Origins of World War II: Path to Global Conflict
Causes of World War II
The origin and nature of the First World War created a new international order after the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty, by fostering a climate of animosity and humiliation between nations, sowed deep resentment. Many nations, like Italy and Japan, did not accept the impositions of Versailles and sought revenge.
The economic crisis of 1929 created a context of global depression, favoring the rise of fascist ideologies. Leaders like Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany pursued aggressive and expansionist foreign policies. These actions were justified by perceived economic needs (Hitler’s “Lebensraum” or “living space” theory) or by historical prestige (Mussolini’s ambition to rebuild the Roman Empire).
Furthermore, these fascist powers engaged in an intense arms race, fostering a climate of bellicose tension across Europe. The weakness of democracies and societal inaction allowed the aggressions of Nazi and fascist regimes, stimulating bellicism and ultimately leading to war.
The Road to Global Conflict
From the early 1930s, a series of aggressive military actions began against other countries:
- In Asia: Japan expanded its territory at China’s expense. In 1931, it occupied Manchuria, and in 1937, it initiated the full-scale invasion of China.
- In Africa: In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia, driven by its imperialist ambitions. In Europe, it also invaded Albania.
- In Europe: Italy and Germany intervened in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939, supporting the military uprising. France and Great Britain, however, maintained a policy of non-intervention (Pact of Non-Intervention).
- German Expansion: Germany, for its part, pursued an expansionist territorial policy, aiming to create a Greater German Empire uniting all Germanic peoples. In 1936, in contravention of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland.
Furthermore, in March 1938, Germany militarily occupied Austria (the Anschluss), extending Nazi ideologies. Months later, in September, Czechoslovakia was forced to cede the Sudetenland, a territory inhabited by a significant German minority.
France and Britain, at the Munich Conference (1938), attempted to curb Hitler’s expansionist aspirations, trusting his promises to halt further expansion. As a result, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist as an independent state: Bohemia and Moravia became a German protectorate, and Slovakia became a satellite state.
Alliances and the Outbreak of War
This expansionist policy was supported by a series of international treaties of mutual support. In 1936, Germany signed an alliance with Italy, known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. This was renewed in 1939 with the Pact of Steel. In the same year, 1936, Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan.
France and Britain had remained outside these alliances. In 1939, when Hitler demanded the Danzig Corridor (territories separating Germany from East Prussia), France and Britain pledged to Poland that they would go to war if necessary.
To prevent the USSR from allying with France and Britain to help Poland, Hitler and Stalin signed the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939). Shortly after, Germany invaded Poland (September 1939). Consequently, the Allies (France and Britain) declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of the Second World War.