Nina Govalla

World History Period 7

April 29, 2011

Many events led up to the beginning of World War II (WWII). Among these

events, were: militarism, dictatorship (Italy, Germany, and Russia), imperialism, and

America’s isolationism; but the events with the most effects included the Treaty of

Versailles, the Appeasement at Munich, and Hitler’s annexing Austria. To start off with,

the Treaty of Versailles was very unfair. It was especially unfair towards the Germans. It

left the Germans in huge debt, chaos and destruction. It made most German feel ashamed

of being Germans. Because of the debt, Germans started printing money which led to

huge inflations in the economy. Germans started feeling angry towards the world due to

because of the bad effects of the Treaty of Versailles. When people are desperate to the

point of panic, they do not see reasoning between what is right or wrong. So it was no

surprise that when Hitler came along with promises of a better future: a good, stable

economy, nationalism, and protection: many Germans supported his views. And Hitler

was the person who started WWII. Furthermore, when Hitler annexed Austria, it should

have been a red flag to Britain and France. Hitler walked into Austria with his army and

completely took over the country. At this point Britain and France should have realized

how powerful Hitler was and they should have made efforts to stop Hitler. If they had

realized that earlier and joined forces, they would have had a greater chance of defeating

Hitler without so many deaths and injuries. Last but not least, the Appeasement at

Munich gave Hitler all the confidence he needed to gain so much power. Hitler said that

he had not expected Britain and France to allow him to gain Sudetenland. Therefore it
showed him how weak they were. By giving Hitler this appeasement, they encourage him

to keep asking because he realized then that they were willing to give him anything in

other to keep peace in Europe. In conclusion a large number of events led to WWII but

the events that had the most impact were the Treaty of Versailles, the Appeasement at

Munich, and Hitler’s annexing of Austria.