Causes of World War IIFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchWorld War IIAlphabetical indicesAB C D E F! " J # $ %&' ( ) * + , - . W / 0 1234NavigationCampaignsCountriesE5uipment$ists'utline,imelinePortalCategory v t eTimelines of World War IIChronological(reludeinAsiainEurope6748474927497749:74987499749;By topicDiplomacyEngagements'perationsBattle of Europe air operationsEastern Front%anhattan (roar, +eptem=er 7, 7484Destroyer -++ Shaw e?ploding during the Attack on (earl !ar=or, Decem=er @, 7497Among the main longAterm causes of World War II >ere "talian fascism in the 74:2s, Japanese militarism and invasions of China in the 7482s, and especially the political takeover in 7488 of ermany =y !itler and his &aBi (arty and its aggressive foreign policyC ,he immediate cause >as Britain and France declaring >ar on ermany after it invaded (oland in +eptem=er 7484C(ro=lems arose in Weimar ermany that e?perienced strong currents of revanchism after the ,reaty of .ersailles that concluded its defeat in World War " in 747DC Dissatisfactions of treaty provisions included the demilitariBarion of the *hineland, the prohi=ition of unification >ith Austria and the loss of ermanAspeaking territories such as DanBig, EupenA%almedy and -pper +ilesia despite WilsonEs Fourteen (oints, the limitations on the *eichs>ehr making it a token military force, the >arAguilt clause, and last =ut not least the heavy tri=ute that ermany had to pay in the form of >ar reparations, and that =ecome an un=eara=le =urden after the reat DepressionC ,he most serious internal cause in ermany >as the insta=ility of the political system, as large sectors of politically active ermans reer in 7488 to a large part =ased on these grievances, Adolf !itler and the &aBis heavily promoted them and also ideas of vastly am=itious additional demands =ased on &aBi ideology such as uniting all ermans Fand further all ermanic peoples6 in Europe in a single nationG the ac5uisition of Hliving spaceH F$e=ensraum6 for primarily agrarian settlers FBlut und Boden6, creating a Hpull to>ards the EastH FDrang nach 'sten6 >here such territories >ere to =e found and coloniBed, in a model that the &aBis e?plicitly derived from the American %anifest Destiny in the Far West and its clearing of native inha=itantsG the elimination of BolshevismG and the hegemony of an HAryanHIH&ordicH soAcalled %aster *ace over the Hsu=AhumansH F-ntermenschen6 of inferior races, chief among them +lavs and Je>sC,ensions created =y those ideologies and the dissatisfactions of those po>ers >ith the inter>ar international order steadily increasedC "taly laid claim on Ethiopia and con5uered it in 748;, Japan created a puppet state in %anchuria in 7487 and e?panded =eyond in China from 748@, and ermany systematically flouted the .ersailles treaty, reintroducing conscription in 748; >iththe +tresa FrontEs failure after having secretly started reAarmament, remilitariBing the *hineland in 748J, anne?ing Austria in %arch 748D, and the +udetenland in 'cto=er 748DCAll those aggressive moves met only fee=le and ineffectual policies of appeasement from the $eague of &ations and the Entente Cordiale, in retrospect sym=oliBed =y the Hpeace for our timeHspeech follo>ing the %unich Conference, that had allo>ed the anne?ation of the +udeten from inter>ar CBechoslovakiaC When the erman FKhrer =roke the promise he had made at that conference to respect that countryEs future territorial integrity in %arch 7484 =y sending troops into (rague, its capital, =reaking off +lovakia as a erman client state, and a=sor=ing the rest of it as the H(rotectorate of BohemiaA%oraviaH, Britain and France tried to s>itch to a policy of deterrenceCAs &aBi attentions turned to>ards resolving the H(olish Corridor )uestionH during the summer of 7484, Britain and France committed themselves to an alliance >ith (oland, threatening ermany >ith a t>oAfront >arC 'n their side, the ermans assured themselves of the support of the -++* =y signing a nonAaggression pact >ith them in August, secretly dividing Eastern Europe into &aBi and +oviet spheres of influenceC,he stage >as then set for the DanBig crisis to =ecome the immediate trigger of the >ar in Europe started on 7 +eptem=er 7484C Follo>ing the Fall of France in June 7492, the .ichy regime signed an armistice, >hich tempted the Empire of Japan to ers and invade French "ndochina to improve their military situation in their >ar >ith ChinaC ,his provoked the then neutral -nited +tates to respond >ith an em=argoC ,he Japanese leadership, >hose goal >as Japanese domination of the AsiaA(acific, thought they had no option =ut to preAemptively strike at the -+ (acific fleet, >hich they did =y attacking (earl !ar=or on @ Decem=er7497CContentsLhideM 7 "deologies, doctrines, and philosophieso 7C7 AntiAcommunismo 7C: E?pansionismo 7C8 %ilitarismo 7C9 *acism : "nterrelations and economicso :C7 (ro=lems >ith the ,reaty of .ersailleso :C: French security demands :C:C7 (aris (eace Conference F74746 :C:C: ermanyEs reaction to ,reaty of .ersailleso :C8 Competition for resources and marketso :C9 (ro=lems >ith the $eague of &ationso :C; ,he %asonA'very De=ate: H,he Flight into WarH theory 8 +pecific developmentso 8C7 &aBi dictatorshipo 8C: *eAmilitariBation of the *hinelando 8C8 "talian invasion of Ethiopiao 8C9 +panish Civil Waro 8C; +econd +inoAJapanese Waro 8CJ Anschlusso 8C@ %unich Agreement 8C@C7 erman occupation and +lovak independenceo 8CD "talian invasion of Al=aniao 8C4 +oviet3Japanese Border Waro 8C72 DanBig crisis 8C72C7 (olish alliance >ith the Entente 8C72C: %olotovA*i==entrop (act 8C72C8 "nvasion of (olando 8C77 "nvasion of the +oviet -niono 8C7: Attack on (earl !ar=or 9 +ee also ; *eferences J Further reading @ E?ternal linksIdeologies, doctrines, and philosophies[editAnti!communism[editMain article: Anti-communismHBolshevik freedomH 3 (olish propaganda poster >ith nude caricature of $eon ,rotsky,he internationalistAminded, radical Bolsheviks seiBed po>er in *ussia in &ovem=er 747@, >ith the goal of overthro>ing capitalism across the >orldC ,hey supported Communist parties in many lands and helped set up similar regimes in !ungary and Bavaria, ABer=aiould over>helm their o>n countriesC ,he *ed e?pansion >as stopped outside Warsa> =y the (olish army, and =y 74:2 there >as a corridor of =order states est of *ussia that reever, they feuded among themselves, and such alliances they formed, like the $ittle Entente, >ere unsta=leCL7MBoth "talian and erman fascism >ere in part a reaction to international communist and socialist uprisings, in conith nationalist fears of a +lavic empireC A further factor in ermany >as the success of Freikorps Fvoluntary paramilitary groups of World War " veterans6 in crushingthe Bolshevik Bavarian +oviet *epu=lic in %unich in 7474C %any of these veterans =ecame early components of the &aBisE +A FH+tormtroopersH6, >hich >ould =e the partyEs troops in the street >arfare >ith the Communist armed militia in the decade =efore 7488C ,he street violence >ould help shift moderate opinion to>ards the need for ermany to find an antiACommunist strongman to restore sta=ility to erman lifeCL:ML8M"#pansionism[editE?pansionism is the doctrine of e?panding the territorial =ase For economic influence6 of a country, usually =y means of military aggressionC "n Europe, "taly under Benito %ussolini soughtto create a &e> *oman Empire =ased around the %editerraneanC "t invaded Al=ania in early 7484, at the start of the >ar, and later invaded reeceC "taly had also invaded Ethiopia as early as 748;C ,his provoked angry >ords and an oil em=argo from the $eague of &ations, >hich failedC-nder the &aBi regime, ermany =egan its o>n program of e?pansion, seeking to restore the HrightfulH =oundaries of historic ermanyC As a prelude to>ard these goals the *hineland >as remilitariBed in %arch 748JCL9MAlso, of importance >as the idea of a reater ermany, supporters hoped to unite the erman people under one nation state, >hich included all territories >here ermans lived, regardless of >hether they happened to =e a minority in a particular territoryC After the ,reaty of .ersailles, a unification =et>een ermany and a ne>ly formed ermanAAustria, a successor rump state of AustriaA!ungary, >as prohi=ited =y the Allies despite the maell >hile their revolutionary motivated =ackground >ere commanding an increase in propaganda, >hich led to increased tensions among the A?is po>ers and their opponents in the run up to the >arC "n addition to this, the leaders of militaristic countries often feel a need to prove that their armies are important and formida=le, and this >as often a contri=uting factor in the start of conflicts, including the aggressive foreign policy of ermany FEuropean e?pansionism6, "taly Fthe +econd "taloAA=yssinian War6 and Japan Fthe +econd +inoAJapanese War6, >hich in itself is a contri=uting factor to the World WarCL@M%acism[editMain articles: Racial policy of Nai !ermany, "e#ensraum and $rang nach %sten,>entiethAcentury events marked the culmination of a millenniumAlong process of intermingling =et>een ermans and +lavsC 'ver the centuries, many ermans had settled in the east Fe?amples=eing the .olga ermans invited to *ussia =y Catherine the reat, and the 'stsiedlung in medieval times6C +uch migratory patterns created enclaves and =lurred ethnic frontiersC ,he rise of nationalism in the 74th made race a centerpiece of political loyaltyC ,he rise of the nationAstatehad given >ay to the politics of identity, including (anAermanism and (anA+lavismC Furthermore, +ocialADar>inist theories framed the coe?istence as a H,euton vsC +lavH struggle for domination, land and limited resourcesCLDM "ntegrating these ideas into their o>n >orldAvie>, the &aBis =elieved that the ermans, the HAryan raceH, >ere the master race and that the +lavs >ere inferiorCL4MInterrelations and economics[editProblems &ith the Treaty of 'ersailles[editMain article: &reaty of 'ersaillesermany after .ersaillesAdministered =y the $eague of &ationsAnne?ed or transferred to neigh=oring countries =y the treaty, or later via ple=iscite and $eague of &ation actionWeimar ermany,he ,reaty of .ersailles >as neither lenient enough to appease ermany, nor