HIST 405N Week 6 Discussion 2: World War II
HIST 405N Week 6 Discussion 2
HIST 405N Week 6
HIST 405N
HIST 405N Week 6 Discussion 2: World War
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What were the underlying causes of World War II? Select one event that you think irrevocably led the world (and the U.S.) to war more than any other event. Argue your selection with details that support your answer.
ANSWER
Hello Professor and Classmates,
Following the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939 (Keene, Cornell, & O'Donnell, 2013). An even that was a driving force leading to World War II was Hitler and the Nazi Party. In Germany, Hitler and the Nazi party gained power through the use of propaganda, thus many people were fed the views of Hitler. The views truly shaped the minds and ways of behavior of many people. It is important to note that Germans were desperate, hoping for an economy change capable of restoring the German national pride (Keene, Cornell, & O'Donnell, 2013). Hitler presented himself as the candidate capable of providing the German people everything and more than what they were wanting. Soon after, in 1939, Hitler became dictator of Germany (Keene, Cornell, & O'Donnell, 2013). It was not secret that Hitler was resentful about the restrictions put on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and even though many of his speeches were concerning peace, Hitler was nevertheless rearming Germany. The allies Hitler acquired were Mussolini and Italy with the idea of restoring Germany’s power by expanding his empire (Keene, Cornell, & O'Donnell, 2013). Once Hitler felt more stable, he went and took over Austria in 1938 and then went and took over Czechoslovakia in 1939 when the League of Nations di not nothing to stop him (Keene, Cornell, & O'Donnell, 2013). Even though the European countries did not want to go to war again, countries such as Italy and Germany were aggressively taking over neighbors to build armies, which were not moves toward peace. On the other hand, Britain and France wanted to maintain the peace through “appeasement”, thus they were doing everything possible to keep Germany and Hitler happy rather than stopping him because they hope that in doing so there would be no war. However, the “appeasement” only contributed to making Hitler more powerful. Other underlying causes leading to World War II were the Tripartite Treaty, Roosevelt’s neutrality, and the Japanese expansion, which can be further explained in detail as to how it contributed to the war.
References
Keene, J. D., Cornell, S., & O'Donnell, E. T. (2013). Visions of America: A history of the United States. Boston: Pearson [Show Less]