Causes of World War II

Causes of World War II Causes of World War II The myriad , almost incalculable , aggregate of political , economic technological , and cultural events that led to the outbreak of World War Two are , like any events associated with profound epochs in human history , difficult to apprehend and delineate . However , the complex and labyrinthine tangle of historical events which led to the outbreak of World War Two , when considered from a more broad and general perspective , reveal a simple enough line of historical evolution based upon readily comprehensible factors , such as imperialistic expansion

br military and technological preparedness , and policies of international political appeasement . Viewed from a broad perspective , these factors subsume many of the more esoteric , if no less important , occurrences which contributed to starting the war

No discussion of the causes of World War Two can be properly executed without giving just and attentive concern to the aftermath of World War One , which left Europe in a state of economic , military , and political turmoil . The excessive war-fines and peace-conditions imposed on Germany after the end of World War One are well-known and contributed greatly to the impoverishment of the German population and , consequently , the rise of National Socialism . However , an important key-stone of the Third Reich was the Prussian military staff and tradition --- particularly what came to be known as the German General Staff , the administrative and strategic arm of Hitler 's soon to be born war-machine

If the Treaty of Versailles engendered German bitterness and unrest after the close of World War One , the roots of German militarism lay much further back in history

The Prussian militarism started with Friedrich Wilhelm I "The soldier king " of Prussia (1713-1740 , then a small kingdom around Berlin , and developed for over 200 years , making Prussia one of the most militarist countries in history "A military that has a state . Prussia was an efficient and strictly disciplined military-oriented state , with a militarist mentality and the world 's most effective army . Prussia typically spent 65 - 85 of its budget on its military , an enormous spending (Noy , 2007

Causes of World War II page -2- Thus , the will toward military expansion and a nation-state founded on military conquest can be viewed as traditional to that point in history by the German people . The rise of Hitler and National Socialism can then be regarded , partially , as an outgrowth of this far-reaching historical and cultural identity among the German-Prussian people . Hitler 's subsequent campaigns of military conquest are a logical outgrowth of this tradition . To a large degree , Hitler 's campaigns

in war took root from the devastating consequences for Germany after World War One . However , if Prussian militarism enabled his rise to power , European appeasement and ambivalence , more than any other single factor , assured the outbreak of war

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933 he had already divulged most of his far-reaching plans for war in Europe and especially for war in the east , against Russia . Also divulged was his violent antisemiticism and his...