harsh enough to prevent it from =ecoming the dominant continental po>er againCL72M ,he treaty placed the =lame, or H>ar guiltH on ermany and AustriaA!ungary, and punished them for their Hresponsi=ilityH rather than >orking out an agreement that >ould assure longAterm peaceC ,he treaty provided forharsh monetary reparations, separated millions of ethnic ermans into neigh=oring countries, territorial dismem=erment, and caused mass ethnic resettlementC "n an effort to pay >ar reparations to Britain and France, the Weimar *epu=lic printed trillions of marks, causing e?tremely high inflation of the erman currency Fsee !yperinflation in the Weimar *epu=lic6C,he treaty created =itter resentment to>ards the victors of World War ", >ho had promised the people of ermany that -C+C (resident Woodro> WilsonEs Fourteen (oints >ould =e a guideline for peaceG ho>ever, the -+ played a minor role in World War " and Wilson could not convince the Allies to agree to adopt his Fourteen (ointsC %any ermans felt that the erman government had agreed to an armistice =ased on this understanding, >hile others felt that the erman *evolution of 747D37474 had =een orchestrated =y the H&ovem=er criminalsH >ho later assumedoffice in the ne> Weimar *epu=licC,he erman colonies >ere taken during the >ar, and "taly took the southern half of ,yrol after an armistice had =een agreed uponC ,he >ar in the east ended >ith the defeat and collapse of *ussian Empire, and erman troops occupied large parts of Eastern and Central Europe F>ith varying degree of control6, esta=lishing various client states such as a kingdom of (oland and the-nited Baltic DuchyC After the destructive and indecisive =attle of Jutland F747J6 and the mutinyof its sailors in 747@, the #aiserliche %arine spent most of the >ar in port, only to =e turned overto the allies and scuttled at surrender =y its o>n officersC ,he lack of an o=vious military defeat >as one of the pillars that held together the $olchstosslegende FH+ta=AinAtheA=ack mythH6 and gave the &aBis another propaganda tool at their disposalC(rench security demands[editFrench security demands, such as reparations, coal payments, and a demilitariBed *hineland, took precedent at the (aris (eace Conference in 7474 and shaped the ,reaty of .ersailles =y severely punishing ermanyG ho>ever, Austria found the treaty to =e unhich encouraged !itlerEs popularityC ins=erg argues, HFrance >as greatly >eakened and, in its >eakness and fear of a resurgent ermany, sought to isolate and punish ermanyCCCCFrench revenge >ould come =ack to haunt France during the &aBi invasion and occupation t>enty years laterCHL77MParis Peace Conference )*+*+,[editAs World War " ended in 747D, France, along >ith the other victor countries, >ere in a desperate situation regarding their economies, security, and moraleC ,he (aris (eace Conference of 7474 >as their chance to punish ermany for starting the >arC ,he >ar Hmust =e someoneEs fault 3 andthatEs a very natural human reactionH analyBed historian %argaret %ac%illanCL7:M ermany >as charged >ith the sole responsi=ility of starting World War "C ,he War uilt Clause >as the first step to>ards a satisfying revenge for the victor countries, namely France, against ermanyC France understood that its position in 747D >as Hartificial and transitoryHCL78M ,hus, Clemenceau, the French leader at the time, >orked to gain French security via the ,reaty of .ersaillesCL78MH,he Big FourH made all the maar erman government =elieved it could accept such a =urden on future generations and survive CCCHCL79M (aying reparations is a classic punishment of >ar =ut in this instance it >as theHe?treme immoderationH F!istory6 that caused erman resentmentC ermany made its last WorldWar " reparation payment on 8 'cto=er :272,L7@M ninetyAt>o years after the end of World War "C ermany also fell =ehind in their coal paymentsC ,hey fell =ehind =ecause of a passive resistancemovement against the FrenchCL7DM "n response, the French invaded the *uhr, the region filled >ith erman coal, and occupied itC At this point the maere enraged >ith the French and placed the =lame for their humiliation on the Weimar *epu=licC Adolf !itler, a leaderof the &aBi (arty, attempted a coup dENtat against the repu=lic to esta=lish a reater erman *eichL74M kno>n as the Beer !all (utsch in 74:8C Although this failed, !itler gained recognition as a national hero amongst the erman populationC ,he demilitariBed *hineland and additional cut=acks on military infuriated the ermansC Although it is logical that France >ould >ant the *hineland to =e a neutral Bone, the fact that France had the po>er to make that desire happen merely added onto the resentment of the ermans against the FrenchC "n addition, the ,reaty of .ersailles dissolved the erman general staff and possession of navy ships, aircraft, poison gas, tanks, and heavy artillery >as made illegalCL7JM ,he humiliation of =eing =ossed around =y the victor countries, especially France, and =eing stripped of their priBed military made the ermans resent the Weimar *epu=lic and idoliBe anyone >ho stood up to itCL:2MCompetition