1. Reasons for resentment of TOV

The Treaty of Versailles was targeted especially at Germany, and was extremely harsh to them. Many reasons have contributed to the Germans henceforth resenting it.

The war guilt clause was one of the reasons why the Germans resented the Treaty of Versailles. This clause meant that Germany would have to take full blame for starting the war and for all the damages caused by it, while no other countries should be blamed for it. Therefore by accepting full blame, the Germans think that they would be wrongly accused for starting the war and they will lose their pride as they were also the losers of the war. The Germans thought the clause was too harsh and inhumane for they had already called for a ceasefire and it was unfair as they also weren’t fully defeated. Most importantly, accepting the war guilt clause meant that they had to pay the Reparations which was a very huge sum. Hence, the Germans hated the TOV due to the loss of economy and dignity in the future through the war guilt clause, having to be accused for starting the war forever.

The Germans also hated the treaty as they were unhappy about disarmament. Germany had to scale down their defence systems like no other country had done before. All wartime weapons were to be destroyed. The German army was reduced to no more than 100,000 men and no army conscription was allowed. German navy was limited to 6 battleships, 24 smaller ships and no air force or submarines. This caused the Germans to be very angry about the treaty as it was meant to cripple Germany and Germans felt defenceless against other countries. Her nation’s symbol and the once great army was to be reduced to a pathetic army. Hence, the German resentment was due to loss of dignity and self-defence as they felt that it is immoral and unjust, furthermore vulnerable to attacks of other countries.

The German resentment was also due to territorial losses. Germany had to give up territories gained during WW1 and all of its overseas territories. As much as 70,000 sq. km of land had to be handed over, which was 13% of all of her land and six million of her people who lived there. Alsace-Lorraine, which was an important industrial area, was given back to France. Allied Army was to occupy the Rhineland for a period of fifteen years, no German troops were allowed into the occupation zone. The territorial losses meant that Germany could not get the raw materials or resources that she needed to rebuild her country after the war. Furthermore, Germany had to pay the Reparations and without this industrial areas, it would be very hard for them to pay back the money in time. Lastly, many Germans would be cut off from their homeland and this caused anger within the Germans. Hence, the German resentment was due to the loss of industrial areas and other Germans as they could not earn money yet had to have their people separated from their homeland.

The Germans also resented the Treaty due to the impossibly heavy reparations. Germany was made to compensate for the war damages to the Allies, which will increase the pressure on the German people, as they are the ones who are going to work doubly hard to pay for the sums. Germany was forced to pay 6600 million pounds to the Allies for the damage during WW1. This was an impossibly large sum that angered the Germans, especially so when they could not even feed themselves and had to live in harsher environments . They had to work very hard to pay this huge debt that belonged to their country when the war was supposed to bring them a better future and not suffering. The German parents even felt that France and Britain are trying to starve their children to death. Hence, this led to resentment of the treaty as it was almost a death-blow to them for having to pay such a massive sum.

In conclusion, the heavy reparations were the most important reason why Germany hated the TOV as it had disastrous effect on the German economy and caused direct suffering and hardship for the Germans. In comparison, the reduced armed force was simply a loss of pride to the people, and would furthermore help prevent more conflict though Germany was already in no position to attack anyone else at that time. The war-guilt clause was similarly a matter of pride as it caused minimal physical suffering and the territorial loss was also needed to prevent Germany from causing further potential conflict and the people didn’t have much to lose already, except their pride. Therefore, Germany hated the reparations most because it was not only was a loss of pride but also caused life to be so hard for the Germans to even live.

Unfair Treatment of Germany I agree to a certain extent. I think that Germany’s absence at the post war negotiations was a significant reason in why it was unfairly treated by the victorious nations of World War One. There are many other factors to consider such as the fact that the Treaty was too harsh and unfair, as well as how the other countries reacted after the Treaty was announced.

Germany was unfairly treated by the victorious nations of WWI, due to the fact that they had lost the war (War Guilt Clause). However, the Germans also had their own views, and they were not able to express it, as they were not invited to the Paris Peace Conference. The Germans hence felt that if they were allowed to express their views, terms would have been less harsh. For example, Germany lost 2 million men, it was not just the Allies that suffered, furthermore it was the aggression of the Kaiser that started the war, not the civilians, and hence the innocent citizens should not suffer the cause of the Kaiser’s actions. The Allies had obviously not put themselves in Germany’s shoes at the conference, which was why Germany felt that it had been unfairly treated.

