The Second World War was a conflict that involved 72 countries in its six years of duration. Main causes of world war ii
The war begins on September 1, 1939 and ends only in August 1945. On August 8, the Soviet Union invades the territories occupied by Japan in China and on the 15th of the same month, the war ends in Europe.
The dispute took place between the Allied countries and the Axis countries. The Allies were England, the Soviet Union, France and the United States. The Axis countries were Germany, Italy and Japan. After the years of battle, the war was won by the Allies.
There were several causes that led to the outbreak of this conflict of enormous proportions, which involved countries from all continents.
Discover now five of the main causes of the beginning of the Second World War. Main causes of world war ii
1. German expansionism
Adolf Hitler’s desire for German expansionism initially arises from the need to obtain more raw materials for the country.
Added to this, there was the will to unite the Aryan “race“, which he believed to be superior to the others. The dictator wanted to bring together the Aryan population living in other European territories, such as Austria, Rhineland and Poland.
In 1936, Hitler and the German army invaded the Rhineland region, ignoring the clause contained in the Treaty of Versailles, which determined that the region could not be militarized. Main causes of world war ii
2. Territory disputes
The occurrence of other territorial disputes was also definitive for the outbreak of the conflict. In addition to Germany’s desire for expansion, other countries – such as Italy and Japan, which during the war formed the Axis along with Germany – also advanced and invaded nations to add new territories.
Italy, which at the time was ruled by Benito Mussolini, invaded the region of Abyssinia, on the African continent. The attack takes place between the years 1935 and 1936 and the event became known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War .
The territory, which today belongs to Ethiopia, was annexed to Italy on May 7, 1936. Italian occupation in the region lasted until 1941.
Japan, at that time, had a large population for its small area. As a solution, the country’s government wanted to expand its territorial domain to Chinese regions.
Between 1931 and 1932, the Japanese army invaded Manchuria and the site was occupied until the end of World War II. Main causes of world war ii
The definitive end of Japanese control over the region only occurs in 1945, when the Soviet Union also invades the region and returns it to the Chinese government.
3. Germany’s revanchism against France
Germany’s revanchism occurs because of the German defeat in the First World War. This feeling made the German dictator disregard the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty was signed in the year 1919 and officially ended World War I. In the document it was determined that Germany would assume the responsibilities for having caused the beginning of the war. Main causes of world war ii
In addition, the country has also committed to making some territorial returns. The determination referred to the countries that formed the Triple Entente : France, England and Russia.
4. Investment in weapons production
The arms production that took place in countries such as Italy and Germany, during the 1930s, influenced the existence of the Second World War, since investment was fundamental to guarantee the advancement and conquest of territories.
Thus, the development of the arms industry turned out to be a very relevant factor with a direct influence on the war.
It is known, for example, that in the last year of the conflict – 1945 – Germany produced 500 thousand tons of war materials. Main causes of world war ii
5. Invasion of Poland
It is this event that marks the beginning of the war. Due to his desire for territorial conquest, Adolf Hitler orders the invasion of the country by the German army on September 1, 1939.
He wanted to annex the country’s territories to Germany, as he had done with Austria in 1936 and Czechoslovakia in 1938.
To protect itself from the threat, Poland signs a protection agreement with England and France, with the commitment that both would support the Polish army in the event of an attack. The two countries, after the beginning of the war, would integrate the Allied countries.
Poland is defeated by the German army and World War II officially begins. On September 3, 1939, two days after the invasion, France and England declared war on Germany. Main causes of world war ii
