Origins of World War II Essay

After the end of the First World War, the statesmen of all the major countries felt that such alarming war must anyhow be averted in order to ensure international peace, security and safety. This is why the League of Nations was set up and it was believed that such a ‘multinational’ organization would be able to peacefully settle all international disputes and guarantee peace and security in the international sphere. However, the success or failure of the League actually depended upon the attitude and activity of its members, particularly the Big Powers. But, unfortunately, soon it was found that the major Powers were at cross purposes. They adopted their foreign policy in their own interest and showed little respect to the principles underlying the League of Nations. Particularly, the dream of three allies – Germany, Japan and Italy was fundamentally different from the ideals of the Western Powers and Soviet Russia. The Trio (Germany, Japan and Italy) intended to have some share in the Afro-Asian areas which had already been divided among the Western Powers. Thus, it was really a conflict between two policies – â€Å"status quo† and â€Å"New Order†. Flouting the League The first shock to League of Nations was given by Japan. In 1931 Japan violated the League Covenant and the Kellogg Pact by occupying the Chinese territory of Manchuria and setting up a puppet state there. China appealed to the League which condemned this act of aggression and appointed a commission under Lord Litton to report. But the fulmination of the League had no effect on Japan who, when the commission’s report went against her, withdrew from the League in 1933. The defection of Japan was a serious blow to the League. But worse was to come when Germany had begun secretly rearm to arm as soon as Hitler came into power. But after the failure of the Disarmament Conference, Hitler came into the open. In 1935, he repudiated those clauses of the Treaty of Versailles which had imposed limitations on her armed strength, and reintroduced conscription. In the next year he denounced the Locarno Treaty and re-occupied and refortified those zones of the Rhineland, which had been demilitarized by the Treaty of Versailles. The Great Powers were at cross purposes and so nothing was done to resist Hitler’s insolent violation of the treaty obligations. Italy under Mussolini pursued an imperial policy and in 1935 made an unprovoked attack upon Abyssinia, a member of the League. The emperor of Abyssinia, Haile Selassie, appealed to the League against the act of wanton aggression. The League declared Italy to be the aggressor and recommended the application of economic sanctions. The Italian campaign was short, swift and brutal. After some resistance Haile Selassie fled abroad and his capital Addis Ababa was occupied by Italian troops. The King of Italy was proclaimed Emperor of Abyssinia. Italy withdrew from the League of Nations in 1936. Foreign Policies and International Relations When Hitler came to power he was pledge to recover for Germany the position of power and importance which she had held before the First World War. He envisaged the formation of a ‘Third Reich’ or empire which would include all Germans in a new or greater German state. This involved the ultimate absorption of Germans in a new or greater German state. This involved the ultimate absorption of German-populated regions of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. The dictated treated treaty which Germany had been forced to accept stood in the way of realizing his ambition. Hence Hitler was determined to tear away the Treaty of Versailles which had imposed humiliating restrictions upon Germany, and to make her a power to reckon with. His first significant step in this direction was to withdraw from the Disarmament Conference and to announce a program of conscription. Next he left the League of Nations and openly flouted it by occupying the demilitarized Rhineland. England, France tamely acquiesced in this violation of treaty obligation and so Hitler was encouraged to take larger risks. The Phony War-the events of Europe especially the civil war associated with Spain prove beyond doubt that the shadow of Fascism was falling across Europe, long before the actual outbreak of World War II. The Spanish civil war which broke out in 1936 was an event of utmost importance. It has been aptly called the ‘Little World War’ because it involved all other powers. The Spanish civil war was a prelude to World War II. In Spain, Italy and Germany is defiance of the principal ‘Collective Security’ undermined a democratic government and Britain and France demonstrated a complete callousness which resulted in the victory of Fascism in Spain. The outcome of Spanish Civil War foreshadowed that, in future, Fascisms might apply the same tactics on a bigger scale. The smoldering discontent against monarchy forced Alfonzo XIII of Spain to leave the country in April 1931. Immediately afterwards President Zamora declared Spain to be republic. In Spain the extreme republicans started anti-clerical riots and centrifugal tendencies demonstrated themselves in the attempt to establish autonomy in Catalonia and certain other provinces. The election of the Constitutional Assembly on June 28, 1931, showed a definite landslide for republicanism and in the Cortes the socialists with 117 seats became the largest single group. Spain adopted a radical republican constitution based on German, Soviet and Mexican model with a president and a cabinet responsible to the Cortes. The Church was deprived of its hold over education and civil liberties were guaranteed. Expropriation of the large landed estates proceeded