Why was there a WWII?

World War II occurred for several reasons. One reason was the anger the resulted as a result of the harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty. This treaty really punished Germany. Germany had to pay $33 billion in reparations. They had to accept the responsibility for World War I. They also had their military capability greatly weakened. Germany also lost some land. Germans were angry at these harsh terms, and Adolf Hitler tapped into this anger to get revenge. Plus, the huge reparations cost helped create a severe depression in Germany. This contributed to the failure of the democratically elected government. Italy also felt it didn’t get enough land from then Versailles Treaty. Benito Mussolini promised to restore Italian pride and return Italy to the glory days of the Roman Empire.

In the 1930s, Great Britain, France, and the United States ignored the aggressive actions of Germany, Japan, and Italy. They also ignored the violations of the Versailles Treaty that occurred. When Germany began to violate the Versailles Treaty, the Allies did nothing about these events. When Germany, Japan, and Italy became aggressive and began to invade other countries, the Allies remained silent. When the Allies eventually took action, it was too late. The Munich Pact, negotiated by the British and French, failed to stop Germany’s aggressive actions. When Great Britain and France said that any more aggressive actions would lead to war, the stage was set for World War II to begin. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Just twenty-one years after World War I had ended, World War II began.