The harsh and strict terms of the Treaty was also one of the reasons why Germany felt that it was unfairly treated by the victorious nations of World War One. The terms of the Treaty were extremely harsh to Germany, who felt that they had not lost the war. For example, Germany had to pay 6600 million pounds of reparations to the Allies, when they also had reparations themselves. Germany was to lose all of her overseas colonies. The German army was to be reduced to a tiny defence force. These terms acted as a major setback for Germany, which was already economically crippled and on the verge of bankruptcy. Furthermore, the reduction of the German army made many Germans lose their pride, as German military was a pride to many citizens before the war.

The reaction of other countries towards Germany’s restrictions after the war was also one of the reasons why Germany felt that it was unfairly treated by the victorious nations of World War One. The German army was to be reduced to only 100000 men, the navy could only contain 6 warships, they could not have an air force, and furthermore, the Rhineland would have to be demilitarized. What was unfair to Germany in this was that none of the other countries disarmed, or were forced to disarm, to the extent that Germany was. This placed Germany in a dangerous state, as Germany could not protect itself from the attacks and intrusions of other countries, due to the fact that there was only a tiny defence force. Hence, many Germans were unhappy over this issue, as they felt that their life would have to be in constant danger.

On the whole, I feel that the treaty was indeed unfair for the Germans, with their absence at the conference being a significant problem, as they were not able to express their views. However, the fact that the Treaty was too harsh and unfair, as well as how the other countries reacted after the Treaty was announced did play a big role as well.

2. Was the LON during the 1920s a success or a failure? (would not come out)

The League of Nations (LON) failed in reducing aggression between countries. The powerhouses of the League, such as Britain and France, did not take action when conflicts happen as they were not prepared to abandon its self-interests for the sake of the League. This can be seen when Polish troops invaded Vilna. The League ordered Poland to withdraw, though Britain and France supported Poland. Despite multiple warnings, Poland did not stop. The League could have send Britain and French troops to Vilna to push the Poles out of it. But France did not want to worsen its relation with Poland as they may be allies in the future. Britain also did not want to be the loner and did not take action. This shows how the League had to rely solely only the cooperation of its members as it had no armed force to solve the disputes efficiently and in the end the league did nothing and Poland kept Vilna. The League thus failed to achieve its aim of peacekeeping amongst the nations due to its weak army.

One of the reasons for the weakness of the League of Nations was due to the lack of membership of the nations. Take for example USA’s non-involvement. President Wilson was the one who initiated the formation of the League, but he was pressured by his congress who did not want the country to be involved in any future wars . The US lost over 100,000 men in World War I and did not want that to happen again. USA was militarily stronger because it suffered less as compared to Britain and France, thus if there is a dispute and sanctions need to be implemented, would not be effective in solving the disputes. Therefore, this affected the strength of the League right from the start, leading to its structural weaknesses, as the USA was the main country with the resources and influence to render their peacekeeping methods effective.

Despite the failures, the LON still had its success in improving living conditions of people around the world. The League helped refugees and former prisoners-of-war to return to their homelands. An estimated 400,000 prisoners were returned home. Work was also done in the Third World to improve the status of women there and child slave labour was also targeted. Drug addiction and drug smuggling were also attacked. Teams were sent to the Third World to dig fresh water wells, the Health Organisation started a campaign to wipe out leprosy, reducing deaths and improving standards of living. The League had also informed the whole world on the problems that no other organization have done before. This build a foundation for the current United Nations to actively investigate these social problems.

On the whole, I think that the League events in the 1920s such as the invasion of Poland showed its great weakness. The main reason that the LON failed was the failure in reducing aggression between countries, especially evident when France invaded Ruhr as Germany failed to pay instalment for reparations. France clearly broke the rule but nothing was done about it. As a result, other countries also used violence to settle its own problems causing even more problems. The lack of membership also caused the League to be one weak at its core, missing out on the powerful countries like the USA. Though the League managed to improve the living conditions of people, they only temporarily improved the peoples’ lives for tensions had yet to be resolved which could potentially lead to future disputes and more suffering for the people. Thus, this shows how the League is unable to prioritise its most important aims like stopping wars and disputes which will lead to a continuous cycle of disputes between countries, proving the league’s failure.

