Cathy Herndon
Dr. Kerr
English 101-23
20 October 2011
Causes of World War Two
World War two began in 1939, and ended in 1945. World War Two was between the allied and axis powers. The allied powers were the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The axis powers were Nazi Germany, Italy, and japan. The man causes of world war two were the failure of the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The failure of the League of Nations was a major cause of World War Two. The League of Nations came into being after the end of World war one. The League of Nation's task was simple - to ensure that war never broke out again, many looked to the League to bring stability to the world. The only way to avoid a repetition of such a disaster of World War One was to create an international body whose sole purpose was to maintain world peace and which would sort out international disputes as and when they occurred. This would be the task of the League of Nations. After the devastation of the war, support for such a good idea was great (Long Term). The League of Nations was set up keep the world at peace. However, this failed and the world went back to war.
The treaty of Versailles was another major cause of World War Two. The Treaty of Versailles was the peace settlement signed after World War One had ended in 1918. The treaty can be divided into a number of sections; territorial, military, financial and general. The following land was taken away from Germany :Alsace-Lorraine (given to France), Eupen and Malmedy (given to Belgium),Northern Schleswig (given to Denmark),Hultschin (given to Czechoslovakia), West Prussia, Posen and Upper Silesia (given to Poland). The Saar, Danzig and Memel were put under the control of the League of Nations and the people of these regions would be allowed to vote to stay in Germany or not in a future referendum. The League of Nations also took control of Germany's overseas colonies. Germany had to return to Russia land taken in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Some of this land was made into new states : Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. An enlarged Poland also received some of this land. Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war. This was Clause 231 - the infamous "War Guilt Clause". Germany, as she was responsible for starting the war as stated in clause 231, was, therefore responsible for all the war damage caused by the First World War. Therefore, she had to pay reparations, the bulk of which would go to France and Belgium to pay for the damage done to the infrastructure of both countries by the war. Quite literally, reparations would be used to pay for the damage to be repaired. Payment could be in kind or cash. The figure was not set at Versailles - it was to be determined later. The Germans were told to write a blank cheque which the Allies would cash when it suited them. The figure was eventually put at £6,600 million - a huge sum of money well beyond Germany’s ability to pay.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a main cause of World War Two. This is what brought the United States into the fight. Just before 8 on the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States, and again Congress reciprocated. More than two years into the conflict, America had finally joined World War II.
World war two was the last of the World wars. This war had many effects on the world. The main causes of World War Two were the failure of the League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
I am missing my quotes, and i need to make my conclusion and introduction better.
Cathy