Causes Of the War

Course of the War

WORLD WAR II
THE WAR:
 The First World War was one of the greatest catastrophes that befell
upon the human civilization taking into account the unscrupulous use of
mechanical arms and ammunitions and large scale loss of life and
property, both civilian and military. The production and use of huge
destructive armaments by different countries with their ideological conflict
and political rivalry shook the very foundation of human civilization.
Disarmament was taken to be an effective tool of reduction or elimination
of armaments so as to restrict the means of military attack by one nation
against another. The League of Nations took the baton in her hands in
this regard launching under guidance different disarmament attempts to
shed the post-war tensed nations the fear of another global war to the
tune of World War I.
THE WAR : AN INTRODUCTION
 Largely dissatisfied on the allied powers due to different
reasons, the aggressor countries like Germany, Italy and Japan
resorted to a series of aggressions upon other countries.
 Threat of Russian communism stood as a serious challenge before
England, France and the USA which compelled them to be
passive towards such activities, encouraged the aggressors
directly or indirectly.
 Hence, during the thirties of the 20thcentury England, France
and the USA followed the policy of appeasementto solve their
foreign policy dilemmas. It is said that this policy was based on
wrong assumptions and should have been abandoned as soon
as the designs of Axis powers became clear.
CONTI…
 At the threshold of 1930 there dawned a new phase of world
crisis or “collapse of peace. The trend of aggressive power politics
could be exhibited in Japan’s aggression on Manchuria; Italy’s rape
on Ethiopia; and Germany’s high-handedness and onslaughts on
Czechoslovakia, Spain and finally on Poland which brought the
European peace to a virtual whirlwind and the whole world tottered
on the brink of a global warfare. Nobody even had ever thought
of “Spanish Civil War” or the so called “Little World War”
confined only to the outskirts of a tiny country like Spain which
would come about in 1936 dragging and relapsing Italy and
Germany on one hand and Soviet Union, Britain and France one the
other to her menace-packed heartland and would be a prelude to
the World War II.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR:
 In the Wilsonian estimate, the First World War was a “war to end all
wars” and U.S.A. fought the war to save democracy for the world.
 The Treaty of Versailles was the beginning of another global war, for
towards 1939, the entire Europe got ready for another world war, the
war-syndrome was beaten enveloping the world in a cataclysm of World
War II and plunged the humanity into a catastrophe of most inhuman
type.
 No doubt, the naked invasion of Hitler on Poland acted as catalyst for the
war. However, it was not the principal cause of the war, as the
Sarajevo murder was not the chief cause of the World War I. Many
factors worked underneath for the onset of the World War II.
THE WAR: (CAUSES)
The Marxist scholars and believers in Leninism uphold the view that
the highest stage of capitalism is imperialism. Under the principle of the
capitalistic set up, with its chaotic competitions, planless production,
unnecessary duplication, useless vocations and huge unemployment, war
was a necessary concomitant. The capitalism expands and the capitalistic
nations search for new colonial satellites for their raw materials, sale of
finished goods and investment of their profit. Naturally, out of competition
war is fought amongst the nations and the Second World War is such a
war.
The other theory advocated by Sir Norman Angel is that the World
War II was an inescapable corollary of anarchy of sovereign states. Each
nation for its own safety resorts to armed strength and claims a kind of
security which it attempts to deny others.
CONTIN….
However, besides these two theoretical observations which
acted as the undercurrent causes of World War II, there
are innumerable causes and circumstances which drove the
world into the vortex of war Each nation believes in the
sanctity of its own laws and pays scant respect to the laws
of others. Scant respect paid to the majesty of
International Law to regulate the interest of nations, is
therefore, another cause which results in occasional
international disorder. Militarism holds sway and it
ultimately leads to the eruption of a destructive war,
which precisely happened on the eve of World War II
 Causes
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PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES

 Germany complained against the Allies, for while all German colonies were
taken away, they did not adhere to their principle of “a free-open minded and
absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims”.
 She was disarmed without similar reciprocal disarmament on anybody’s apart.
 Above all, the economic strangulation of Germany by imposing upon her a
staggering amount of indemnity was indefeasible.
 the unnecessary humiliation to which the German delegation was subjected.
 Besides Germany, Italy was also highly provoked by the provisions of the
Paris Peace treaty and it is cynically told that Italy had won war, but lost
peace.
 Japan wishes and aspirations were thwarted at the Washington Conference. So
she also wanted to revive herself and emerge as a powerful nation in the Far
East.
DISCONTENTS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES

 There was grave dissatisfaction amongst the national minorities on

account of the iniquitous terms of peace imposed on the vanquished
nations.
 Political considerations of the peacemakers resulted in the inclusion
of several nationalities within the boundaries of the state carried out
by the peace treaties.
 As a result fierce discontent developed among the minority races in many
states. The intermixing of two nationalities in one state gave Hitler a
convenient opportunity to bargain with the western democracies and
this led Hitler ultimately to annex Austrian Sudetenland and finally
the invasion of Holland on the ground of alleged Polish
maltreatment of minorities. This sparked the World War II.
FAILURE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS :

 “Dishonored daughter of a disrepute mother”

 While Germany, Japan and Italy went on flouting
the treaties, the small nations could not trust the
efficacy of the League of Nations and thus, the
utter failure of the League to act as the torch-
bearer sssof peace drove the world into the
cauldron of another global war.
RISE OF EXTREME NATIONALISM IN ITALY, GERMANY AND JAPAN :

 Another cause of the war was the rise of extreme nationalism in Italy, Germany and Japan coupled
with sheer communism and jingoism which ultimately sounded the death-knell of the European
peace, heralding thereby the destructive World War II.
 under Mussolini’s hegemony, Italy began to think of reviving the glory of the old Roman Empire and
embarked on an avowed mission of imperialism. She annexed Abyssinia and in Spain, the Italian volunteers
placed General Franco in the saddle which was a rehearsal of the World War II. To strengthen her
position Italy joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937 and concluded a ten years’ alliance with
Germany in 1939. Both the countries agreed to help each other if any one of them was involved in war.
 In Germany, the extreme nationalism found its chauvinistic crystallization in the shape of Nazism under
Hitler who created a myth of Aryan superiority and paid little attention towards the international
obligations and treaties. Germany’s conquest of Austria coupled with the dismemberment at her hands of
Czechoslovakia, the murder of democracy in Spain and finally, Germany’s unprovoked assault on
Poland were the veritable symptoms of German chauvinism and extreme militarism.
 Though Japan had signed the Nine-Power Treaty at Washington in 1921, her leaders could not
forget the fact that the occupation of Manchuria by Japan would strategically afford them a
peculiarly favorable base for the offensive and defensive operations against any powerful country like
China or Russia.
CONFLICT F IDEOLOGIES

 Conflict of ideologies between dictatorship on one hand and democracies

on the other led to inevitable clash. Germany, Italy and Japan
propounded one kind of ideology, while Great Britain, France and the
United States propounded the other. In between these two kinds of
ideologies stood the proletariat dictatorship of Soviet Union.
 In between the two world wars, the
 democratic states were designated as the “Haves” and they had no
 expansionist aims. On the other hand, the Axis Powers were designated as
 the ‘Haves not”. They demanded more space under the sun. Japan was
land-hungry and she desired expansion in the Far East. The same was the case
with Germany and Italy. Germany not resented over the loss of her
former colonies, was also demanding more territories for her national
prestige and economic prosperity.
FAILURE OF DISARMAMENT EFFORTS

 the collective security system proved to be myopic and the nations

could not pinfaith on the system of collective security, that is why,
they made a horrible rat-race for rearmament in violation of Article
8 of the covenant. Even Germany which was virtually clipped for
rearmament entered into the arms race and in 1935 introduced
conscription. Germany called upon the Allied Powers to disarm
themselves in the same way as they had made others to disarm. But the
attitude of France was “Security first disarmament afterwards”. The
refusal of the Allied Powers to disarm themselves gave Hitler the
opportunity to arouse the national sentiment of his countrymen by
asserting that “rearmament was the only way to power and fulfillment
of national aspirations”. It was the German rearmament under the
Nazis that ultimately led to the war of 1939
POLICY OF APPEASEMENT

 The last but not the least factor that went a long way in heralding
the war was the policy of appeasement pursued by the western
democracies towards the Fascists, arch-militarists and first rate
imperialists. The western democracies were very much obsessed with
the phobia of Bolshevism and made a calculation that the rise of Nazism
and Fascism would eat into the vitals of Bolshevism. Therefore, the
western democracies pursued a policy of appeasement towards
Germany, Japan and Italy and while they flouted the provisions of
the peace treaty of Versailles, the western powers did not try whole-
heatedly to checkmate the forces of militarism. Thus, the policy of
sappeasement that pondered to the imperialism of Hitler and
Mussolini sang the swansong of the treaty of Versailles and heralded the
war.
ECONOMIC REASONS

