Context of the Second World War | History for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Context of the Second World War - Timeline & Summary

• The Second World War started when Germany invaded Poland on September 3, 1939, just 21 years after the end of the First World War. Germany was allied with Italy and Japan, forming the Axis powers. Britain and France united as the Allies. In August 1939, the USSR signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The USSR joined the Allies in 1941 when Germany broke the pact and invaded Russia. The USA entered the war in December 1941 following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, joining the Allied forces.
• There are different historical perspectives on why the Second World War began in 1939. The orthodox view is that Hitler caused the war. Many historians argue that Hitler’s foreign policy was deliberately aggressive. They claim he followed a strategic plan for expansion in the 1930s, violating the Treaty of Versailles through the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the Anschluss with Austria. These historians believe Hitler prepared for the possibility of war, as evidenced by Germany’s extensive rearmament program.
• Another perspective on the Second World War criticizes other world leaders. Revisionist historians argue that Hitler did not intend to start a war. They claim he was a typical German leader in his foreign policy aims and was an opportunist. The Great Depression in the 1930s increased support for the Nazi Party. Major League of Nations members, such as Britain and France, lacked the resources or willingness to oppose aggressive nations, rendering the League weak. Many leaders exploited this weakness: Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, and Italy claimed Abyssinia in 1935. In an environment of militarism and nationalism, Hitler’s actions did not stand out and were similar to those of other extremist or autocratic leaders. Revisionist historians believe the Treaty of Versailles caused the war, being harsh enough to make many Germans resentful yet weakly enforced, allowing Germany to rebuild its power.
• Some historians believe elements of both arguments. They argue that Hitler was a strategist with clear foreign policy aims, but he would not have achieved these aims without the weakness of European leaders and the failure of the League of Nations.

Causes and Consequences of Hitler's Foreign Policy