3. Reasons why the Nazi would succeed in the elections./Rise of Hitler/Rise of the Nazis

(I agree/do not agree with the statement) that______ is the most important reason for the rise of the Nazis. (I feel that ______ is the main reason for the Nazis’ success instead.)

One reason why the Nazi succeeded in the elections was because of the Great Depression in 1929. After the Wall Street Crash, the US withdrew its loans to Germany thus increasing both poverty and unemployment levels. The number of unemployment grew and people started to starve on the streets. The Weimar government did not understand how to reverse the situation, causing the public to become angry and lose confidence in the relatively new democratic system. During a depression, political trends became extinct and the Nazis flourished. In the crisis, people wanted someone to blame and looked to extreme solutions --- the Nazis offered both a scapegoat and Hitler as a strong leader to look up to. This gave the Germans an idea that the Nazis could give them a greater future and hence they voted for the Nazi party in the elections, allowing them to succeed.

Another reason would be exploiting the weakness of the Weimar government. The Weimar government was structurally weak. They adopted a system of proportional representation in the Reichstag. Political parties gained seats in the parliament based on the number of votes won, which allowed many political parties coming together to form coalition government but they did not last long. Having government with short lifespan was disruptive and the German public was left with the impression that the new democratic government could not get anything done. The civil service, military and wealthy businessman also did not support the Weimar government and preferred a return of the Kaiser. This lack of support weakened the authority of the Weimar government and less people are willing to vote for it. Hence, the Nazi party would succeed in the elections as the weak government allowed them to exploit it and show the German people how it would be better with them as a new government.

Another reason would be the Hitler’s natural ability to lead others. Hitler was the leader of the Nazis and he was a charismatic and powerful speaker. He was able to make people believe in his cause and he related well to the people of Germany, who were all suffering and blamed their suffering on the Treaty of Versailles. In the elections, the Nazis clearly promised Germany a better life through getting rid of the treaty. This caused many people who were suffering in poverty to vote for the Nazis as they saw a possibility to get rid of the Treaty of Versailles and end their poverty for Hitler appeared sincere to them and seemed to understand their concerns. Hence, the Nazi would succeed in the elections as their leader Hitler could convince the people that the Nazis are capable of bringing the people out of poverty by getting rid of the Treaty of Versailles. His powerful personality helped him flourish as a leader and convince many Germans to be on his side.

The last reason would be the propaganda tools used by the Nazi Party for the rise of Hitler. For example, the Nuremberg rallies were organised by Joseph Goebbels which includes huge rallies, marches, torch lit processions and meetings. The rallies consisted of bands, flying displays and Hitler’s brilliant speeches. Furthermore they were published by posters and pamphlets. The media also contributed through the radio to broadcast the Nazi message. This proved that people would be easily influenced by what messages the posters say and would go about doing it. The rallies also brought colours and excitement to people’s lives as these gave them the sense of belonging to a great movement. The German people were also shown the power of the state and were convinced that every German supported Nazi and each of them was encourage to vote for them. Thus, this was another reason leading to the rise of Hitler as many people were easily influenced to support Hitler.

In conclusion, I think that the main reason why the Nazis would succeed in the elections would be because of Hitler’s great leadership qualities and speaking skills as that had a really great influence on the public’s mind by being able to convince the people so well. Both the Great Depression and the weaknesses of the Weimar government might have also contributed a lot to the rise of the Nazis, but they only provided opportunities for the Nazis to grasp to their advantage. It was their leader’s skills that added the final and most important touch to convincing the people to vote for them in the election for a better future, allowing the Nazis to succeed in the elections and rise to power.

4. Reasons for weakness of LON (Merge with Essay 2)

One of the reasons for the weakness of the League of Nations was due to USA’s non-involvement. President Wilson was the one who initiated the formation of the League, but he was pressured by his congress who did not want the country to be involved in any future wars. The US lost over 100,000 men in World War I and did not want that to happen again. USA was militarily stronger because it suffered less as compared to Britain and France, thus if there is a dispute and sanctions need to be implemented, would not be effective in solving the disputes . Therefore, this affected the strength of the League right from the start, leading to its structural weaknesses, as the USA was the main country with the resources and influence to render their peacekeeping methods effective.

