World War II

• Paris Peace conference was held in 1919, victorious nations alone were invited.
• Defeated countries were badly treated.
• Solve mutual problems among the nations, under the initiative of the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, the League of Nations had been established.
• Ultimately led to the rise of dictatorships in Germany, Italy and Japan, formation of Rome, Berlin, Tokyo Axis led to the Second World War.

Causes of the Second World War

Treaty of Versailles

• Germany not invited to the Paris Peace Conference.
• Weimar Republic in was not in a position to solve the post-war problems.
• Second World War was a war of retaliation.

Rise of Dictatorships

• Inter-war period witnessed the rise of dictatorships.
• Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan witnessed the rise of dictators.
• Germany, the Weimar Republic was weak, Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party took full advantage captured Austria and Czechoslovakia, he attacked Poland and World War II started.
• Italy, Mussolini captured power in 1922, became a dictator.
• Spirit of dictatorship arose in Spain and Japan also.

Militarism

• Failure of the disarmament efforts, Germany was forced to disarm itself.
• Germany under the dictatorship of Hitler increased its military strength, increase in armaments and the development of militarism.

Imperialism

• Imperialism means a political system in which a rich and powerful country controls other countries (colonies) which are not as rich and powerful as itself.
• Germany and Japan, who were more imperialistic than the Allied powers.
• Hitler occupied Rhineland, Austria, Memel, Czechoslovakia and incorporated them into German territory.
• Japan attacked Manchuria & capture from china.
• Mussolini occupied Abysinia.

Colonialism

• Germany was deprived of all her colonies at the Paris Peace Conference.
• Italy was dissatisfied with the treatment of Allied Powers.
• Japan, a powerful Asiatic country wanted to have colonies to enrich its resources.
• Germany, Italy and Japan decided to follow aggressive foreign policy.

Failure of the League of Nations

• Violated the provisions simply walked out of the League, without any punishment.

Dissatisfaction of National Minorities

• Some parts of Central Europe, the problem of national minorities existed.
• Minority groups which became the hot beds of discontent and dissatisfaction.
• German annexation of Austria and Sudetenland and attack on Poland was based on this policy of reunion of National minorities.

Mutual differences of the Allies

• No collective cooperation among the Allies.
• England followed a policy appeasement towards Germany.
• France’s fear of Germany was opposed by England.
• U.S.A., the architect of the League of Nations, did not join the League.

Course of the War

• Paris Peace Conference, Poland had been made an independent kingdom. East Prussia was separated from Germany.
• Hitler wanted to unite East Prussia with Germany.
• Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Great Britain declared war against Germany on September 3. Second World War started.
• April 1940, Germany captured Denmark and Norway.
• May 1940, Holland and Belgium were conquered.
• June 1940. attacked France and captured.
• Italy fought against the British forces in North Africa. Italy attacked Greece and captured it with German support. Yugoslavia and Crete were occupied by the Germans.
• Dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Churchill saved England. Germany could not conquer Britain.
• Germany made a mistake of invading the Soviet Union, non-aggression pact. Battle of Stalingrad, invading German army was driven back.
• February 1943, 90,000 German soldiers surrendered.
• December 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbour, tragedy dragged the U.S.A. into the war.
• General MacArther, supreme commander of the Pacific region.
• Lord Mountbatten, Commander of South East Asia drove the Japanese from Burma.
• In Africa, Abyssinia was conquered by the U.S.A. from Italy, Italian Somaliland was also conquered.
• British General Montgomery captured Libya from Germans, also conquered Tripoli and entered Tunisia.
• 1943 Sicily was captured by the British and U.S. troops. North Africa was cleared of Italian and German troops.
• Mainland of Italy was attacked, revolt in Italy and Mussolini was arrested, but he managed to escape with German help.
• September 1943, Italy surrendered unconditionally.
• April 1945, Mussolini was captured and killed by his own people.
• 1944 the Allied forces entered into France and expelled the German army from France.
• Russia invaded Germany from the East
• May 1945, Russian army entered Berlin. Hitler committed suicide. Germany surrendered.
• After the surrender of Germany, Japan continued the war. USA dropped two atom bombs on Hiroshima (6th August) and on Nagasaki (9th August).
• August 1945, Japan surrendered.

13 million Europeans were killed and 17 million civilians had died as a result of the fighting.

Results of the Second World War

• 15 Million soldiers and 10 million civilians lost their lives.
• End the colonial Empire of the European countries in Asia and Africa.
• Multi-polar world became bi-polar world.
• USA and USSR emerged as Super Powers.
• Cold War started as an ideological war between USA and USSR.