CAUSES OF WWII.   Term Paper ID:20169 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Devastation of Germany by Versailles Treaty (WWI), economics, League of Nations, appeasement of Adolf Hitler.... More...

6 Pages / 1350 Words 3 sources, 11 Citations, APA Format $24.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Devastation of Germany by Versailles Treaty (WWI), economics, League of Nations, appeasement of Adolf Hitler. Paper Introduction: The question of whether World War II was avoidable or inevitable has been debated for decades. Some feel that the war would have been avoidable had the victorious forces treated Germany differently at the end of World War I. Others feel that at certain points in the early Nazi period, the wear could have been avoided if certain actions had been taken to control Hitler's ambitions. The policy of appeasement undertaken by Britain in the 1930s is also cited as a policy that, had it been different, might have led to a different outcome. A.J.P. Taylor writes: "The Second World War was, in large part, a repeat performance of the first." The end of the First World War was an occasion for the victors to try to see to it that Germany could never renew war. The Germans were forced to surrender large amounts of war material, to withdraw their forces Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. [3]Ibid., 24. [11]Overy and Wheatcroft, 74.----------------------- 3 The Germans were forced to surrender large amounts of war material,to withdraw their forces behind the Rhine, and to hand over their fleet forinternment. Grove and Ross J.S. This would lead directly to World War II in 1939:"By that date Hitler had restored German power to a point where it couldnot remotely be contained within the existing international order, led asit was by the most embittered and radical veterans of German collapse in1918."[5] Of course, this group might have been embittered enough by the lossitself to want to restore German power and to revenge themselves on theAllies, but it does seem that the stringent conditions imposed on Germanyat the end of the first war increased the bitterness and caused the peopleto be more willing to follow any leader who could promise them a return toglory. The Origins of the Second World War. Others feel that at certain points in the early Nazi period, thewear could have been avoided if certain actions had been taken to controlHitler's ambitions. Itis not clear what the U.S. . Germany suffered apolitical crisis that also led to an economic catastrophe: "Weakened bythe loss of territory and resources, saddled with massive war debts andescalating government deficits, the German currency collapsed."[6] Germanyexperienced a period of hyperinflation, and the government blamed theseproblems on reparations and the economic vindictiveness of the Allies. All of this was lost.Thomas Mann stated that the national existence of Germany was now to becondemned as guilty and erroneous: "Germany became the pariah of Europe;the German people were forced to adjust to a very different post-war worldof political uncertainty and economic stagnation."[4] The German peoplewere left with a deep sense of injustice that would scar an entiregeneration. to stand back and watch from a distance. Between 1924 and 1929 there was animmense expansion in international loans, but this was not accompanied by acorresponding increase in production, employment, and the internationalexchange of goods. Hoffman. Much of what has been said about the causes ofWorld War II comes entirely from hindsight, so it is not certain thatanything could have been done to stop the move to war once certaindecisions had been made. [1 ]Ibid., 27. Taylor, The Origins of the Second World War (New York:Atheneum, 1985), 18. [4]Richard Overy and Andrew Wheatcroft, The Road to War (New York:Random House, 1989), 22. Germany was leftinternationally isolated, with no fleet and with her great armed mightdisbanded. Grove Haines, Ross J.S. Taylor states: "The First World War left 'the Germanquestion' unsolved, indeed making it ultimately more acute."[3] The Alliesbegan to realize this early, and most of the next decade revolved for themaround the still-alive German problem. ."[2] Taylor finds that theAllies did not accomplish their task as they had thought they would, forthe treaty and other conditions, while they seemed to force Germany toacknowledge defeat, also acknowledged the legitimacy of the Germangovernment. The policy was based on thebelief of British officials "that even the most intractably hostile couldbe won over through economic collaboration and concession."[11] Whether this was the most effective approach available to Britain atthe time is arguable, and indeed the policy only became known asappeasement in hindsight. The effort to control Germany at the end of WorldWar I was understandable, and the outcome of Versailles was not reallypredictable. As Haines and Hoffman wrote: "All must surely have beendifferent had not the spirit of self-seeking nationalism and isolationismprevailed also throughout the whole world community."[7] These authorsfeel that none of the Great Powers can be said to have discharged theirresponsibilities for maintaining the general peace between 1919 and 1939,and in particular they failed to give the League the power it needed: "Invarying degrees all acted in obedience to purely nationalisticpolicies."[8] The United States led the way by rejecting Wilson's work inthe Senate. from taking the most obvious steps toward sustaining thestructure of world peace. Many see Germany as completely devastated by the terms of the peacetreaty at the end of the First World War, however. [9]Ibid., 21-22. The great depression set in and economicnationalism became more intense than ever."