The self-interests of leading members also led to the weaknesses of the League. The league depended on Britain and France to provide firm support in times of crisis. When conflicts occurred, neither the British nor the French were prepared to abandon its own self-interest to support the League. For example, this can be seen during the French and Belgian invasion of the Ruhr (Germany’s industrial sector) , which was against League rules. Both countries wanted to force Germany to pay reparations for war damages. The League did nothing about this invasion, so to other nations, it seemed that if you wanted to break the League’s rules, you could. Therefore, this clearly showed that self-interests of leading members like France surpassed the League’s which in turn revealed to the other nations that the rules need not be taken seriously.

The League was also weak because it did not have an armed force. The League had no armed forces of its own and relied on the cooperation of its members. Britain and France were not willing to commit troops. For example, in the case of Vilna in 1920, the Poles seized it from Lithuania as about 30% of its population at that time was largely Polish. Lithuania asked the League for help, but the Poles could not be persuaded to leave the city. In such a case, an armed force would be ideal to step in and solve the dispute; however, the League did not have one. France did not want to upset Poland as Poland could be a potential ally against Germany and Britain did not want to act alone, so in the end no troops were sent to Vilna and Poland kept Vilna. Therefore, this clearly displayed the weakness of the League in its ability to achieve its aim of peacekeeping among member nations.

Other reasons: Other powerful nations were not allowed to join (Germany and Russia), Failure of economic sanctions

5. __ is the most important reason for the failure of the appeasement policies? How far do you agree?

Appeasement was diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an enemy power in order to avoid conflict and was done so applied by then British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain towards the Nazi party between the time periods of 1937 to 1939 to avoid conflict. However, it experienced great failures in different aspects and I agree that ______ was the main reason for the failure of the appeasement policies.

The appeasement policies was a failure as it had allowed Germany to become stronger. The appeasement policy allowed it to rearm itself after its disarmament and reduction of its armed forces from the Treaty of Versailles. For example, in the 4 years of appeasement, Germany managed to increase its armaments build-up of aircraft from 5000 in 1936 to 8500 in 1939. Its army divisions increased from 80 to 130 in a year. This shows that although Germany rearmed at a slower rate, it still has more troops than Britain which allowed it to gain the upper hand. It helps to encourage war as Germany would be strong enough to hold off Britain and he could continue to push his luck and continue to invade other countries. The extra time allowed it to join with Austria to obtain soldiers and raw materials to build more war supplies to strengthen itself. Thus, this was a failure as Germany was able to become stronger and more powerful.

The appeasement policies succeeded in buying time for Britain to recuperate and rearm from war. Britain had reduced the size of its armed forces after the First World War. It would be pointless fighting Hitler if Germany had much stronger armed forces as it would be a guarantee defeat. The Allies decided to appease Germany so as not to get involved in unnecessary wars that would drain off itself. In the 4 years of appeasement, Britain managed to increase the armament build-up of aircrafts from 2000 to 8000, almost equal to Germany’s 8500. The extra time allowed it to recover from its military losses and produced more war supplies and rearm its military with stronger and better troops. Thus, this ensures that Britain would be better prepared and in a better position to resist Germany’s attacks as it has kept itself from wars like the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and Hitler’s request to Sudetenland in 1938 so that it could remain as strong as before. This eventually led to a success and the increased troops managed to hold back Germany.

However, the appeasement policies also failed in other aspects, one of which was that it encouraged Hitler to become more aggressive. For example, in 1935, Hitler stayed a massive military rally celebrating Germany’s rearmament and was clearly breaking the rules yet Britain allowed it to increase its navy up to 35% of its own. After that, Hitler then went on to remilitarise in Rhineland, breaking the Locarno Treaties and again Britain ignores. Lastly, Hitler had invaded Sudetenland without any Allies opposing his actions. This example proved that everyone Hitler got away with one of his aggressive acts, he became more daring and believed that none of the allied countries would attempt to stop him. When Germany soldiers marched into Rhineland, nobody did anything and Hitler’s confidence grow, thus it encourages him to make greater demands for new land. Overall, this handled to a failure of the appeasement as it allowed Hitler to push his way around Europe and strengthen its military power.

The appeasement policies also failed as it scared the USSR. The Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 was signed by the USSR and Germany and was an agreement that they would not attack one another and they privately agreed to divide the invaded Poland between them. This helped to encourage Germany to attack more instead of appeasing them. This is because since Britain did not stand up to Germany when Czechoslovakia was invaded , Britain seemed too weak to protect the USSR. Stalin feared that Germany may became so strong and wanted to prevent itself from

being attacked. Hence, Stalin would just have to follow Hitler, making Germany stronger and causing a war to become more imminent. Thus, the appeasement policies also failed in this aspect as it made Germany stronger with the USSR supporting it and Germany could do anything it wants without opposition.