 Economic factors also lay at the root of the Second World War. It
sswas a struggle for raw-materials, markets for exports and colonies
for growing population. Germany, Italy and Japan took the lead in
voicing their economic grievances. Germany was thoroughly
frustrated at the redistribution of territories after the war. She was
deprived of all that she had and Italy also felt that she was not
rewarded justly by the victors. Like Germany and Italy, Japan also was
poor in natural resources and at the same time she was facing the
problem of ever-increasing population. In fact, Germany, Italy and
Japan were unsatiated countries. Common economic factor brought
Germany, Italy and Japan together; and they embarked upon a
course of aggression which ultimately led to a global war in 1939.
RISE OF TWO RIVAL CAMPS
 As before the First World War more than one rival
system of ssalliances divided the whole world into
two main armed camps, the same was true on the
eve of the Second World War. By 1937 two systems
of alliances grew up in the international sphere. On one
hand there was the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis of the
‘unsatiated states’ like Germany, Italy and Japan while on
the other was a system of alliance popularly known as the
Allies. No sooner had Britain and France taken the side
of Poland than the Second World War broke out.
COURSE OF THE WAR:
 First Phase (September 3, 1939- June-22, 1941)
During this phase Germany occupied Poland, Norway, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France and Greece one
after
another. In this period Mussolini being inspired by Hitler’s
success after
success abandoned his neutral policy and in collaboration with
Hitler
attacked France. In this period differences between Germany and
Soviet
Russia began to widen more and more.
COURSE OF THE WAR:
Second Phase (June 22, 1941- December 8, 1941)
During this phase expeditions of the Axis powers and Japan
continued in Africa and the Far East respectively and the
American naval
base of Pearl Harbour in the Pacific was attacked by Japan.
Third Phase (December 8, 1941- November 8, 1942)
By this time Japan, Germany and her allied powers had
completed
their conquests of the Netherlands, the East-Indies, and North-
Caucasus.
COURSE OF THE WAR:
Last Phase (May 7, 1945 – September 2, 1945)
During this period atom bombs for the first
time were dropped on Nagasaki and
Hiroshima, the two cities of Japan and Japan
unconditionally surrendered to America.
COURSE OF THE WAR:
 Fourth Phase (November 8, 1942 – May 7, 1945)
This period constitutes a story of mounting strength of the Grand
alliance, the thinning of the rank of the Axis Forces, the fall and
occupation of Italy, the acute shortage of men and material in
Germany,
the dirty intrigues of the military generals of the Third Reich and
the
ultimate suicide by Hitler in the banker of the Chancellery in
Berlin in
April 30 and the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 7, 1945.
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
Reference is made to the use of the Atomic Bomb at Hiroshima and
Nagasaki by the US on August 6 and 9, 1945. How did the bomb actually
develop is one of the most exciting stories in the history of the Second
World War. In 1941 President Roosevelt created the office of Scientific
Research and Development (OSRD) to coordinate and direct the entire
range of war-related research in collaboration with scientists in Britain
and Canada. On
September 17, 1942 General Groves was appointed chief of the “top
priority, top secret Manhattan Project” and he drafted captains of industry
and Nobel-prize winning scientists, coaxed some $2 billion in secret funds
from the Treasury.
A team led by J. Robert Oppenheimer undertook the designing of a workable bomb
that would fit
inside the new B-29 long-range bomber.
WAR IN POLAND AND THE BALTIC REGION
 Russia next proceeded to safeguard her north-western frontier by
 extending her influence upon the Baltic States. In fear of Russian attack
 Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania concluded mutual assistance pacts with
 Russia and surrendered their naval and air bases to Russia. Russia too
 asked Finland to deliver to Russia some territories on both sides of the
 Frontier between Finland and Russia, and to conclude a non-aggression
 pact with Russia. Finland accepted all demands excepting one relating to
 strategic base. Being dissatisfied with it Russia attacked Finland on
 November 30, 1939 and Finland fell. In June 1940 Russia occupied and
 annexed Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
 War in Western Europe :
 Hitler attacked Norway and Denmark
 In May 1940 Germany’s invasion of Luxemburg, Belgium and the
 Netherlands began.
 France was the next target of Germany.
WAR IN BRITAIN :