for resources and mar/ets[editWorld map of colonialism at the end of the +econd World War in 749;'ther than a fe> coal and iron deposits, and a small oil field on +akhalin "sland, Japan lacked strategic mineral resourcesC At the start of the :2th century in the *ussoAJapanese War, Japan hadsucceeded in pushing =ack the East Asian e?pansion of the *ussian Empire in competition for #orea and %anchuriaCJapanEs goal after 7487 >as economic dominance of most of East Asia, often e?pressed in (anAAsian terms of HAsia for the AsiansCHCL:7M Japan >as determined to dominate the China market, >hich the -C+C and other European po>ers had =een dominatingC 'n 'cto=er 74, 7484, the American Am=assador to Japan, Joseph CC re>, in a formal address to the AmericaAJapan +ociety stated:the ne> order in East Asia has appeared to include, among other things, depriving Americans of their long esta=lished rights in China, and to this the American people are opposed CCC American rights and interests in China are =eing impaired or destroyed =y the policies and actions of the Japanese authorities in ChinaCHL::M"n 748@ Japan invaded %anchuria and China properC -nder the guise of the reater East Asia CoA(rosperity +phere, >ith slogans as HAsia for the AsiansOH Japan sought to remove the Westernpo>ersE influence in China and replace it >ith Japanese dominationCL:8ML:9M,he ongoing conflict in China led to a deepening conflict >ith the -C+C, >here pu=lic opinion >as alarmed =y events such as the &anking %assacre and gro>ing Japanese po>erC $engthy talks >ere held =et>een the -C+C and JapanC When Japan moved into the southern part of French "ndochina, (resident *oosevelt chose to freeBe all Japanese assets in the -C+C ,he intended conse5uence of this >as the halt of oil shipments from the -C+C to Japan, >hich had supplied D2 percent of Japanese oil importsC ,he &etherlands and Britain follo>ed suitC With oil reserves that>ould last only a year and a half during peace time Fmuch less during >artime6, this ABCD line left Japan t>o choices: comply >ith the -C+CAled demand to pull out of China, or seiBe the oilfields in the East "ndies from the &etherlandsC ,he Japan government deemed it unaccepta=le to retreat from ChinaCL:;MProblems &ith the 0eague of Nations[editMain article: "eague of Nations,he $eague of &ations >as an international organiBation founded after World War " to prevent future >arsC ,he $eagueEs methods included disarmamentG preventing >ar through collective securityG settling disputes =et>een countries through negotiation diplomacyG and improving glo=al >elfareC ,he diplomatic philosophy =ehind the $eague represented a fundamental shift in thought from the preceding centuryC ,he old philosophy of Hconcert of nationsH, gro>ing out of the Congress of .ienna F7D7;6, sa> Europe as a shifting map of alliances among nationAstates, creating a =alance of po>er maintained =y strong armies and secret agreementsC -nder the ne> philosophy, the $eague >as a government of governments, >ith the role of settling disputes =et>een individual nations in an open and legalist forumC ,he impetus for the founding of the $eague came from -C+C (resident Wilson, though the -nited +tates never er and credi=ility of the $eaguePthe addition of a =urgeoning industrial and military >orld po>er >ould have added more force =ehind the $eagueEs demands and re5uestsC,he official opening of the $eague of &ations, 7; &ovem=er 74:2,he $eague lacked an armed force of its o>n and so depended on the mem=ers to enforce its resolutions, uphold economic sanctions that the $eague ordered, or provide an army >hen needed for the $eague to useC !o>ever, they >ere often very reluctant to do soCAfter numerous nota=le successes and some early failures in the 74:2s, the $eague ultimately proved incapa=le of preventing aggression =y the A?is po>ers in the 7482sC ,he reliance upon unanimous decisions, the lack of an armed force, the a=sence of the -C+C, and the continued selfAinterest of its leading mem=ers meant that this failure >as argua=ly inevita=leCL:JMThe $ason!1very 2ebate3 4The (light into War4 theory[edit"n the late 74D2s the British historian *ichard 'very >as involved in a historical dispute >ith ,imothy %ason that mostly played out over the pages of the (ast and (resent arH had =een imposed on Adolf !itler =y a structural economic crisis, >hich confronted !itler >ith the choice of making difficult economic decisions or aggressionC 'very argued against %asonEs thesis, maintaining that though ermany >as faced >ith economic pro=lems in 7484, the e?tent of these pro=lems cannot e?plain aggression against (oland and the reasons for the out=reak of >ar >ere due to the choices made =y the &aBi leadershipC%ason had argued that the erman >orkingAclass >as al>ays opposed to the &aBi dictatorshipG that in the overAheated erman economy of the late 7482s, erman >orkers could force employers to grant higher >ages =y leaving for another firm that >ould grant the desired >age increasesG that this >as a form of political resistance and this resistance forced Adolf !itler to go to >ar in 