What Caused the WWII (Essay Sample)

What Caused the WWII
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What caused WWII
The Second World War (WW II) was a global conflict involving virtually all the countries in the world including the United States of America, Japan, China, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Soviet Union, Canada, Italy, and France. Some nations decided to remain neutral as the conflict unfolded, including Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland, and Spain. WW II occurred from 1939 to 1945 (Martel, 2002). This paper will highlight the leading causes of World War II.
Failure by Germany to fulfill the reparations demanded by the treaty of Versailles significantly contributed to the return to conflict. This treaty was signed after the first world war and required Germany to take responsibility for the losses incurred during the war. Specifically, the agreement demanded Germany to return the French territories it obtained during the Franco-Prussian war (Martel, 2002). Moreover, the treaty required Germany to pay vast sums of money to compensate for the losses incurred during the first world war. Germany viewed the requirements as highly punitive and capable of destroying the nation's economy (Hehn, 2005).
The Great Depression caused mass unemployment in Germany and extreme poverty in Japan. In reaction to this, the dictatorial leaders of these countries influenced their citizens to loot from other nations, thereby contributing significantly to the start of the second world war (Hehn, 2005). Hitler was the ruler of Germany during this time and was opportunistic. He climbed to power by capitalizing on the anger held by populations in Germany over the devastating unemployment. Hitler directed the wrath of the masses towards the countries they hated and supervised looting sprees in these foreign territories (Martel, 2002).
Expansionism also contributed to the second world war as countries sought to provide land and resources to help their impoverished citizens. Italy invaded Ethiopia, while France captured territories in Manchuria (China). Germany invaded Poland on the 1st of September in 1939, and the Soviet Union joined the conflict two weeks later (Martel, 2002). Many scholars regard this invasion as the main factor that set on World War II. On December 1, 1941, Japan staged a surprise attack on the United States of America by bombing a fleet of warships i