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Causes of the Second World War Essay example

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Causes of the Second World War

War was declared by Britain and France on Germany, September 1939. World War II lasted for six years killing millions; injuring and traumatising many more. Two decades earlier, World War I had taken place also killing, injuring and traumatising millions.

How was it that even with the creation of the Treaty of Versailles aiming to limit Germany's power and prevent another war; twenty years later Europe was once again plunged into chaos.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party with their aggressive policies and actions, in my opinion, are to blame for the war. However, many others are responsible for allowing Hitler and Germany to be in this position and infact, the Treaty of Versailles, aiming to prevent …show more content…

Hitler also, chiefly through propaganda, attempted to increase Germany's birth rate; perhaps preparing for a much later war or great losses. He also started the 'Hitler Youth' where young boys were indoctrinated with Nazi ideas and trained to fight and accept war. Hitler thought Germany had lost W.W.I as they had to rely on other countries for war materials and this is why he wanted to achieve autarky (self-sufficiency) in Germany. His introduction of the four year plan seems to us to be an obvious way of Hitler saying he wanted a war.
The plan aimed to make Germany self-sufficient in war materials such as steel, rubber and oil.Infact, the amount of money invested into the industry and military meant Germany needed a war to stop its economy from collapsing (one can rape a country of its materials once it has been conquered). Hitler taking the Rhineland and annexing of the Sudetenland, although aggressive, was reasonable as both contained mainly Germans.
His 'pressurised' take over of Czechoslovakia however was a lot different as it contained few Germans. It was not a reversal of the Treaty of Versailles but Hitler's first strive for Lebensraum. The final straw was Hitler's 'Blitzkrieg'(lightning war) of Poland. France and Britain thought that Hitler had overstepped the line in his take over of Czechoslovakia, so they stated

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