7484CL:@M ,hus, the out=reak of the +econd World War >as caused =y structural economic pro=lems, a Hflight into >arH imposed =y a domestic crisisCL:@M ,he key aspects of the crisis >ere according to %ason, a shaky economic recovery >as threatened =y a rearmament program that >as over>helming the economy and in >hich the &aBi regimeEs nationalist =luster limited its optionsCL:@M "n this >ay, %ason articulated a (rimat der )nnenpoliti* FHprimacy of domestic politicsH6 vie> of World War ""Es origins through the concept of social imperialismCL:DM %asonEs (rimat der )nnenpoliti* thesis >as in marked contrast to the (rimat der Au+enpoliti* FHprimacy of foreign politics6 usually used to e?plain World War ""CL:@M "n %asonEs opinion, erman foreign policy >as driven =y domestic political considerations, and the launch of World War "" in 7484 >as =est understood as a H=ar=aric variant of social imperialismHCL:4M%ason argued that H&aBi ermany >as al>ays =ent at some time upon a maar of e?pansionCHL82M !o>ever, %ason argued that the timing of a such a >ar >as determined =y domestic political pressures, especially as relating to a failing economy, and had nothing to do >ith >hat !itler >antedCL82M "n %asonEs vie> in the period =et>een 748J397, it >as the state of the erman economy, and not !itlerEs E>illE or EintentionsE that >as the most important determinate on erman decisionAmaking on foreign policyCL87M %ason argued that the &aBi leaders>ere deeply haunted =y the &ovem=er *evolution of 747D, and >as most un>illing to see any fall in >orking class living standards out of the fear that it might provoke another &ovem=er *evolutionCL87M According to %ason, =y 7484, the HoverheatingH of the erman economy caused =y rearmament, the failure of various rearmament plans produced =y the shortages of skilled >orkers, industrial unrest caused =y the =reakdo>n of erman social policies, and the sharp dropin living standards for the erman >orking class forced !itler into going to >ar at a time and place not of his choosingCL8:M %ason contended that >hen faced >ith the deep socioAeconomic crisis the &aBi leadership had decided to em=ark upon a ruthless Esmash and gra=E foreign policy of seiBing territory in Eastern Europe >hich could =e pitilessly plundered to support living standards in ermanyCL88M %ason descri=ed erman foreign policy as driven =y an opportunistic Ene?t victimE syndrome after the Anschluss, in >hich the Hpromiscuity of aggressive intentionsH >as nurtured =y every successful foreign policy moveCL89M "n %asonEs opinion, the decision to signthe ermanA+oviet &onAAggression (act >ith the +oviet -nion and to attack (oland and the running of the risk of a >ar >ith Britain and France >ere the a=andonment =y !itler of his foreign policy program outlined in Mein ,ampf forced on him =y his need to stop a collapsing erman economy =y seiBing territory a=road to =e plunderedCL8:MFor 'very, the pro=lem >ith %asonEs thesis >as that it rested on the assumption that in a >ay notsho>n =y records, information >as passed on to !itler a=out the Reich-s economic pro=lemsCL8;M 'very argued that there >as a difference =et>een economic pressures induced =y the pro=lems of the Four 0ear (lan and economic motives to seiBe ra> materials, industry and foreign reservesof neigh=oring states as a >ay of accelerating the Four 0ear (lanCL8JM 'very asserted that the repressive capacity of the erman state as a >ay of dealing >ith domestic unhappiness >as some>hat do>nplayed =y %asonCL8;M Finally, 'very argued that there is considera=le evidence that the erman state felt they could master the economic pro=lems of rearmamentG as one civil servant put it in January 7492 H>e have already mastered so many difficulties in the past, that here too, if one or other ra> material =ecame e?tremely scarce, >ays and means >ill al>ays yet =e found to get out of a fi?HCL8@M5pecific developments[editNa6i dictatorship[editMain articles: Nai !ermany and Nai (arty!itler and his &aBis took full control of ermany in 7488389 F%achtergreifung6, turning it into adictatorship >ith a highly hostile outlook to>ard the ,reaty of .ersailles and Je>sCL8DM "t solved itsunemployment crisis =y heavy military spendingCL84M!itlerEs diplomatic strategy >as to make seemingly reasona=le demands, threatening >ar if they >ere not metC When opponents tried to appease him, he accepted the gains that >ere offered, then >ent to the ne?t targetC ,hat aggressive strategy >orked as ermany pulled out of the $eague of &ations F74886, reith the AngloAerman &aval Agreement, >on =ack the +aar F748;6, reAmilitariBed the *hineland F748J6, formed an alliance FHa?isH6 >ith %ussoliniEs "taly F748J6, sent massive military aid to Franco in the +panish Civil War F748J3846, seiBed Austria F748D6, took over CBechoslovakia after the British and French appeasement of the %unich Agreement of 748D, formed a peace pact>ith +talinEs *ussia in August 7484, and finally invaded (oland in +eptem=er 7484CL92M%e!militari6ation of the %hineland[editMain article: Remilitariation of the Rhineland,his coin >as minted for Ed>ard ."""C"n