In conclusion, I feel that the main reason for the failure of the appeasement policies is that it allowed Germany the opportunity to become stronger as it allowed Germany to rearm itself and strengthen its army to become powerful enough to start invading other countries. In comparison, encouraging Hitler to be more aggressive was a result of Germany’s rearmament, thus giving Hitler the confidence for his aggression. Similarly, scaring the USSR was a result of Hitler’s aggression such that it would cause the Soviets to ally with Germany and strengthening Germany. Hence, the appeasement policies allowing Germany to rearm was the root to all problems and is thus the main reason for its failure.

7. Reasons for Hitler's expansionist foreign policy

Germany had suffered huge losses in terms of both pride and economy due to the Treaty of Versailles, resulting in Hitler’s and Germany’s resentment of the treaty. As such, this caused Hitler to have a great desire to regain what was lost through the treaty, and he done so by his expansionist foreign policy.

One reason for Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy would be due to the significant loss of territory from the TOV, causing Hitler to decide to expand German territory. After Germany was forbidden to join together with its former ally Austria and lost lots of territories due to the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler wanted to get these territories back as he could unite all German speaking people in one country. One example would be Austria. Hitler wanted to reunite with Austria as he was an Austrian firstly but also, Austria had 8 million German speaking people and uniting with Austria meant that he could unite German minorities in other countries to build a bigger empire . Lastly, he could provide more living space for Germans. Hence, with Austria united, Germany could be much stronger with more soldiers, living space and food, expanding German territory as well as creating better living conditions for the people.

Another reason for Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy would be to the need to rearm Germany. The Treaty of Versailles had forced Germany to reduce its army to 100,000 men, six warships of over 10,000 tonnes, no submarines or air force. Therefore, Hitler held a secret rearmament meeting in 1933 in order to not alert other countries. The changes include army with 300,000 men, 1000 aircraft with secretly trained pilots and the new air force-Luftwaffe. In 1933, Hitler also took Germany out from league and armament conference and also signed non-aggression pact with Poland to make it seem as though Germany was no threat . With rearmament, it boosted Nazi support and also gained sympathy from Britain as they believed that the TOV was too tight on Germany. Hence, this not only enabled Germany to salvage its military losses from the TOV, but also influenced Britain to allow Germany to increase its navy to up to 35% of the size of the Britain navy, allowing Germany to rebuild its army to a comparable size to other powerful nations like Britain or France.

The last reason for Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy would be the fear of communism. Hitler and the Nazi Party were anti-communists and fascists. A German empire carved out of the Soviet Union would help Hitler in one of his other objectives-the defeat of Communism. He blamed the Bolsheviks, the communist party of the Soviet Union, for the defeat of Germany in the WWI and believed that the Bolsheviks wanted to take over Germany. He felt the need to destroy and defeat them, as well as get their revenge on them for their defeat. He did not wanted the Bolsheviks have a second chance in destroying Germany again. Hence, Hitler was so determined to weaken and destroy communism before it could destroy Germany once again by carving a German empire out of Soviet Union.

In conclusion, I feel that the need to expand German territory would be the most important reason for Hitler’s expansionist foreign policy as it not only increased the military force but also allowed the Germans to live in more comfort with the greater amount of space. In comparison, the rearmament only rebuilt and strengthened the German army, just like the expansion of territory did too. Defeating communism was on the other hand only destructive and did not do much good as compared to the other reasons. It was the expansion of the German territory that did the most good for the country and the people.