[1 ] The British approach to the rise of Hitler was pragmatic anddedicated to protecting British interests as much as possible. After 1933, a blind isolationism gripped the country andprevented the U.S. Some feel that the war would have been avoidablehad the victorious forces treated Germany differently at the end of WorldWar I. The Road to War. It was notevident at first that German ambitions were open-ended and violent innature. The most important lesson of theperiod, one taken to heart by the United States, was that the world was toodangerous a place for the U.S. New York: Oxford University Press, 1943.Overy, Richard and Andrew Wheatcroft. Another force that might have helped reduce the tensions growing inthe world at the time was the League of Nations, a body that WoodrowWilson, among others, believed could help avoid another war. The result was an attack from both the east andthe west. The armistice was used by the Allies to change the shape ofEurope and to shift power away from Germany: "They were anxious to ensurethat the German nation acknowledged defeat. German power in Europe seemed shattered. [5]Ibid., 22. Had the nations of the worldunderstood what was happening better, they might have avoided the comingwar with a more sound economic policy. Germany wanted an adjustment inthe Versailles settlement, and the British were not averse to this as longas it did not threaten British interests. Haines, C. The isolationism that infected much of the Western world inthe 193 s was probably the greatest contributing factor to what happenedand the primary reason why no one did anything about the rise of Hitler andthe ware-like stances taken by Germany. The policy of appeasement undertaken by Britain in the193 s is also cited as a policy that, had it been different, might have ledto a different outcome. [8]Ibid., 21. thereal cause was the impossibility of paying for the massive war effort andreconstruction from an economy so reduced in size by the aftermath of thewar, but the perception still pertained that the Allies had caused thissituation out of vengeance. The British did make the decision to couple their search forpolitical solutions with an effort to reverse the long decline in Britishmilitary strength. could have done about the coming war, but it iscertain that the country would at least have had a strong warning insteadof being caught by surprise by the war on both sides. Hoffman, The Origins and Background ofthe Second World War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1943), 21. New York: Random House, 1989.Taylor, A.J.P. However, the political strategy undertaken by theBritish came to be known as appeasement. World War II startedin World War I, and it could have been prevented if any number of actionshad been different than they were. Taylor writes: "The Second World War was, in large part, arepeat performance of the first."[1] The end of the First World War was anoccasion for the victors to try to see to it that Germany could never renewwar. [7]C. New York: Atheneum, 1985.----------------------- [1]A.J.P. A.J.P. Great Britain similarly ignored the signs of a growing problem.Once the First World War was ended, "the British Government elected toregard the world as on a safe course and to avoid costly or perilousresponsibilities."[9] Another major problem of the time was the world economic disordercharacterized by the Great Depression. The Origins and Background of the Second World War. In addition, Germany faced a number of problems that seemed also tohave been visited upon her by a vengeful Europe. The question of whether World War II was avoidable or inevitable hasbeen debated for decades. [2]Ibid., 23. It did not help that the victor powers had tomeet at Versailles once more and restore the German currency to a betterstate, along with the creation of a new schedule for reparations payments.This only added to the sense that Germany's fate was controlled externally. The peace settlementhas been described as punitive. The Bismarckian Reichhad been formed fifty years before and had brought industrial prosperityand national pride to two generations of Germans. [6]Ibid., 25. Indeed, this generation was left with a desire to reverse thejudgment of Versailles and to return to the steady upward path Germany hadtaken before the war. It was signed at Versailles and strippedGermany of territory, shipping, and overseas colonies, and it furtherimposed disarmament and a vast war indemnity. Yet, manycountries, notably the British, did not support the League and made it anineffectual body. The era "came to an end in a new era of financialfailures and repudiations. The treaty was designed to provide security against a newGerman aggression, but it would only work with the cooperation of theGerman government. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

Many of our Papers can be Downloaded From This Site!

PLEASE READ THIS, IT IS IMPORTANT!

Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). You may place orders for custom research over the phone during office hours. E-mail requests can be made to our graduate and undergraduate department any time, and will be reviewed during office hours. You may also contact customer service any time through e-mail, and we will review your message during business hours. A great many papers can be downloaded right from this site, but not all of them. If you would like to know if a particular paper is downloadable, just look in the description for: "Available for Internet Download: Y" or "Available for Internet Download: N" If you wish to purchase a paper which is NOT available for immediate download, you will need to make other shipping arrangements. Also, please be aware that these orders are processed Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). If you place your order after 4:45pm on Friday, it will not be processed until the following Monday morning. We charge $8 per page for all of our pre-written reports, plus shipping (and tax for California residents). However, the highest cost of any ONE report is $136, or 17 pages. Please, take a moment. Make sure you have chosen the report you want or need BEFORE you complete your order. If you are not sure, allow us to help you. We do not offer refunds or exchanges, so it is important for you to let us answer your questions during office hours. Reports which are e-mailed or downloaded are in Microsoft Word format. We are making more reports available for e-mail delivery faster than we can update our listings. Please call to check on the status of particular reports. There are many other shipping options which are listed on the Checkout page.