What led to World War 2?

Answer

Commonly held general causes for WWII are the rise of nationalism, the rise of militarism, and the presence of unresolved territorial issues. Specific causes include the following:

In Asia, Japan's desire to become a world power and the rise of militarist leadership in the 1930s led to conflicts first with China and later the United States. Japan sought to secure additional natural resources, such as oil and iron ore, due to the lack of natural resources on Japan's own home islands. Furthermore, a tension had built up between the United States and Japan, as each felt that the other was opposed to its economic and political interests, that led Japan to finally resort to war.

In Europe, the Treaty of Versailles was widely perceived in Germany to be unjust, and this resentment fueled the success of the militarist Nazi Party; meanwhile the treaty's provisions were laxly enforced, causing it to fail in its purpose of preventing the creation of a heavily-armed and aggressive Germany.

The League of Nations also failed in its mission of preventing war, due to the refusal of its member nations to back the League with force. Closely related is the failure of the British and French policy of appeasement, which gave Hitler time to re-arm.

Lastly, the Great Depression is blamed for the success of the Nazi Party in gaining power in Germany, and hence was a cause of the war, as Hitler was determined on war from the begining.

First answer by Ranger22. Last edit by Ranger22. Contributor trust: 3543 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 20 [recommend question]