Some may argue that no one wanted war. Winston Churchill stated that the Great Powers slid over the brink into a war nobody wanted. (Doc I). Russia and France were forced into war because Germany declared war on Russia 1 August 1914 and war on France 3 August 1914. Therefore, it may be true that countries that did not want war were forced into it, however, “nobody” is inaccurate due to the fact that Germany wanted war.
When the war ended the general population of France wanted revenge on Germany. Clemenceau saw the Versailles treaty as a way of crippling Germany. To punish it so harshly so that Germany would never again be a threat to France. Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points No secret treaties, free navigation / trade, removal of economic barriers,
Churchill believed that in order to guarantee the security of Czechoslovakia, Europe should have held Germany back and Britain and France should have worked together as an alliance. George F. Kennan, an American Secretary of State during the cold war also disagreed with the Munich Agreement. Kennan thought that Chamberlain and Daladier only agreed with Germany’s proposal only because they didn’t want to participate in war. Chamberlain and Daladier wanted to maintain the peace in Europe. (Document 6) As written in The Origins of the Second World War, by A.J.P.
Russia also feared the growing German threat and sought to ally itself with Great Britain, France, and even Germany itself for protection. The British, for their part, tried hard to remain out of the conflict, but found that having the world's most powerful navy made that impossible. Rebellious provinces within the Austro-Hungarian Empire made central Europe extremely unstable, and the leaders of the Ottoman Empire in the Near East sought to expand their power. Historians have generally noted that the European powers had managed to avoid war for so long, that when it did
The first step of Hitler’s foreign policy was to remove the limitations, which had been placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. Germany would regain the lands lost in the settlement, together with its overseas colonies. According to Hitler, the German people needed lebensraum or living space, which could only be provided by conquering territory from the inferior Slav races to the east of the fatherland. In 1935 Hitler decided that the time had come to further test the resolve of other European leaders. The Treaty forbade Germany to station troops or build fortifications within 30 miles of the River Rhine.
Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted the United States to remain neutral in the 1930’s. Japan and the U.S. had conflicts from the past that the Japanese never let go of. They wanted to make sure that they were not being threatened so they attacked the U.S.. Germany sided with Japan during the time of World War II so they declared war on the United States. The United States had no choice but to enter World War II because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and invaded China, which was America’s alley at the time, and Germany declared war against them. The Japanese attacked China when it was weak.
WWII: Chapter 25 Roosevelt= peace, WWII= “War to end all wars” Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928- Almost all nations pledged not to use military force for aggressive ends. The League of Nation was continuously in Switzerland to make sure it was peacefull ( no U.S) -The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany for World War I -Adolf Hitler rose to power with the Nazi party -Japan was threatning China. -Most Americans did not want to send troops. Herbert Hoover’s Foreign Policy - The U.S should not enter into firm commitments to preserve the security of other nations. → isolationism - No military involvement Japanese Aggression in Manchuria - Did not accept the Open Door Policy and the covenant of the League of Nations.
Conclusively, America entered the Great War because of a variety of reasons. They were partially influenced by the Germans to enter the war, although they were also influenced by the possibility of economic collapsed. America tried to follow Washington's advice when he said to stay out of war, but America would only be able to stay isolated for so long, and they were influenced enough to break away and enter world-wide relationships were
I disagree with the statement “ Increased militarism was the main cause of the second world war.” Due to the fact that it was one of the many reasons why the second world war started. I think that Appeasement was the main cause of the start of the second world war. Firstly , Britain and France followed the policy of appeasement. Appeasement was by chamberlain to satisfy Hitler’s demands. This gave Hitler confidence that Britain and France would not stop him when he invaded other countries.
This showed the world that the actions of this group should not be taken seriously. Instead of America taking militar action they responded with the Stimson Doctrine. With this doctrine the US would not recognize “Manchuko” because it was taken by force. Only slightly stronger than what the League of Nations did it had the same result; it did nothing to stop the aggression. The actions in Italy, Germany, and Japan just pushed the isolationist movement even more, to not be dragged into another foreign war.