violation of the ,reaty of .ersailles and the spirit of the $ocarno (act and the +tresa Front, ermany reAmilitariBed the *hineland on %arch @, 748JC "t moved erman troops into the part of >estern ermany >here, according to the .ersailles ,reaty, they >ere not allo>edC France could not act =ecause of political insta=ility at the timeC According to his official Biography, #ing Ed>ard .""", >ho thought the .ersailles provision >as unnCL9:MItalian invasion of "thiopia[editMain article: Second )talo-A#yssinian .arAfter the +tresa Conference and even as a reaction to the AngloAerman &aval Agreement, "talian dictator Benito %ussolini attempted to e?pand the "talian Empire in Africa =y invading the Ethiopian Empire Falso kno>n as A=yssinia6C ,he $eague of &ations declared "taly the aggressor and imposed sanctions on oil sales that proved ineffectiveC "taly anne?ed Ethiopia in %ay @ and merged Ethiopia, Eritrea, and +omaliland into a single colony kno>n as "talian East AfricaC 'n June 82, 748J, Emperor !aile +elassie gave a stirring speech =efore the $eague of &ations denouncing "talyEs actions and criticiBing the >orld community for standing =yC !e >arned that H"t is us todayC "t >ill =e you tomorro>HC As a result of the $eagueEs condemnation of"taly, %ussolini declared the countryEs >ithdra>al from the organiBationCL98M5panish Civil War[editMain article: Spanish /i0il .ar(a=lo (icasso painted !uernica in 748@C "t >as his immediate response to the devastation caused=y &aBi =om=ers using the small Bas5ue to>n uernica for casual practice, and >as intended to illustrate =rutality and darknessC "ts >orld tour and su=se5uent fame helped to =ring the >ar to the attention of people across the glo=eCL99MBet>een 748J and 7484, ermany and "taly lent support to the &ationalists led =y general Francisco Franco in +pain, >hile the +oviet -nion supported the e?isting democratically elected government, the +panish *epu=lic, led =y %anuel ABaQaC Both sides e?perimented >ith ne> >eapons and tacticsC ,he $eague of &ations >as never involved, and the maers of the $eague remained neutral and tried F>ith little success6 to stop arms shipments into +painC ,he &ationalists eventually defeated the *epu=licans in 7484CL9;M+pain negotiated >ith ith =oth sidesC "t also sent a volunteer unit to help the ermans against the -++*C Whilst it >as considered in the 7492s and 74;2s to =e a prelude to World War "" and "t prefiguredthe >ar to some e?tent Fas it changed it into an antifascists contest after 74976, it =ore no resem=lance to the >ar that started in 7484 and had no maith (uyi, >ho had =eenthe last emperor of China, as its emperorC "n 748@ the %arco (olo Bridge "ncident triggered the +econd +inoAJapanese WarC,he invasion >as launched =y the =om=ing of many cities such as +hanghai, &anhich =egan on :: and :8 +eptem=er 748@, called forth >idespread protests culminating in a resolution =y the Far Eastern Advisory Committee of the $eague of &ationsC ,he "mperial Japanese Army captured the Chinese capital city of &anar crimes in the &anar tied do>n large num=ers of Chinese soldiers, so Japan set up three different Chinese puppet states to enlist some Chinese supportCL9DMAnschluss[editMain article: Anschluss,he Anschluss >as the 748D anne?ation =y threat of force of Austria into ermanyC !istorically, the (anAermanism idea of creating a reater ermany to include all ethnic ermans into one nationAstate >as popular for ermans in =oth Austria and ermanyC'ne of the &aBi partyEs points >as HWe demand the unification of all ermans in the reater ermany on the =asis of the peopleEs right to selfAdeterminationCH,he +tresa Front of 748; =et>een Britain, France and "taly had guaranteed the independence of Austria, =ut after the creation of the *omeABerlin A?is %ussolini >as much less interested in upholding its independenceC,he Austrian government resisted as long as possi=le, =ut had no outside support and finally gave in to !itlerEs fiery demandsC &o fighting occurred as most Austrians >ere enthusiastic, and Austria >as fully a=sor=ed as part of ermanyC 'utside po>ers did nothingC "taly had little reason for continued opposition to ermany, and >as if anything dra>n in closer to the &aBisCL94ML;2M$unich Agreement[editMain articles: Munich Agreement and Appeasement,he +udetenland >as a predominantly erman region inside CBechoslovakia alongside its =order>ith ermanyC "ts more than 8 million ethnic ermans comprised almost a 5uarter of the population of CBechoslovakiaC "n the ,reaty of .ersailles it >as given to the ne> CBechoslovak state against the >ishes of much of the local populationC ,he decision to disregard their right to self determination >as =ased on French intent to >eaken ermanyC %uch of +udetenland >as industrialiBedCL;7MBritish (rime %inister &eville Cham=erlain and !itler at a meeting in ermany on :9 +eptem=er 748D, >here !itler demanded anne?ation of CBech =order areas >ithout delayCBechoslovakia had a modern army of 8D divisions, =acked =y a >ellAnoted armament industry FRkoda6 as >ell as military alliances >ith France and +oviet -nionC !o>ever its defensive