natural resources. Japan, the only Asian country with a burgeoning industrial economy at that time, feared that a lack of raw materials might lead to an inability to grow. In the hopes of expanding its resources, Japan invaded Manchuria, with plans to conquer much more land through the Asian mainland and the entire western Pacific.
Japanese-American Tensions: For a variety of reasons, Japan and the United States relations were very suspicious. Japan hated American power in the region and the US did not trust Japanese intentions. The two were often in competition for resources in the region. Any time one of the sides gained power or resources, the other country felt the need to gain something as well.

Japan felt threatened by the US and wanted sole power in the Pacific region. At the same time some Americans began to develop racist feelings towards Japanese and other Asian Americans. Several laws were also passed in America which were more or less prejudiced against the Japanese and other Asians.

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References

Carley, Michael Jabara 1939 : the Alliance that never was and the coming of World War II, Chicago : I.R. Dee, 1999 ISBN 1566632528.
Dallek, Robert. Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945 (1995).
Dutton, David Neville Chamberlain, London : Arnold ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001 ISBN 0340706279.
Feis, Herbert. The Road to Pearl Harbor: The coming of the war between the United States and Japan. classic history by senior American official.
Goldstein, Erik & Lukes, Igor (editors) The Munich crisis, 1938: Prelude to World War II, London ; Portland, OR : Frank Cass, 1999 ISBN 0714680567.
Hildebrand, Klaus The Foreign Policy of the Third Reich, translated by Anthony Fothergill, London, Batsford 1973.
Hillgruber, Andreas Germany and the Two World Wars, translated by William C. Kirby, Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1981 ISBN 0674353218.
Strang, G. Bruce On The Fiery March : Mussolini Prepares For War, Westport, Conn. : Praeger Publishers, 2003 ISBN 0275979377.
Thorne, Christopher G. The Issue of War: States, Societies, and the Coming of the Far Eastern Conflict of 1941-1945 (1985) sophisticated analysis of each major power.
Tohmatsu, Haruo and H. P. Willmott. A Gathering Darkness: The Coming of War to the Far East and the Pacific (2004), short overview.
Wandycz, Piotr Stefan The Twilight of French Eastern Alliances, 1926-1936 : French-Czechoslovak-Polish relations from Locarno to the remilitarization of the Rhineland, Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1988 ISBN 0691055289.
Watt, Donald Cameron How war came : the immediate origins of the Second World War, 1938-1939, New York : Pantheon, 1989 ISBN 039457916X.
Weinberg, Gerhard The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany : Diplomatic Revolution in Europe, 1933-36, Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1970 ISBN 0226885097.
Weinberg, Gerhard The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany: Starting World War II, 1937-1939, Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1980 ISBN 0226885119.
Turner, Henry Ashby German big business and the rise of Hitler, New York : Oxford University Press, 1985 ISBN 0195034929.
Wheeler-Bennett, John Munich : Prologue to Tragedy, New York : Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1948.
Young, Robert France and the Origins of the Second World War, New York : St. Martin's Press, 1996 ISBN 0312161859.