Question

How did WWI contribute to the beginning of WWII?

Answer 1

Hint: Twenty-one years after the end of the First World War, World War II ended, but many historians conclude that the two wars were part of one vast global conflict. World War 2 was in many respects a direct product of the chaos that World War 1 left behind.

Complete answer: Many factors contributed to World War II. Let's explore some of them in detail. World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers was resolved by the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was very tough against Germany because Germany had lost the war. Germany was pressured to "accept the responsibility" for the war damage sustained by the Allies. The treaty forced Germany to pay an immense amount of cash called reparations. The treaty's problem is that it has left the German economy in ruins. There were people starving, and the country was in turmoil. With the economic chaos left behind by World War 1, dictators who established strong fascist regimes took over some countries. These rulers wanted their territories to expand and were searching for new lands to conquer. Italy, governed by the dictator Mussolini, was the first Fascist government. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia and took it over. In his invasion of Germany, Adolf Hitler would later imitate Mussolini. Spain, headed by the dictator Franco, was another fascist government. Hitler started rearming Germany while dreaming about peace. He allied Mussolini and Italy with Germany. Then, by expanding his empire, Hitler looked to return Germany to power. In 1938, he first took over Austria. Hitler grew bolder as the League of Nations did little to deter him and took over Czechoslovakia in 1939.

Note: The era prior to World War II was the Great Depression, a time of great economic hardship in the world. There were many individuals out of jobs and struggling to survive. This created weak regimes and instability across the world that led to the Second World War.