8. Reasons for the failure of Weimar republic (sub factor-can be used as one of the causes of WWII)

The Weimar Republic collapsed in the 1930s, as a result, the political situation became uncertain and dangerous. There are weaknesses in the Weimar Government that led to its failure. One weakness of the Weimar government is the proportional representation. Instead of voting for a member of the parliament, the Germans voted for a party. Each party then allocated seats in the Reichstag directly proportional to the percentage of the people who voted for it. This resulted in a dozen of minor parties, with no party strong enough to get a majority. Therefore, no government could pass any laws in the Reichstag. For example, the system of proportional representation has led to 28 parties. This made it v irtually impossible to establish a majority in the Reichstag. During 1919-1933, there were twenty separate coalition governments and the longest government only lasted for two years. Having governments with short lifespan was disruptive and the public was left with the impression that the new democratic government could not get things done. This political chaos caused many to lose faith in the new democratic system. Hence, this proved to be a weakness in the Weimar government. Another weakness for the Weimar government is the threat from the left. One left wing group was a Communist party known as the Spartacist. They argued strongly against the Ebert’s plans to create a democratic Germany and wanted Germany to be ruled by workers’ council or soviets. For example, in the 1919, 50,000 Spartacist, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, rebelled in Berlin. Bitter street fighting followed between the Spartacists and the Freikorps, resulting in heavy casualties. In 1920, there was more communist agitation in the Ruhr industrial area. Again, the Freikorps clashed with the communist and resulted in 600 communist killed. Ebert’s ruthless measures against the communist created bitterness in between them and his socialist party. Hence, this proved to be another weakness as it not only lost the support of the communists, but also shocked many other Germans at the level of violence, losing confidence in the government’s ability to maintain law and order.

The Weimar Republic also failed to deal with the economic chaos Germany was facing, causing hyperinflation. Due the heavy reparations of 6600 million pounds, Germany struggled to repay their debts and felt an intolerable strain on the economy which they were already struggling to rebuild after WW1. The Weimar government thought that if they printed more money they could pay off its debts, produce more goods for trade. However they instead worsened Germany’s problems from the overprinting of money, causing prices of goods to rise so rapidly. For example, in 1918, the price of a loaf of bread in Germany cost 0.63 marks, and in 1923, 5 years later, the price shot up to a whopping 201 billion mark. This caused many Germans to suffer- the poor with no pay check or livings, while the middle-class lost their savings overnight and both parties started blaming the government. This shows how simple-minded the Weimar government was, trying to repay their debts the easy way out, without considering the severe consequences it might bring to lives of the people . Hence, this caused more people to blame the Weimar government and lose trust in their abilities for making their lives so hard. In conclusion, there are many aspects where the Weimar Republic failed in the 1930s, with these reasons stated above having had a more major part to play. However, the main cause of it is still the hyperinflation as it directly affected and caused the most hardships to majority of the people, such that nothing could be afforded. In comparison, the threats from the right and left which opposed and forced the government to step down were not as serious as it only concerned the rebels and the violence could have been prevented. The political violence in turn also did not directly affect the lives of the people, as it merely caused a weaker democratic system. Hence, the

hyperinflation caused the most suffering to the Germans, resulting in the most blame on the Weimar government and was the main reason for its failure.

9. Causes of World War II

I agree to a small extent that Hitler's aggressive foreign policy was the main reason for WW2 to happen.

He had an aggressive foreign policy which included expanding German territory to create more "living space" for overcrowded Germans and overturning the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler took "the 5 steps to war" - remilitarizing the Rhineland, creating an Anschluss with Austria, taking over the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia , taking over the 1rest of Czechoslovakia (living space) and also invading Poland (living space). Invading Poland finally triggered aid from Britain and France who declared war on Germany just 2 days later. Hitler’s aims for Germany were only achievable through aggression and therefore Hitler's aggressive foreign policy was the main reason for the outbreak of war in Europe.

However, there were also several other contributing factors to the outbreak of the war in Europe. One example is the policy of appeasement which was set up by Britain to compensate for the League of Nations’ weaknesses. By then the League of Nations had become obsolete, so Britain hoped to be able to maintain peace in Europe by giving way to the demands of the dictators of Germany. However, ironically, it encouraged aggression, because each time Hitler was appeased, his confidence grew. Whenever Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles, Britain and France only protested, but they did not use force. In March 1935 Hitler announced Germany's rearmament policy to increase her army, navy and re-introduce conscription, and the allies did little to stop him and Britain even sympathized believing the Treaty was too harsh. Hence, Hitler became more and more aggressive and his army grew so much to an extent that it required another world war to stop Germany. If France and Britain had acted 2 to 3 years earlier they could have stopped Hitler without the risk of a long and costly war. Hence, the policy of appeasement caused Hitler to push his way around Europe and strengthen its military power to such an extent war was unavoidable.

