Causes of World War II (The Road to War: Causes of Conflict)

Discusses and explains the events of the 1920s and 1930s that led to the outbreak of the Second World War.

World War II was the largest and costliest conflict in history, involving most of earth’s major nations and claiming some 55 million lives. It erupted in September 1939 after the armies of Nazi Germany invaded Poland. But the roots of the conflict lay in decisions and events of the previous two decades. This book examines the causes of the Second World War. It discusses the ramifications of the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I but bred much bitterness. The book details the rise of militaristic governments in Italy, Germany, and Japan during the 1920s and early 1930s. It discusses the unsuccessful attempts by the League of Nations to resolve international conflicts peacefully, as well as the Western policy of “appeasement” toward aggressor countries. Ultimately, each of these diverse trends paved the way for the outbreak of World War II.