THE Second World War it was one of the conflicts that marked the 20th century, on a global scale. Caught between Allied countries (France, UK, USSR, USA) and the Axis countries (Germany, Italy, Japan), this war caused the death of about 60 million people.
We can highlight some causes of this conflict that caused great destruction in several European countries:
- Great Depression;
- Dissatisfaction with the provisions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles;
- Rise of ideologies fascists and Nazis.
Causes of World War II
Let's see the main causes of WWII.
great depression
The Great Depression, also called the 1929 crisis, was the culmination of the crash of the New York Stock Exchange that marked the failure of thousands of banks in the United States.
The country's income fell by about 50%, in addition to the record of 14 million unemployed people. Americans' salaries decreased by 40%.
The economic situation of the North American country reflected the financial problems of the rest of the world, as the United States represented the center of the world economy.
France and Great Britain registered 3 million unemployed, while Italy faced 1.3 million.
Germany was the hardest hit European country in this period. It lost 39% of industrial production, in addition to 7 million unemployed people.
At the same time, the country set the highest inflationary record ever seen by the capitalist system.
Treaty of Versailles
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In addition to the economic crisis experienced by the powers of the time, Germany still felt the impacts imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, a peace agreement that ended the First World War.
By appointing Germany as the main country responsible for the war, the Treaty determined that the German state:
- Return Alsace-Lorraine to France;
- Pay billions in compensation to the winning countries;
- Surrender his colonial domains to his opponents as well as merchant ships;
- Reduce the army and access to heavy weapons;
- Ban submarines and military aviation.
Such determinations made the Germans feel humiliated and penalized by the document. With that, they began to nurture a desire for revenge for the winning countries.
Rise of Fascist and Nazi Ideologies
The 1920s were marked by the rise of fascist and Nazi ideologies in Italy and Germany, respectively.
Both were among the losing nations of the First World War. Thus, the heyday of these political movements took place in a context of economic crisis and dissatisfaction with the war's outcome.
These political ideologies had an ultra-nationalist, authoritarian and far-right tendency, in which the repression of the opposition took place through violence.
It is important to highlight the figure of adolf hitler in this context. Party leader National Socialist German Workers. Hitler reinforced the German army, which reached 800,000 men, 7 times the number stipulated by the Treaty of Versailles.
THE Austria it was the first major annexation made by the Germans, in 1936. With the justification of uniting the Aryan race, Germany also annexed the Sudetenland region in 1938.
These actions, added to Nazism, which blamed the Jews for all the evils experienced by the German people, contributed to fuel the feeling of hatred on the part of the Germans for these people as well.
Led by Hitler, World War II began with the invasion of Poland in 1939.
Learn more at:
- Aftermath of World War II
- List of exercises on World War II
- Movies about Adolf Hitler and World War II
- Brazil in World War II
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