Causes of wwii

unsustainable peace

• wwi was ended with treaty of versailles b ut it was extremely unfair to germany and italy

• italy

  • bitter because they didn’t get the land they were promised for switching sides

• germany was gutted

  • reparations required to be payed to the victors

    • led to hyperinflation

  • demilitarization

  • war guilt clause

continued imperialsm

• japanese expansion into china nad manchuria

• italy wanting more power and expanding in africa

• hitler’s germany

  • claimed lands taken from them (rhineland and sudetenland)

    • wanted lebensraum

  • appeasemnt polciy of britain showed htiler he could do whatever without consequences

economic crisis

• great depression

• many unemployed and hungry, and thus authoritarians easily took power

rise of fascist and totalitarian regimes

• soviets

  • communist state

  • stalin in power

  • he wanted the whole world to be communist

• fascism

  • political philosophy characterized by extreme nationalism, authoritarian leadership, and militaristic means to achieve goals

  • mussolini easily established power in a tired italy

  • people suffering welcomed it

• germany

  • fascist to the max

  • hitler and nazis

  • defined his common enemy: the socialists, communists, and jews

  • policies

    • cancel reparation payments

    • remilitarize germany (violating treaty)

    • territorial expansion for lebensraum

    • impure races (eliminate inferiors)