Nicholas Borghi
Dr. Gesink
World Civilizations
11/10/17
An Analysis of the Factors Leading up to World War II

	War has historically be written by the victors, opinions and biases coming out in order to make the champion seem even more fruitful in their campaign. World War II however seems like one of the few times that we have been able to fully study both sides of a major world event without the data being distorted or influenced. It is possible to clearly examine the situations and events that led up to the second World War. Whether it be Germany breaking the Treaty of Versailles or the United States refusing to become involved for a great deal of time, we can clearly tell what happened leading up to and during the war.

	“Little by little, the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him.” – Jennifer Donnelly

	The Treaty of Versailles was made to officially end the Great War, and to make sure proper repercussions were set in place as to stop another war from happening. France and Great Britain however, also felt entitled to penance. France and Great Britain included requirements to payback all the money and resources both powers lost during the war. These were seen as awful requirements to be paid back by a recovering nation. Many people and countries (including the United States) did not agree with the treaty, with the US even refusing to sign the agreement. Political figures and journalists felt the treaty would not last.
	“We shall have to fight another war again in 25 years time."- Loyd George
	The foreshadowing of the second World War was inevitable. The provisions set on Germany were insane, and it was widely agreed that Germany could not pay off the debts that had been set upon in by the former opposing nations.

	Germany did not take the treaty lying down however, over several years we saw the rise of the powerful Nazi party. When their leader, Adolf Hitler, proceeded to intentionally break the rules laid down by the Treaty of Versailles; he was met with not fire and fury, but with appeasement. Hitler took a major gamble in reconstructing Germanies army and invading the Rhineland afterwards. If he had been met with resistance from any country during the reinstitution of his armed forces, or if France had resisted the invasion of the Rhineland, Germany and its forces probably would have fallen.

	The reintroduction of the Rhineland as well as the Sudetenland allowed for industrial production to skyrocket in Germany. The Nazi regime was able to reclaim all of their coal, steel and iron mines, refineries and forges. All of these factors allowed for Germany to strengthen their military to make even bigger and allowed for more technological advancement. After taking over these two major areas, Germany built up its Air-Force; shortly after, Germany offered both France and Great Britain a 25 year non-aggression pact. As described in BBC’s ‘Importance of the Rhineland’, “Germany had no territorial demands to make in Europe.”

	The United States, co-champion of the Great War, was reluctant to enter the fray of the second world war once it had fallen into full swing. The US was going through economic turmoil at the breakout of the war. The stock market had crashed, unemployment was at an all-time low, and people defaulted on loans; which cause the banks to lose money and the economy to crumble. This, among many other factors, is what originally prevented the US from joining the fray.

	Once the US did decide to become involved however, the economy boomed once again, essentially pulling a full 180° turn. The United States was historically being known to enter the war after the bombing of the Pearl Harbor NAVY base in Hawaii. The fact that this happened after Hitler and his Nazi regime tried so hard to keep the US neutral was a devastating blow to German morale. This would be shown as the war waged on, to be the moment that started the beginning of the end.

	Germany had tried very hard to regain its stature in the world after losing it due to losing WWI and the harsh penalties imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. You can liken the German regime to that of Icarus. Their ambitions grew too high and, so it melted the preverbal glue holding their “wings” together, and they fell into the hells cape of WWII and the post-war era. When America finally had the resources and the reasons to enter the war, Germany slowly began to fade into the loser’s corner of the arena in which they began their fight. History is written by the victors, and the victors chose to leave history as it is this time.





















Bibliography
“Higher Bitesize History - Rhineland : Revision.” BBC, BBC,
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/history/roadwar/rhine/revision/1/.

“World War II.” U-S-History, U-S-History, www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.html.

“Treaty of Versailles, 1919.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425.