Another factor which contributed to the outbreak of war in Europe was the failure of the League of Nations. The league did nothing when Italy invaded Ethiopia, and it also did not do anything when Japan invaded Manchuria. Because of the league’s failure to do solve the problems during these two aggressions, Germany decided to test the organisation itself—it remobilized the Rhineland, and in 1936, German soldiers were ordered by Hitler to march into the Rhineland with empty rifles, and to retreat if the French army attacked. Once again, the league did nothing, and Hitler’s plot was a success. If the French and the League of Nations told the Germans to retreat from the Rhineland, Hitler’s bluff would have been revealed and he may have been overthrown, preventing him from carrying out his plans and preventing the war in Europe. Therefore, the failure of the League of Nations was an important cause of the war in Europe.In conclusion, there were many factors which led to the outbreak of war in Europe. The main factor was Adolf Hitler's aggressive foreign policy, and others factors like the appeasement policy and the failure of the League of Nations, which ultimately led to war.

Copied from the Wiki Notes: Hitler's ambitions were a major reason for the outbreak of war in 1939. Hitler as a leader who was determined to conquer as much of Europe as possible and to take risks in order to get what he wanted. Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy revealed his ambitions and allowed him to put them into action. He wished to overturn the Treaty of Versailles by recapturing lost territories, to expand further into the East to gain Lebensraum for the German people. As part of these ambitions he also rearmed Germany in defiance of the Treaty. He wanted to create a strong, powerful Reich to restore German pride and increase German power. Actions such as marching into the Rhineland, uniting with Austria, demanding the return of the Sudetenland and invading Czechoslovakia proper all brought Europe gradually closer to war as Britain, France and Russia all became

more and more concerned until Hitler’s last ambitious and aggressive gamble, his invasion of Poland, triggered war. Had it not been for Hitler’s constant flouting of the Treaty due to his grand ambitions, there would have been no cause for war in 1939

10. Causes of WW2

I agree/disagree with the statement that _________ was the main reason the Second World War broke out in 1939. (And I feel that _________ is the main cause of WW2 instead.)

Hitler’s expansionist policy was one of the major causes of World War 2. Hitler wanted to e xpand Germany’s territory across Europe so that Nazis can achieve power. For example, in 1936, Hitler started moving troops into Rhineland and remilitarise it. He had broken the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties. After that, Hitler then went on to invade Czechoslovakia as it consisted a large number of Germans. After a series of agreements, the whole of Sudetenland was lost to Germany. Lastly, Hitler invaded Poland which Britain and France agreed to protect it. This means that Hitler’s appetite for greater demand of land kept increasing and wanted Germany to be a world power so he continued invading other parts of Europe. This incurred the Britain’s wrath with Germany invaded Poland. The last straw broke the camel’s back when Britain promised to protect Poland and attack Germany and Hitler went too far bossing his way around Europe and disobeying all the rules set to subdue Germany. Thus, this led to WWII.

Another cause of World War 2 is the appeasement policies. One example is the aspect of rearmament. Hitler started to rearm Germany and staged a massive military celebrating its rearmament . This was clearly breaking the Treaty of Versailles but other nations treated rearmament as a form of employment. Britain even let Germany increase its navy to 35% of their navy. Another example is the Anschluss with Austria in 1938. Hitler and Austria were allies after signing the agreement. This means that Germany would rearm and get stronger by breaking the rules set by the allies without anyone attempting to stop him. Hitler became more and more aggressive and invaded a huge part of Europe. Hitler became more daring and confident that no one would stand up to him and thus decided to launch an attack on Poland. Therefore, the failure in appeasement policies also caused the WW2 as Hitler was too defiant against other nations.

Another cause of WW2 is the Nazi-Soviet pact. On 24 August 1939, Hitler and Stalin they signed the deal that they would not attack one another. Stalin was not convinced that Britain was strong enough to protect the USSR from Hitler and he had designs on Eastern Poland so they agreed to invade Poland together. The evidence proved that an imminent war is approaching. Germany had become stronger with the USSR supporting it in the invasion of countries especially Poland. Hitler was confident that he could do anything he wants in Europe without any opposition. These incidents tested the Allies’ patience and Britain made a promise that he would protect Poland. With the USSR obeying Hitler, both decided to break the rules and go on with the plan. True enough, Britain declared war on Germany. If only the USSR did not sign the pact, Hitler would not have dared to invade Poland. Thus, the reason for WW2 was because of the Pact and the pressure of USSR encourage Hitler to push his luck.

