Causes Of The Second World War

Germanys rearmament alarmed the French who, were still weary of the Germans, reinforced the Maginot line (built between 1929 and 1934). This was a line of steel and concrete forts starting in Belgium and stretching to Switzerland.

Some called it 'a gate without a fence' because Germany would be able to avoid it and invade France via Belgium. France were reluctant to go to war without Britain's full support.

Europe expected Communism to spread if nothing was done because Marx (the inventor of Communism) said it was to be spread all over the world.

In 1935 Franco Mussolini (The Italian fascist) invaded Abyssinian in an effort to make an empire for himself in Africa and The Mediterranean. This gave Hitler a chance to take the Rhineland with minimal resistance from the western world.

Hitler broke The Treaty Of Versailles again in 1936 when he reclaimed the Rhineland. Nothing was done as The First World War had left many dead and Europe did not wish to go through it all again.

The British Prime minister, Neville Chamberlin (shown on left) travelled to Germany to make an appeasement with Hitler. He would allow Hitler to take some land in return for peace. Some say Neville Chamberlin knew Hitler would not stick to this but that he was merely buying time for Britain's empire to get ready. Chamberlin aloud Hitler to take over the Sudatenland then later the rest of Czechoslovakia.

The appeasement took place from May of 1937 to March of 1939.

Churchill (Britain's future Prime Minister) had noticed the line 'Germany must regain lands in the East ... by the power of the sword' in Hitler's book Mein Kampf and expected a war.

France was unlikely to try and interfere with The Nazis because they couldn't rely on Britain and America's support. Has they tried these three forces could of probably stopped The Second World War before 1939.

Another reason for the Second World War was The League of Nations. This was an organisation, formed after World War 1, slightly similar to the U.N today. The major problem with the League of Nations was that all countries had to agree to war for it to happen. The United States Of America, who has created the League of Nations, refused to take part in it. They decided it was a too bigger waste of lives to go to war with Germany.

On the 28th of September 1938 The Munich agreement was made, this was supposed to prevent Hitler from entering the Sudetenland. It also stated that Britain and Germany would never go to war. Among others Hitler and Chamberlin signed it.

In 1939 Hitler had his sights set on Poland but Britain's vow that's they would come to Poland's aid was too greater risk for Germany alone to take. Hitler decided to form a Nazi-Soviet pact with the Communists. He offered the east of Poland to the Communists if they turned a blind eye to the taking of Poland. Also the agreement meant that either side would stay neutral in the case of a war with the western world.

In March 1939 Hitler forced Lithuania to give him Memel (where most people spoke German). The British Appeasement Policy could still work as long as Hitler took German-speaking places.

Soon after Hitler threatened to bomb Prauge (The Czechs capital city) so they surrendered. Czechoslovakia is not a German-speaking place, so The Appeasement Policy had failed. Chamberlin began to rearm Britain.

Hitler soon did take control of Poland, in September of 1939, using the 'blitzkreig' technique. This is a bombardment by air first and then land forces.

By September the third Chamberlin sent a message threatening war with Germany if Hitler did not leave Poland. On 3rd September, Britain, followed by France, declared war on Germany.

As my conclusion I would say that Adolf Hitler's views and obsessions were mostly to blame for The Second World War. Although other factors which include the British and French passiveness to start another war and the worlds fear of Communism are also partly to blame. All in all Hitler and The Nazi party were looking for a war, The western world was not, this is why The Nazis are more to blame than Britain, France and America.