Context of the Second World War (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)

The Second World War began when Germany invaded Poland on 3rd September 1939. This was only 21 years after the end of the First World War. Germany was in an alliance with Italy and Japan, known as the Axis powers. Britain and France joined together as the Allies. The USSR had signed a non-aggression pact with Germany in August 1939. This is known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The USSR united with the Allies in 1941 when Germany broke the pact and invaded Russia. The USA did not enter the war until December 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. They also joined the Allied forces.

There are different historical viewpoints on why the Second World War began in 1939. The orthodox view is that Hitler caused the Second World War. Many historians have argued that Hitler’s foreign policy was intentionally aggressive. They state that he followed a careful plan for expansion in the 1930s. He broke the Treaty of Versailles through the remilitarisation of the Rhineland and Anschluss with Austria. These historians believe that Hitler prepared for the possibility of war. The evidence for this is Germany’s large-scale rearmament programme.

Another perspective of the Second World War criticises other world leaders. Revisionist historians do not believe that Hitler wanted to start a war. They argue that Hitler was a normal German leader in his foreign policy aims. Hitler was an opportunist. The Great Depression in the 1930s increased support for the Nazi Party. Key League of Nations members like Britain and France did not have the money or desire to stand up against aggressive nations. As a result, the League was weak. Many leaders exploited this weakness. Japan had invaded Manchuria in 1931. Italy had claimed Abyssinia in 1935. In a political environment of militarism and nationalism, Hitler’s actions did not stand out. They were similar to other extremist or autocratic leaders. Revisionist historians believe that the Treaty of Versailles caused the war. The treaty was harsh enough to make many Germans hate it but weakly enforced. Both consequences allowed Germany to rebuild its power. 

Some historians believe in elements of both arguments. They state that Hitler was a strategist with clear foreign policy aims. However, he would not have achieved these aims without the weakness of European leaders and the failure of the League of Nations.