strategy against ermany >as =ased on the mountains of the +udetenlandC!itler pressed for the +udetenlandEs incorporation into the *eich, supporting erman separatist groups >ithin the +udeten regionC Alleged CBech =rutality and persecution under (rague helped to stir up nationalist tendencies, as did the &aBi pressC After the Anschluss, all erman parties Fe?cept erman +ocialADemocratic party6 merged >ith the +udeten erman (arty F+d(6C (aramilitary activity and e?tremist violence peaked during this period and the CBechoslovakian government declared martial la> in parts of the +udetenland to maintain orderC ,his only complicated the situation, especially no> that +lovakian nationalism >as rising, out of suspicion to>ards (rague and &aBi encouragementC Citing the need to protect the ermans in CBechoslovakia, ermany re5uested the immediate anne?ation of the +udetenlandC"n the %unich Agreement of +eptem=er 82, 748D, British, French and "talian prime ministers appeased !itler =y giving him >hat he >anted, hoping he >ould not >ant any moreC ,he conferring po>ers allo>ed ermany to move troops into the region and incorporate it into the *eich Hfor the sake of peaceCH "n e?change for this, !itler gave his >ord that ermany >ould make no further territorial claims in EuropeCL;:M CBechoslovakia >as not allo>ed to participate in the conferenceC When the French and British negotiators informed the CBechoslovak representatives a=out the agreement, and that if CBechoslovakia >ould not accept it, France and Britain >ould consider CBechoslovakia to =e responsi=le for >ar, (resident Edvard BeneS capitulatedC ermany took the +udetenland unopposedCL;8M-erman occupation and 5lova/ independence[editMain articles: (rotectorate of 1ohemia-Mora0ia and Slo0a* Repu#lic 23454634789"n %arch 7484, =reaking the %unich Agreement, erman troops invaded (rague, and >ith the +lovaks declaring independence, the country of CBechoslovakia disappearedC ,he entire ordeal >as the last sho> of the French and British policy of appeasementCItalian invasion of Albania[editMain article: )talian in0asion of Al#aniaAfter the erman occupation of CBechoslovakia, Benito %ussolini feared for "taly =ecoming a secondArate mem=er of the A?isC *ome delivered ,irana an ultimatum on %arch :;, 7484, demanding that it accede to "talyEs occupation of Al=aniaC #ing 1og refused to accept money in e?change for countenancing a full "talian takeover and coloniBation of Al=aniaC 'n April @, 7484,"talian troops invaded Al=aniaC Al=ania >as occupied after a 8 days campaign >ith minimal resistance offered =y the Al=anian forcesC5oviet87apanese Border War[editMain article: 1attle of ,hal*hin !ol"n 7484, the Japanese attacked >est from %anchuria into the %ongolian (eopleEs *epu=lic, follo>ing the earlier Battle of $ake #hasan in 748DC ,hey >ere decisively =eaten =y +oviet unitsunder eneral eorgy 1hukovC Follo>ing this =attle, the +oviet -nion and Japan >ere at peace until 749;C Japan looked south to e?pand its empire, leading to conflict >ith the -nited +tates over the (hilippines and control of shipping lanes to the Dutch East "ndiesC ,he +oviet -nion focused on her >estern =order, =ut leaving 7 million to 7C; million troops to guard the frontier >ith JapanC2an6ig crisis[edit,he (olish Corridor and the Free City of DanBigSee also: :ree /ity of $anig 2interwar9 and (olish /orridorAfter the final fate of CBechoslovakia proved that the FKhrerEs >ord could not =e trusted, Britain and France decided to change tackC ,hey decided any further unilateral erman e?pansion >ould=e met =y forceC ,he natural ne?t target for the ,hird *eichEs further e?pansion >as (oland, >hose access to the Baltic sea had =een carved out of West (russia =y the .ersailles treaty, making East (russia an e?claveC ,he main port of the area, DanBig, had =een made a free cityAstate under (olish influence guaranteed =y the $eague of &ations, a stark reminder to erman nationalists of the &apoleonic free city esta=lished after the French emperorEs crushing victory over (russia in 7D2@CAfter taking po>er, the &aBi government made efforts to esta=lish friendly relations >ith (oland,resulting in the signing of the tenAyear erman3(olish &onAAggression (act >ith the (iTsudski regime in 7489C "n 748D, (oland participated in the dismem=erment of CBechoslovakia =y anne?ing 1aolBieC "n 7484, !itler claimed e?traAterritoriality for the *eichsauto=ahn BerlinA#Unigs=erg and a change in DanBigEs status, in e?change for promises of territory in (olandEs neigh=ours and a :;Ayear e?tension of the nonAaggression pactC (oland refused, fearing losing de facto access to the sea, su=as signed in %osco> on August :8, 7484, =y the +oviet foreign minister .yacheslav %olotov and the erman foreign minister Joachim von *i==entropC"n 7484, neither ermany nor the +oviet -nion >ere ready to go to >ar >ith each otherC ,he +oviet -nion had lost territory to (oland in 74:2C Although officially la=eled a HnonAaggression treatyH, the pact included a secret protocol, in >hich the independent countries of Finland, Estonia, $atvia, $ithuania, (oland and *omania >ere