Why War Broke Out in 1939

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Why war broke out in 1939 In 1939, Germany, after signing the German-Soviet Pact, attacked Poland. Much to Hitler’s surprise, Britain and France, who had both seemed unwilling to go to war responded to his actions by declaring war against Germany on the 3rd of September. The events leading to this war can be traced back to the end of World War I, or more specifically, the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was famous for it’s harshness and cruelty against Germany, forcing them to pay huge amounts of reparations and took away some of Germany lands, while demilitarizing some. It also severely restricted Germany’s military power. The treaty, to Germany, was something that was not only unfair, but also humiliating. This caused Germany to bear resentment against the winning powers and caused some to thirst for revenge. America’s policy of isolationism also played a major part in starting World War II. Their refusal to join the League of Nations severely weakened it, and effectively destroyed the League of Nation’s ability to follow through with its threats and stop wars. The repeated failures of the League showed that it was incapable of securing peace and stopping future wars. Notable failures of the league are the Manchurian and Abyssinian disputes. This could’ve been prevented if the US was involved in the League. Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement also played a part in the causing war to break out. By letting Hitler do as he pleases in hopes that he would be satisfied at some point and stop, it caused Hitler to think that no one would dare to stop and oppose him and that he was free to do whatever he liked. By giving the Sudetenland to Germany, Stalin signed the pact with Hitler because he thought that Britain and France couldn’t be trusted and that they didn’t have the ability to keep their promises. The pact, in effect, gave Hitler the
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