Running head: CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II

Causes and Effects of World War II

Caroline Jarvis
Mrs. Disher
December 19, 2014
First Colonial High School

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II

Abstract
World War II had a lot of drastic effects on the world we know. World War II lasted from
1939 to 1945; many countries were in ruins from the bombings of their enemies and had to be
aided with money or manual labor. The countries that were members of the Allies were France,
Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China to a lesser extent. The members of
the Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan. The main offender was Germany, whose leader,
Adolf Hitler, tried to exterminate every Jew alive. They tortured and killed millions of Jews and
invaded Czechoslovakia although they promised that they wouldnt invade it. But the Jews were
not the main reason for the World War II; every country fighting in this war was trying to
compete for global domination and to be the world leader. This war had both good and bad
effects on the world; Japan was in ruins from bombings, England needed the aid of the United
States because of the 1940 blitz, and the United States became the leading military power and
were in the position of being the world leader.
Keywords: World War II, Germany, United States, invasion, world powers, allies, axis
powers

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II

Causes and Effects of World War II

World War II had a lot of major causes and effects, like most issues in the world. This war
was caused by Germanys invasions and their refusal to listen to the other world powers. France
and Great Britain declared war on Germany in September of 1939, after Germany invaded
Poland. This caused more of the world powers to get involved in the war, which ended up being
about which power would become the world leader by winning the war.
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the treaty that put an end to World War I. It was negotiated
among the Allied Powers (France, Germany, United States, and the Soviet Union) with little
input from Germany. This treaty created a new League of Nations, but did not allow Germany to
join until 1926. It also reassigned Germanys boundaries and stripped Germany of all of its
colonies. It [also] reduced Germanys armed forces and restricted certain weapons and gave them
financial obligations they had to follow.
Germany didnt want to agree to the Treaty of Versailles, since they found it very unfair
and restricting to their country. The treaty was enforced rigorously and the financial obligations
they had to follow eventually forced Germany into an era of depression. When Adolf Hitler came
to power, he denounced the entire treaty, overturned the reassignment of boundaries and invaded
Poland in 1939. This marked the beginning of World War II.
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was an agreement that permitted Germanys annexation of
Czechoslovakia; the Munich Agreement occurred before Germanys invasion of Poland. The
major powers of Europe met and tried to appease Germany, but ended up failing when Adolf
Hitler broke the agreement. He planned the invasion of Czechoslovakia, but neither Great Britain

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II

nor France were ready to defend Czechoslovakia. Since they wanted to avoid war, Hitler,
Chamberlain, Mussolini, and Daladier all met in Munich to sign the Munich Agreement. France
and Great Britain told Czechoslovakia that they could either fight Germany alone or submit to
them, and Czechoslovakia chose to submit themselves.
The next year, Hitler proceeded to annex the rest of Czechoslovakia and began World
War II in September, by invading Poland.
League of Nations Failed
The League of Nations was formed shortly after the end of World War I, and was made to
prevent war from breaking out between the nations. Since the Treaty of Versailles didnt seem to
please everyone, it helped to stabilize issues between countries. Since the gore and bloodshed of
the first World War horrified most people, they didnt want to repeat this mistake and chose to
make an international body to keep the peace and to ensure that something like World War I
would never happen again.
However, they seemed to fail in their goal. Their actions leading up to World War II
werent well thought out and completely ruined the idea of an international body to keep the
peace. Not only did they refuse to let Germany join until 1926, but they had absolutely no power
in international affairs, no army, and they didnt have the ability to act quickly, since everyone
had to agree on what to do on the issue. Because of this, they could not prevent World War II
since it happened so quickly and there was no way of defending so many countries in so little
time.
Effects of World War II
World War II ended when the Allied Powers (France, Great Britain, the United States,
and the Soviet Union) managed to defeat Germany, but it came with both consequences and

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR II

rewards. To keep Germany in line, the Allied Powers decided to split Germany into four different
zones, one for each of the Allied Powers. Not only was Germany a mess, but Japan was in ruins
because of the nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombs were created and
dropped by the United States, in order to get Japan to surrender and finally end World War II for
good. It killed many people, but it also brought an end to one of the worst wars in history.
Japan was not the only country bombed, though. Great Britain had to be aided by the
United States because of the bombings during the 1940 blitz. The 1940 blitz was an attempt by
Germany to get Great Britain to surrender to them, but Great Britain remained strong. Because of
their victory and great power in World War II, the United States soon became the leading military
power and found themselves in the position of world leader.
Conclusion
World War II had many unfortunate causes and drastic effects on the world; it started with
Germany not being happy with the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler breaking the terms of the Munich
Agreement, the invasion of Poland, and the League of Nations failing to go through with their
duties and responsibilities. What effects did the war have on the world? After the war, Germany
was divided into four zones for each of the nations of the Allied Powers, Japan was in ruins after
two bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Great Britain had to be aided by the
United States after the disaster of the 1940 blitz, and the United States became even more
powerful and known as the leading military power and world leader.