Causes of World War Two - 2188 Words

How far was Adolf Hitler the cause of World War II World War II (WWII), the deadliest conflict of human history, stems from the following major causes—Adolf Hitler, appeasement, the Treaty of Versailles, the weakness of the League of Nations, and world economic depression. All of such factors stand amid heated historical debates between two sets of conflicting schools of thought—structuralism, otherwise known as functionalism, against intentionalism, and orthodoxy against revisionism. Although all five reasons possess significant weight in causing the Second World War, the Adolf Hitler factor exceeds the others in its importance. To begin with, Adolf Hitler is considered to be the main factor that led to the outbreak of WWII firstly†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Taylor supports the structuralist view by stating that evidence from Treaty of Brest Litovsk and Bethmann-Hollwegg Memorandum shows that Hitler’s ideas, such as Lebensraum, were essentially traditional, which implies that even if Hitler had not led Germany, the same consequences would have been elicited. Furthermore, appeasement, a policy based on the assumption that willingness to compromise would avert conflict by protecting the essential interests of nations, is regarded as another major cause of WWII. Appeasement was an increasingly prevalent theme in international foreign policies up to WWII, and Britain, which saw previous successes from Anglo-French and Anglo-Russian colonial agreements of 1904 and 1907, was most eager in adopting it as a main policy. Moreover, along with France, Britain was also given justifications to continue the policy of appeasement on the grounds of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1937 Britain launched a major initiative in which it had hoped to divert German expansion in Eastern Europe by offering Germany colonies in Africa. However, the complete failure of this approach was marked by the even accelerated pace of German expansion as seen in Anschluss and the German destruction of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Following the failure, Chamberlain, the Prime Ministe r of Britain, was bitterly accused by not only both left and right wing British historians andShow MoreRelatedCauses of World War Two Essay2042 Words   |  9 Pages When historians and common people alike look back at the Second World War, one person stands out among all of the people who had a part, Adolf Hitler. His atrocities and crimes are well documented across the world but one question which has many people puzzled is, why did the people of Germany support Hitler and his Nazi regime? Also how much were the German people to blame for the events that occurred during the National Socialist Party’s regime? Were they just to blame as HitlerRead MoreExplaining the Cause of World War Two Essay1078 Words   |  5 PagesExplaining the Cause of World War Two This statement is totally correct in that no one factor alone can sufficiently explain how the conditions needed for world war two were created. There are a great range of factors which we need to identify and show how they all link together or overlap. All these causes reinforce each other and can be split into short, medium or long term causes. 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Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forcedRead MoreWas the Treaty of Versailles the Major Cause of World War Two? 1034 Words   |   4 PagesWorld War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of mankind. It crimpled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forcedRead MoreThe Causes Of World War Two. On June, 28 1919, The Treaty763 Words   |  4 Pages The Causes Of World War Two On June, 28 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed. This treaty coupled with other factors, such as the Nazis rise to power in Germany, Europe’s policy of appeasement, and Germany’s invasion of Poland would lead to - and be direct causes of - World War II. In fact, when French military commander Marshal Foch heard of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, her observed with extreme accuracy - â€Å"This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for 20 years.† (Churchill, 7) World