World Two

The Dates That Shaped History , And the Men That Emerged As Leaders Alex Yewdell 03-16-2009 History of The Second World War Question 1 On June 28 1919 , Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles , concluding five long years of warfare . Approximately 16 million people were killed and millions more wounded . European society was in ruin and the political landscape had changed considerably . Yet out of this crucible Germany emerged stronger than ever and nearly conquered the world

World War I took a tremendous toll on all of its participants particularly

Germany . Stripped of land , money and its once powerful army , Germany was crippled . The German Armed Forces were restricted in size , recruiting , and weaponry embarrassing a country with a proud military history . Far worse , the country was vulnerable to attack with its debilitated army . Yet , in this context Adolf Hitler emerged as a dominant political leader . Relying on political supremacy , competent military leadership , and a regional political environment where pacifism prevailed Hitler was able to conquer virtually all of Europe within two decades of the Treaty of Versailles

In 1932 , Paul von Hindenburg , the second President of the German Reich moved the government in a decidedly authoritarian and right wing direction . Newly appointed Chancellor , Franz von Papen , shared Hindenburg 's desire to establish authoritarian rule and called for new elections in July . However , the President and Chancellor 's push for authoritarian rule was not strongly supported . As a result of the July and November elections , the National Socialist German Worker 's...