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The Causes of the Second World War Cause #1: The Treaty of Versailles How do you think the Treaty of Versailles was harsh towards Germany? At the end of WW1, France wanted to insure that Germany would no longer be a threat to her borders. With the support of other ‘allied’ countries, France pushed for the creation of a tough peace agreement that would both humiliate and weaken Germany On June 28th, 1919, a peace agreement was signed by most of the countries that fought in WW1 in the city of Versailles This agreement was called: The Treaty of Versailles Germany was not allowed to participate in the making of this treaty. Although Germany refused to sign the treaty at first, Germany was pressured to sign it by the allied countries, as they threatened that they would invade Germany and continue the war Effects of the Treaty on Germany France took away some of Germany’s territory, and was allowed to station troops along the Rhineland area in Germany German territory was taken away to build new European countries The German army was limited to 100 000 men and Germany could not have an air force or submarines Germany had to give cash payments to the allied countries for all the damage Germany caused in WWI (equivalent to $ 35 billion Canadian) Germany had to take full responsibility for the war, and agree that she was guilty of starting WW1 Map of Europe after the Treaty of Versailles How effective was the treaty? Cause #2: The Failure of the League of Nations Created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the League of Nations was as organization created to keep global peace and to prevent future wars throughout the world The League of Nations was made up of countries that promised to solve their problems with each other peacefully All members agreed to two things: They agreed to stop trading with an aggressor that attacked another country If the invading country did not stop, the members of the League promised to use force The president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was largely responsible for the creation of the League of Nations After WW1, however, the United States did not join the league because both the American people and the government wanted to remain in isolation from other countries (i.e. mind one’s own business) 1st Failure of the League of NationsJapan vs. China The first major failure of the League came in 1931 when Japan invaded Manchuria in China China asked the League for help against Japan The League did not provide any assistance because they felt the war between China and Japan was far away and no threat to them Canadian Prime Minister R.B. Bennett: “ Canada is not an important member of the League, what can one man do who represents only ten and a half million people” 2nd Failure : Italy invaded Ethiopia League’s response was to stop sending oil, coal and iron to Italy. Mussolini threatened to go to war with any country that threatened to cut off trade with Italy Members of the League did not stand up to Mussolini’s threats-> little done to help Ethiopia Cause #3: The Rise of Fascist Leaders in Europe Europe Post WW1 Europeans lost faith in their leaders and democratic governments Depression in the 1930’s had enormous social, political and economic impacts on European countries, as the war had left them more unstable than North America For example: high unemployment widespread poverty Europeans wanted a way out of the hopelessness, frustration and insecurity that surrounded their lives. In turn, Europeans were ready to follow any leader who promised a better way of life Fascism blossomed in these kinds of conditions, as new political leaders rose to power in Europe b/c of the widespread hopelessness, fear, poverty and hatred that existed in many European societies Fascism a form of dictatorship backed up by secret police and the army, based on nationalist and racist ideals fascists believe that individuals must support 1 political party and 1 leader must control the government Case Study: Benito Mussolini ‘Il Duce’ In 1922, Italians turned to a new leader, Benito Mussolini, who became the leader of the Fascist Party in Italy. Mussolini and his ‘Black Shirts’ (Fascist troops) promised to return Italy to the great days of the Roman Empire With the help of his Black Shirts, Mussolini began a campaign of terror against all of his opponents Mussolini became a dictator - his word was law in Italy Map: Europe pre-WWII Cause #4: The Policy of Appeasement 1936 Germany took back the Rhineland; Britain refused to join France in an attack against Germany-> France didn’t attack Germany had successfully broken the Treaty of Versailles and no one did anything about it 1937 Germany, Italy and Japan agreed to support each other’s plans to conquer new lands and create new Empires 1938 Germany took back more land and people that she had lost after WW1 Hitler demanded that 3,000,000 Germans living in Czechoslovakia be allowed to separate and join Germany; Czechoslovakia had an alliance with France and Russia in case of a German attack In Sept. 1938, Hitler invited the P.M. of Britain and the leaders of France and Italy to discuss the Czechoslovakian situation; at this meeting, Britain and France agreed to let Hitler take over the land in Czechoslovakia where the Germans lived The British and French policy of giving in to Germany’s demands was called appeasement Hitler promised to keep the peace and make no more demands Underlying Factors of Britain and France’s Decision Millions of people were killed in WW1; These countries wanted to avoid another war at all costs The economic problems sparked by the Great Depression prompted every country to be less interested in world affairs Britain and France hoped that Nazi Germany would attack Communist Russia, which would lead to the destruction of both enemy nations Some countries (Britain and Canada) believed that Germany was treated too harshly by the Treaty of Versailles; Belief that Germans had the right to live together in one country