Hello readers! It's been a while since I last posted something of significance here on The Half-Pint Historian Blog and so much has happened in that time. The quarantine/stay at home executive order took effect in my state (New York) on March 20th; I'm an essential employee, working in emergency services as distribution/logistics security for my day job, so I've been working throughout this ordeal (as anyone who follows me on Instagram @mariedanielleannettewilliams would know); I've been working through the various editing stages for my upcoming book with The History Press and Arcadia Publishing, now available June 29th; my living situation has changed since the quarantine began as well. So, a lot has been going on in my personal life as of late, and I felt I needed to take a bit of a break from writing this blog for a little while. Now that things are starting to stabilize, I can return to this blog (thanks to some encouragement, and a bit of a push, from my boyfriend, my biggest fan).
This is going to be the first post in a series of posts about World War II. In this post, we'll be examining the conditions that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
World War I was given the moniker "The war to end all wars" due to its devastation. However, the terms of the war's end did not resolve the problems of the war and would lead directly to World War II. The causes of World War II were many, including the impact of the Treaty of the Versailles, a worldwide economic depression, the failure of appeasement, the rise of militarism in Germany, and the failure of the League of Nations.
*Treaty of Versailles--After World War I came to an end, the Allied Powers met to decide Germany's fate. Although not the main perpetrator of the war, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles which outlined that the nation had to accept full guilt for the war, had to pay reparations, would have to surrender territory, and would have to demilitarize. Germany, of course, was not pleased with these terms, and thus would not abide by them.
*Economic Depression--In the end of the 1920s and through the 1930s, the world was hit by an overwhelming economic depression. In an economic depression, trade is reduced, businesses close, prices fall, banks fail, and unemployment rises. During an economic crisis, the public tends to seek out strong leadership; in 1933, Adolf Hitler became Germany's leader after promising to restore Germany's wealth and power.
*Germany's Militarism--After Hitler rose to power, he immediately began secretly building up Germany's military industrial complex. Britain and France knew of Hitler's actions and rather than putting those actions in check, they believed a stronger Germany would stop the spread of communism from Russia. In 1936, Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland (southern France, where German was spoken), Austria, and the German-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia; he also made alliances with Italy and Japan, forming the Axis Powers. In 1939, Germany would invade Poland, officially causing the outbreak of World War II.
*Failure of Appeasement--Appeasement is the act of agreeing to the demands of another nation in order to avoid conflict. During the 1930s, politicians in Britain and France began to believe the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany and that Hitler's actions were understandable. This belief was the policy of appeasement. An example of this appeasement was the Munich Agreement on 1938, which allowed Germany to annex areas in Czechoslovakia where German-speakers lived. Germany agreed not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia or any other country, but broke that promise in March 1939 when Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia and in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. After Germany's invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, ushering World War II's outbreak.
*Failure of the League of Nations--The League of Nations was a sort of precursor to the United Nations; it was an international organization set up in 1919 with the intent to maintain world peace after the conclusion of World War I and the devastation is wrought on the world. The League of Nations was established so that all nations/countries would be members and that if there were any disputes between countries that diplomacy rather than force would be utilized. The formation of the League of Nations had good intentions but was ultimately a failure. Not all countries joined the League, and the League lacked an army of their own to deal with military aggression between countries, so it was essentially unable to step in and put Germany in check while Hitler's aggression towards Europe progressed.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to the causes of World War II, so be sure to keep an eye out on this blog for updates.
This is going to be the first post in a series of posts about World War II. In this post, we'll be examining the conditions that led to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
World War I was given the moniker "The war to end all wars" due to its devastation. However, the terms of the war's end did not resolve the problems of the war and would lead directly to World War II. The causes of World War II were many, including the impact of the Treaty of the Versailles, a worldwide economic depression, the failure of appeasement, the rise of militarism in Germany, and the failure of the League of Nations.
*Treaty of Versailles--After World War I came to an end, the Allied Powers met to decide Germany's fate. Although not the main perpetrator of the war, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles which outlined that the nation had to accept full guilt for the war, had to pay reparations, would have to surrender territory, and would have to demilitarize. Germany, of course, was not pleased with these terms, and thus would not abide by them.
*Economic Depression--In the end of the 1920s and through the 1930s, the world was hit by an overwhelming economic depression. In an economic depression, trade is reduced, businesses close, prices fall, banks fail, and unemployment rises. During an economic crisis, the public tends to seek out strong leadership; in 1933, Adolf Hitler became Germany's leader after promising to restore Germany's wealth and power.
*Germany's Militarism--After Hitler rose to power, he immediately began secretly building up Germany's military industrial complex. Britain and France knew of Hitler's actions and rather than putting those actions in check, they believed a stronger Germany would stop the spread of communism from Russia. In 1936, Hitler ordered German troops to enter the Rhineland (southern France, where German was spoken), Austria, and the German-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia; he also made alliances with Italy and Japan, forming the Axis Powers. In 1939, Germany would invade Poland, officially causing the outbreak of World War II.
*Failure of Appeasement--Appeasement is the act of agreeing to the demands of another nation in order to avoid conflict. During the 1930s, politicians in Britain and France began to believe the Treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany and that Hitler's actions were understandable. This belief was the policy of appeasement. An example of this appeasement was the Munich Agreement on 1938, which allowed Germany to annex areas in Czechoslovakia where German-speakers lived. Germany agreed not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia or any other country, but broke that promise in March 1939 when Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia and in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. After Germany's invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, ushering World War II's outbreak.
*Failure of the League of Nations--The League of Nations was a sort of precursor to the United Nations; it was an international organization set up in 1919 with the intent to maintain world peace after the conclusion of World War I and the devastation is wrought on the world. The League of Nations was established so that all nations/countries would be members and that if there were any disputes between countries that diplomacy rather than force would be utilized. The formation of the League of Nations had good intentions but was ultimately a failure. Not all countries joined the League, and the League lacked an army of their own to deal with military aggression between countries, so it was essentially unable to step in and put Germany in check while Hitler's aggression towards Europe progressed.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to the causes of World War II, so be sure to keep an eye out on this blog for updates.
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