Intro International Relations

Thirty years War thesis

States that WWI and WWII was on long war, with a respite in between

Period between 1920-1938

 economic disruptions

- food shortages

- foreign debt

- political turmoil

- Russian and German revolution

- rise of communism and fascism

Geopolitical change after WWI

New Baltic countries form, but they are weak, and face bitter enemies

Treaty of Versailles (1920)

Germany forced to give up land and pay reparations, faced demilitarisation, and are labelled the aggressors

Ruhr occupation

military occupation of the German Ruhr valley by France and Belgium to demand Germany's reparations. Led to hyperinflation in Germany

Long term causes of WWII - Social constructivism: Grievance narratives in other countries

Japan's racial equality clause rejected

- Italy denied promised land

- League of Nations membership

Long term causes of WWII - Social constructivism: Grievance narratives in Germany

Germans believed they were winning the war

- They agreed to the Treaty based on Wilson's 14 points

- Military blames Jewish civilian leaders

- Humiliation from the "war guilt clause"

Long term cause of WWII theory

Thirty years war thesis

What does the exclusion of Germany and Russia from the LoN lead to?

Germany and Russia reconcile and sign the Treaty of Rapallo in 1922 which redistributed Baltic states and enabled Russia to help Germany remilitarise

Long term causes of WWII - Defensive realism

fear from Germany of other nations grows due to demilitarisation, and the Treaty of Versailles' intention to keep Germany down and leads to the security dilemma

Long term causes of WWII - Offensive realism

Fear from Germany leads to power maximisation

Medium term causes of WWII - antithesis of the thirty years war theory

there was economic improvement and political reconciliation

- Locarno Treaty 1925

- Introduced feasible reparation payment plan

- Germany joined LoN

Medium-term causes of WWII - Great Depression

1929 stock market crash

- Beggar-thy-neighbour policies

- World trade falls

- LI = no institutions to manage crisis

- SC = economic anger facilitates Hitler's rise

Medium-term causes of WWII - Liberal Institutionalism

Failure of League of Nations

- Every member had veto power

- No enforcement

- Japan, Germany, and Italy exit League

Short-term causes of WWII - Social Constructivism

 Great Depression leads to anger which builds support for Hitler and Nazi party

- Germany exploits Norms of self-determination and invades several countries

- Germany invades Poland in 1939

Munich agreement: Sudetenland

Hitler wants part of CZ which is populated by German speakers, so claims it through norms of self-determination. Europe allows this in hope that Hitler will stop expansion after

Theory of appeasement

Aggressors cannot be appeased, and instead are encouraged to go further

Locarno Treaty, 1925

Germany accepts the French-Belgian border but it does not solve border disputes in Eastern Europe

"Beggar-thy-neighbour" policies and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

Countries improve their own economies at the expense of others by raising tariffs

Operation Barbarossa

Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the USSR during WWII.

Short-term causes of WWII - Agent Based Constructivism

Hitler comes to power in 1933 and deconstructs democracy

- Wants to be self-sufficient in terms of food, and requires more land to do so

- Autarky: economic self sufficiency

- Lebensraum: living space for the Aryan race

- Seizes Austria and CZ

Short-term causes of WWII - Domestic Politics (US involvement)

Isolationist policies from America due to America First (interest group) allows Hitler to continue

- USA considers USSR primary threat, not Hitler

- Rife antisemitism

- 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour