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Economic Difficulties
In 1929, the New York Stock Market crash led to the Great Depression, which affected Germany very heavily. As unemployment in Germany shot up to 33%, many joined the Nazi party of Germany. Since people in Europe had no jobs, many were led to support dictators like Hitler and Mussolini. Economic hardship led to more dictatorships throughout Europe, and dictatorships meant many countries were eager to start war. -
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Causes of World War Two
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German Rearmament
In 1933, Hitler gained power and the original government, the Weimar republic, was out. Immediately after, Hitler violated the treaty of Versailles in secret, by building up Germany's army and weapons. He also started to build an air force and warships as well. When Hitler came to power, Germany clearly was preparing for war. Hitler's move to remilitarize Germany meant they were more ready for battle, which would start eventually as World War Two. -
Night of the Long Knives
From June 30 to July 2, Hitler's Nazi party killed many politicians who opposed the Nazi party. This made the Nazi party the only strong political party in Germany, with no resistance, creating a totalitarian state. This contributed to the war since Hitler had no one to disagree with his will. He changed the soldier's oath to one which pledged loyalty to Hitler himself. With Hitler's total power, total war eventually began. -
Appeasement
In 1936, Hitler ordered 30,000 troops into the Rhineland, remilitarizing the area. At this time, Britain and France could have stopped Germany, since their army was so small. However, Britain didn't want to go to war since they thought the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh on Germany. This contributed to the war since Germany was allowed to disobey the treaty without any retaliation. They were more confident as a result, and continued to break the treaty by building up their army. -
Germany's Alliances
In 1936, Hitler made alliances with Italy and Japan, creating the Axis powers. These treaties were called the Rome-Berlin Axis pact and the Anti-comitern pact, respectively. These treaties meant that Hitler increased his military confidence since he now had several strong nations on his side. This confidence made it possible for Germany to continue being extremely agressive, and eventually intiate the war. -
Invasion of Poland
Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, taking over the country using blitzerkrieg tactics. France and Britain had not taken any military action against Germany's multiple aggressions, but now gave Germany an ultimatum: withdraw from Poland or go to war. The invasion of neutral Poland led to the war since it was the "tipping point" - the Allies were no longer able to ignore Germany. With the invasion of Poland and war being declared, the bloodiest war in human history began.