By the middle of 1940 almost the whole of Western

Europe from the Arctic Sea to the Pyrenees fell at
the feet of Nazi Germany.
In September, 1940 the historic battle of
Britain was fought. Britain won the final
victory and the German airpower almost
collapsed. As a result Britain assured of her
security from future German aggression.
WAR IN THE BALKAN REGION
 The Nazi army secured the right of entry into Bulgaria in
1941. Yugoslavia came to terms with the axis.
 War in Africa and the Near East :

When Germany was busy establishing her supremacy in

Western Europe, Italy had been continuing the Mediterranean
and African expeditions.
In 1940 after attacking Libya, the Fascist army invaded Egypt.
Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, and Abyssinia were occupied by the
British forces. Italy lost her East African Empire by the end of
1941
U.S.A. AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR
 USA stayed neutral
 They were sympathetic towards the democratic states

 Later US threw her neutrality and indulged in the war to support GB

 1941 congress allowed US govt to help the warring states

 Within a few days the U.S. forces captured

Greenland, Iceland and Dutch Guiana.

the U.S. naval forces were ordered to ‘shoot on sight’ the ships and
submarines of the
Axis.
 November 1941 the United States with her huge armaments proceeded to

help the allies against Hitler.

 August 1941 Roosevelt and Churchill met the historic North Atlantic

Conference.
WAR IN OTHER AREAS:
 War in Japan
 War in Germany
 War in Italy
 War in pacific
 War in France

 War times conferences

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1941
1941
 Treaty
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DIFFICULTIES IN CONCLUSION OF PEACE TREATIES AFTER
WORLD WAR II
In 1945 the task was entrusted to a Council
of foreign Ministers, containing representatives of the five major
powers i.e. U.S.A., U.K., USSR, France and China. All these
representatives had ‘Veto’ power; consequently, even small
differences could not be reconciled.

In 1945, however, when the peace negotiations were at the

final stage Roosevelt of U.S.A. died and Churchill of England was
defeated. Similarly in China, Chiang Kai-shek was in a precarious
condition, and the French government led by Georges Bidault
lacked power of decision. Thus the settlement was finalized by
persons who had not taken direct and active part in the war, or the
deliberations of the various conferences held during the war.

Mutual bickerings of the big powers regarding booty of war were

also responsible for the difficulties in negotiation of peace in 1945.
CONIT….

After World War I, there were no dissensions

within the Victor’s Camp (except very mild
differences between France and England) and
they could take a united stand against the
Vanquished Powers and arrive at a mutually
acceptable peace settlement.
RESULTS OF THE WAR:
An extensive and so devastating a war like the Second World War
had never occurred before in the world history. The war was brought to a
close in 1945. By some way or other almost all the countries of the world
were drawn into this war and consequently sustained loss.
Firstly, it has not been possible to ascertain even today the
magnitude of the loss both in human and material resources on account
of the Second World War. Of the victorious states, Britain, France and
Russia particularly sustained incalculable loss. Comparatively the loss of
America was less. Of the defeated powers the loss of Germany and Japan
was by far the heaviest.
Secondly, the most remarkable result of the war was the end of the
wartime alliance and co-operation among the allies.
RESULTS OF THE WAR:
Thirdly, after the war, Europe lost its dominance over the rest of the
world and it turned into a problem-ridden continent; various problems
that arose simultaneously at the close of the war undermined the political
unity and cohesion of Europe and the rival blocs kept it divided.
Fourthly, there has been a great reorientation of the balance of
power of the preceding period as a result of the World War II.
Fifthly, the situation in Europe was made worse by ideological
considerations. Immediately after the war, almost everywhere in Eastern
Europe there began communist movement. Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Finland all came within the
Soviet orbit.
Sixthly, the impact of the world war also fell upon Asia and Africa.
Most of Asia was involved in the World War II. Throughout the continent
the post-war years witnessed a restless and surging nationalism that
aimed at bringing to an end the Asiatic colonialism of the weakened
western powers.
RESULTS;
Seventhly, as an outcome of the world war everywhere in the world
socialism made a remarkable progress. In the under-developed countries
of Asia and Africa serious attempts were made to formulate economic
plans based upon socialistic principles.
finally, as an effect of the Second World War everywhere
internationalism and idea of world federation gained popularity. The split
up of the world into two main rival camps after the world war and
large
scale productions of atomic weapons rose much apprehension in nations’
minds that complete annihilation of civilization would be certain if a third
world war breaks out.
CONCLUSION: