Causes of WW2

Question 1

Disarmament

Answer 1

The Germans after losing WWI had many fees and penalties enacted upon them. One of which was the disarmament of their military which was embarrassing to the whole nation that they only had enough troops to protect their own nation. This lead to massive support of rearmament of the German and to attack their enemies to prove to the world Germany was not a mockery

Question 2

1919-1920 in Italy

Answer 2

A series of riots, strikes, and lockouts occur in Italy. Communists and Socialists threatened to take over the entire country.

Question 3

War within Poland 1920

Answer 3

War within Poland, Poland tried to take over Ukraine. During this time Ukraine was already trying to break away from Russia. The Poles lost during this attempt. When the entire civil war period was over and done three things were evident, The Reds were firmly in power; they thoroughly distrusted the West, and the West already thoroughly distrusted them.

Question 4

Occupation of Rhineland

Answer 4

Occupation of Rhineland - showed Western powers were not ready to fight

Showed the Germans that Western powers were not willing or ready to fight.
Militarily the League of nations could do nothing. French, England and Italy where in such shock they did not attempt to stop them.
Germans on thin ice now because they broke the treaties and disarmament pact.

Question 5

French defensive strategy

Answer 5

The strategy worked in WWI why not now. showed the Germans that with their slow large army they would defend their home but not advance on Germany

Question 6

Italy invades Ethiopia

Answer 6

League of Nations lack of ability to do anything. Showed the world militarily that the League of nations could do nothing

Question 7

The Treaty of Versailles

Answer 7

This treaty was designed by the Allies’ government leaders in order to protect their citizens from the intimidating country of Germany
By carrying out this Treaty, the Allies were able to ensure that Germany would no longer have their superior numbers by limiting them to an army consisting of only 100,000 men and a smaller naval force.
Due to these newly established limitations, Germany began to build a stronger army and was able to plan different ideas that could potentially lead to even more harmful methods of attack than what was previously established. World War II quickly arose from these limitations that were set to better the Allies’ citizens due to the limitations set on Germany which ultimately allowed them to create a stronger force and gain a stronger temper towards the Allies.

Question 8

Mussolini rising to power

Answer 8

Mussolini rose to power of Italy and altered the country into a fascist government. - became allied with Germany
Under Mussolini’s demand, Italy used it newly acquired power to attempt to take over Ethiopia and several other countries during the 1920s.

Question 9

Hitler took office

Answer 9

Hitler took office as Chancellor of the German Republic.

Question 10

Great Depression

Answer 10

Depression rocks the whole world’s economy.
Great Depression became the cause for the rise of Nazism and a significant contender in Hitler’s rise to power.
Hitler’s rise to power as head of state and head of government created a fascist state, and Germany’s struggle for more territory and power became a major cause of the next world war.

Question 11

Germany’s Reparations

Answer 11

Germany had the burden of having to pay “reparations” or compensation money to the Allies for both losing the war, and to return their loans. However, Germany’s economy had made more money from the USA’s loans than they were returning while repaying the debt. This became a major factor for Germany ruining their own economy, as well as causing major inflation. This allowed Hitler the ability to provide hope to the people of Germany in their financially despaired state and allowed Hitler’s rise to power as Chancellor.

Question 12

Anti-Semitic Movement

Answer 12

Riots in Germany of Nazi party, led to Nazi take over in 1934, which the nazi party is a major factor in World War 2.

Question 13

Appeasement

Answer 13

The nations of Europe were weary and did not want another war. When countries such as Italy and Germany became aggressive and began to take over their neighbors and build up their armies, countries such as Britain and France hoped to keep peace through “appeasement.” This meant that they tried to make Germany and Hitler happy rather than try to stop him. They hoped that by meeting his demands he would be satisfied and there wouldn’t be any war.

Question 14

The Great Depression

Answer 14

The period before World War II was a time of great economic suffering throughout the world called the Great Depression. Many people were out of work and struggling to survive. This created unstable governments and worldwide turmoil that helped lead to World War II.

Question 15

Japans Militarism

Answer 15

In 1931, Japan was hit badly by the economic depression. Japanese people lost faith
in the government. They turned to the army in order to find a solution to their economic
problems. In order to produce more goods, Japan needed natural resources for its
factories. The Japanese army invaded China, an area rich in minerals and resources.
China asked for help from the League of Nations. Japan ignored the League of Nations
and continued to occupy China and Korea. As Japan invaded other areas of South East
Asia including Vietnam, the United States grew concerned about its territories in Asia,
such as the Philippines and Guam. Japan felt that its expansion could be threatened by
the United States military and attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941. World
War II had begun in Asia.

Question 16

Fascism

Answer 16

Upon learning of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany became angry. It was an anger that was built upon frustration over losing the war, and anger over skyrocketing unemployment rates which were only about to get worse. During this time, Adolf Hitler saw an opportunity to entice the German people with his promises of easy solutions to the problems facing the Weimer Republic.
During this time, the political climate was ripe for radical affiliations and parties. One such party that was active during this time was the Nazi Party. Between the years of 1933 and 1934, Hitler took control over the party. However, it wasn’t long before he turned his reign into a dictatorship. After a failed coup to take over the Weimer government, Hitler decided to instead reach the top through legitimate means and was ultimately successful.

Question 17

The Pearl Harbour Attack

Answer 17

Although not an event at the beginning of the war, the attack on Pearl Harbor is notable for bringing the United States into the war. On December 7, 1941, Japan surprised the United States by bombing a collection of warships in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a declaration of war. Following the bombings, the United States declared war on Japan in retaliation. Shortly after, Italy and Germany also declared war on the United States.