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 werent 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 nations 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 didnt
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 Germanys 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 Kaisers actions. The Allies
had obviously not put themselves in Germanys 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 Germanys 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 USAs 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 leagues 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 Hitlers 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 Hitlers 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 peoples 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 Hitlers great leadership qualities and speaking skills as that had a
really great influence on the publics 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 leaders 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 USAs noninvolvement. 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 (Germanys 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 Leagues rules, you could.
Therefore, this clearly showed that self-interests of leading members like France surpassed
the Leagues 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
Germanys 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 Germanys attacks as
it has kept itself from wars like the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and Hitlers
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 Germanys 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 Hitlers 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 Germanys
rearmament, thus giving Hitler the confidence for his aggression. Similarly, scaring the USSR
was a result of Hitlers 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 Hitlers and Germanys 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 Hitlers 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 Hitlers 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 Hitlers 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 Hitlers 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
virtually 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 Eberts 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. Eberts 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 governments 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 Germanys 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. Hitlers
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 reintroduce 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 leagues failure to do solve the
problems during these two aggressions, Germany decided to test the organisation itselfit
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 Hitlers plot was a success. If the French and the League of
Nations told the Germans to retreat from the Rhineland, Hitlers 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. Hitlers 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 Hitlers last ambitious and aggressive gamble, his invasion of Poland,
triggered war. Had it not been for Hitlers 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.)
Hitlers expansionist policy was one of the major causes of World War 2. Hitler wanted to
expand Germanys 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
Hitlers 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
Britains wrath with Germany invaded Poland. The last straw broke the camels 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, Hitlers 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 Germanys power, heightening tensions between
countries. In comparison, Hitlers 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 Nations failure to stop aggression like in Rhineland were a
result of Hitlers 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, Japans main trading partner, its 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 leagues 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 Hitlers 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 Nations 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
Leagues failure to stop invasions and weakness in enforcing its decisions, and caused
smaller nations to lose their faith in the League. It was the Leagues 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.