The last reason for WW2 is the failure of the League of Nations. It had failed in trying to stop aggression in 1930. For example, the Manchurian Crisis in 1913-1933 made the League seem weak and ineffective as no action was taken against Japan when Manchuria was invaded. Disarmament was also not achieved when Germany complained that only it had disarmed. It failed in getting other members to disarm so Germany left the League to rearm. This shows that the League was not strong enough to enforce its rules on every nation so not every nation would follow obediently. They knew that Britain and France would not be able to stop them so they decided to continue with their plans. If they had attacked Germany when troops are entering Rhineland, Hitler’s plan would have failed and war would not have happened as Hitler would not have dared to invade another country. Thus, the failure of LON prompted war as nations could not be controlled and each of them could easily overthrow the weak League.

In conclusion, the failure of the appeasement policies was the main reason for WW2 as it served as a platform for Hitler to enforce Germany’s power, heightening tensions between countries. In comparison, Hitler’s ambition & expansionist policy was a result of the “freedom” Hitler thought he had from other nations due to the appeasement. Similarly, the Nazi-Soviet Pact and League of Nation’s failure to stop aggression like in Rhineland were a result of Hitler’s confidence gained from the appeasement policy. He would not have dared to invade and attack countries like Poland so aggressively if not for it. Hence, the appeasement policy was the core to allowing Hitler to be so ambitious & attack, & is the main reason for WW2.

11. What do you think is the main reason for the failure of the LON in the 1930s

I agree to a certain extend that _________ is the main reason for the failure of LON in the 1930s. There are also other reasons that contributed to the failure.

One of the reasons for the failure is due to the Manchurian Crisis. Japan invaded Manchuria, claiming that Chinese soldiers sabotaged their railway and in retaliation they overran Manchuria and threw out all the Chinese forces. Manchuria appealed to the league for help. The league sent Lord Lytton to investigate and decided that Manchuria should be returned to China. Japan soon left the League but intended to further invade China instead of withdrawing. The league tried to impose economic sanctions but without USA, Japan’s main trading partner, it’s meaningless. Thus, the League failed as it did not managed to force Japan out of Manchuria, and further invade China. Small nations realised that the League could not and would not protect them as it was unable to control stronger countries such as Japan. The League lost their supports from smaller nations, its power deteriorated, giving itself weak spots for rebels.

Another reason for the failure of LON is due to the Abyssinia crisis. In December 1934, a dispute about the border between Abyssinia and the Italian Somaliland flared into fighting. In January 1935, Haile Selassie, the emperor of Abyssinia, asked the League to arbitrate. In July 1935, the League banned arms sales to either side, and in September 1935, Britain and France refused to intervene. In December 1935, news leaked out about the Hoare-Laval Pact- a secret plan made by the foreign secretary of Britain and the prime minister of France to give Abyssinia to Italy. By May 1936, Italy had conquered Abyssinia. In the end, the League did almost nothing. The league’s delay of actions and betrayal of Italy, France and Britain cause the League to lose its power.

Another reason for failure of LON is the failure of disarmament. In February 1932, the League of Nations Disarmament Conference began at Geneva, Washington. Sixty countries took part, including the USA and the Soviet Union. The League wanted all countries to give up aggression. Germany and France disagreed to the terms. The French wanted to be certain that if they reduced the size of their armed forces that they would not be threatened by Germany. The Germans wanted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which restricted the size of their armed forces, abolished. Neither side would give way. After Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, he rejected any reductions in armed forces and claimed that other countries should disarm like they did. Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament Conference and also from the League of Nations in 1933. In March 1935, Hitler announced that he was going to ignore the restrictions on the German armed forces that had been imposed at Versailles. The League condemned Hitler’s action, but did nothing about it. Thus, the League failed to control Germany, giving them the power to start a war.

In conclusion, I feel that the League of Nation’s failure in disarmament was the most important reason that led to the failure of the League in the 1930s as it allowed Hitler to believe he could defy the League and start rearmament, resulting in all his aggression. In comparison, both the Manchuria and Abyssinia crisis were both disputes that proved the League’s failure to stop invasions and weakness in enforcing its decisions, and caused smaller nations to lose their faith in the League. It was the League’s failure in disarmament that caused the nations to continue aggression, leading to disputes like the 2 mentioned above, and causing high tensions between countries which caused WW2.