divided into spheres of interest of the partiesC ,he secret protocol e?plicitly assumed =territorial and political rearrangements= in the areas of these countriesC+u=se5uently all the mentioned countries >ere invaded, occupied, or forced to cede part of their territory =y either the +oviet -nion, ermany, or =othCInvasion of Poland[edit,he +oviet -nion ect to which it goes? )t is for us the e@tension of the li0ing space in the Aast?HL;DM ,o deter !itler, Britain and France announced that an invasion meant >ar, and tried to convince the +oviet -nion to played along =ut foundit could gain control of the Baltic states and parts of (oland =y allying >ith ermany, >hich it did in August 7484C $ondonEs deterrence had failed, =ut !itler did not e?pect a >ider >arC ermany invaded (oland on +eptem=er 7, 7484 and reithdra> resulting in their declaration of >ar on +eptem=er 8, 7484 in accordance to the defense treaties they signed >ith (oland and pu=licly announcedCL;4MLJ2MInvasion of the 5oviet 9nion[editMain articles: %peration 1ar#arossa and So0iet offensi0e plans contro0ersyermany attacked the +oviet -nion in June 7497C !itler =elieved that the +oviet -nion could =e defeated in a fastApaced and relentless assault that capitaliBed on the +oviet -nionEs illAprepared state, and hoped that success there >ould =ring Britain to the negotiation ta=le, ending the >ar altogetherC !itler further >anted to preempt an attack =y the +oviet -nion, and in doing so catch the +oviets offAguardCAttac/ on Pearl :arbor[edit:or more details on this topic, see A0ents leading to the attac* on (earl Har#or?-sually, the -+ government and the American pu=lic in general had =een supportive of China, condemning the colonialist policies of the European po>ers and Japan in that country, and promoting a soAcalled 'pen Door (olicyC Also, many Americans vie>ed the Japanese as an aggressive or inferior race, or =othC ,he &ationalist overnment of Chiang #aiA+hek held close relations >ith the -nited +tates, >hich opposed JapanEs invasion of China in 748@ that it considered an illegal violation of the sovereignty of the *epu=lic of China, and offered the &ationalist overnment diplomatic, economic, and military assistance during its >ar against JapanC Diplomatic friction =et>een the -+ and Japan manifested itself in events like the (anay incident in 748@ and the Allison incident in 748DC*eacting to Japanese pressure on French authorities of French "ndochina to stop trade >ith China, the -C+C =egan restricting trade >ith Japan in July 7492C ,he cutoff of all oil shipments in 7497 >as decisive, for the -C+C, Britain and the &etherlands provided almost all of JapanEs oilCLJ7M "n +eptem=er 7492, the Japanese invaded .ichy French "ndochina and occupied ,onkin in order to prevent China from importing arms and fuel through French "ndochina along the +inoA.ietnamese *ail>ay, from the port of !aiphong through !anoi to #unming in 0unnanCLJ:M ,his tightening of the =lockade of China made a continuation of the dra>nAout Battle of +outh uang?i unnecessaryC ,he agreement also allo>ed Japan to station troops in the rest of "ndochina, though this did not happen immediatelyC,aking advantage of the situation, ,hailand launched the FrancoA,hai War in 'cto=er 7492C "n &ovem=er 7492, American military aviator Claire $ee Chennault upon o=serving the dire situation in the air >ar =et>een China and Japan, set out to organiBe a volunteer s5uadron of American fighter pilots to fight alongside the Chinese against Japan, kno>n as the Flying ,igersCLJ8M -+ (resident Franklin DC *oosevelt accepted dispatching them to China in early 7497CLJ8M !o>ever, they only =ecame operational shortly after the attack on (earl !ar=orCJapan stepped in as a mediator for the FrenchA,hai >ar in %ay 7497, allo>ing its ally to occupy =ordering provinces in Cam=odia and $aosC "n July 7497, as operation Bar=arossa had neutralised the +oviet threat, the faction of the Japanese military as dependent on the -nited +tates for D2 percent of its oil, resulting in an economic and military crisis for Japan that could not continue its >ar effort >ith China >ithout access to petroleum and oil productsCLJ9M'n @ Decem=er 7497, >ithout any prior declaration of >ar,LJ;M the "mperial Japanese &avy attacked (earl !ar=or >ith the aim of destroying the main American =attle fleet at anchorC At the same time, other Japanese forces attacked the -C+CAheld (hilippines and the British Empire in %alaya, +ingapore, and !ong #ongC ,hese attacks led =oth the -+A and the -nited #ingdom todeclare >ar upon Japan the ne?t dayCFour days later the -C+ >as =rought into the European >ar >hen on Decem=er 77, 7497, &aBi ermany and Fascist "taly declared >ar on the -nited +tatesC !itler chose to declare that the ,ripartite (act re5uired that ermany follo> JapanEs declaration of >arG although American destroyers escorting convoys and erman -A=oats >ere already de facto at >ar in the Battle of the AtlanticC ,his declaration effectively ended isolationist sentiment in the -C+C and the -nited +tates immediately reciprocated, formally entering the >ar in Europe