apace. Most of these reforms were carried out by the radical minister Manuel Asana. In the election of 1933 the Asana government fell the Cortes was dominated by a moderate coalition ministry which did not enforce the laws against landed estates and church. Premier Lerroux tried to establish a pro-Fascist government and suppressed the radical opposition. President Zamora now dissolved the Cortes and ordered fresh election in 1936. In the election of February, 1936, the popular Front parties composed to republicans’ socialists and communists secured 258 seats and the right parties 215. Asana became the president and Santiago Cascaras Quiroga became the Premier. The government had to face immediate opposition from unruly groups like Spanish Phalanx and the Army. The attempt of the Government to steer a middle course failed to quell disturbances and the Fascists after careful preparation staged a military revolt on June 18. Military revolts took place in a number of garrison towns in Spain and Spanish Morocco. During the Spanish imbroglio Hitler had learnt all he needed about the weakness of the victors of Versailles. He had found that this intervention in Spain had not met with any resistance from the powers and so he was emboldened to embark upon a policy of naked aggression. He turned his attention to Austria whose union with Germany had been expressly prohibitive by the treaty of Versailles. He encouraged Nazi agitation within Austria, bullied the Austrian chancellor into appointing a Nazi minister and forced him to agree to conduct foreign affairs as Germany’s dictator. Germany and Italy were naturally interested in installing a Fascist power in Spain. The Salazar government of Portugal saw in the radical republic the germs of Bolshevik state and activity aided and abetted in its downfall. Italy and Germany saw in the rise of a Fascist Spain great advantage to their cause. Ideologically the adherence of Spain would help the spread of Fascism and materially it would weaken France increase the possibility of exploiting Spanish mines and raw materials in a future war against democracies and strengthen the hold of Italy in the Western Mediterranean. The Labor opposition strongly urged help to Government legally constituted. But Stanley Baldwin and even Churchill, who opposed the Nazi aggression on every other issue, felt that nothing could be done for helping the Republicans. The behavior of the French government during this period was an enigma to the rest of the world. The Republic was in dire need of more arms but contrary to all expectations the French Popular Front government prohibited all export of arms to Spain on July 25, 1936. This was a violation of an earlier agreement whereby France had undertaken to supply arms to Spain. The British government was steering a middle course. It was unwilling to alienate Italy whose friendship was earnestly sought for as a counterpoise to Nazi Germany. When Blum suggested the formation of a Committee of Non-Intervention it was welcomed. This committee was formed in August 1936, with twenty seven nations. The purpose of the committee was to enforce the agreement reached among powers to hold a ring around Spanish Civil War so that others might not be involved in it and to prevent any military aid on either side. The Fascists power had no intention of letting down Franco and while Britain and France meticulously applied the principle of non-intervention to prohibit export arms to Spain, the rebels received planes, munitions and men from Germany, Italy and Portugal. Thus while the legitimate government of Spain was deprived of all aids from outside and ran short of the sinews of war, in the name of non-intervention, the rebels secured active foreign aid. The League Council passed a resolution in May 1936, and directed all other states not to intervene in the Spanish Civil war. The Fascist powers were now free to act as they liked Spain. Men and arms poured to the rebels while the legitimate government suffered from lack of supply due to the intervention of the Committee of Non-intervention. The dubious role of the Non-Intervention Committee merely provided a shield for Fascist aggression in Spain. Italy and Germany were allowed to strike another blow at the democracies. Next in 1938 he poured troops into Austria and incorporated it in Nazi empire. Till now Italy had been the most effective protector of Austria, but she was now busy with her own acts of aggression in Abyssinia and so did not interfere with a fellow aggressor. The ease with which Hitler had annexed Austria whetted his territorial appetite and encouraged him to further acts of aggression (Paul 59). Czechoslovakia an artificial creation of the peace treaties contained a considerable element of German population. Hitler first began a ‘war of nerves’ by a bombardment of accusation, abuse and menaces and then declared that his patience had been exhausted. He peremptorily demanded that Sudetenland which was predominantly inhabited by the Germans should be ceded to the Reich and that he would take it by force it peaceful means failed. At that time, Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, tried to persuade Hitler to resist himself. Soon the Munich Pact was signed by the Big Powers and they intended to satisfy Hitler by giving him Sudetenland of Czech-Slovakia. As Fleming observes, â€Å"Nations have often being conquered by enemies, but never before a proud and worthy people been bludgeoned into submission by its own allies† (Fleming 56). Thus, Hitler was encouraged to proceed towards Poland and soon the crisis further aggravated. Original of world war II- having taken Memel Hitler began to mature plans for an assault upon Poland. He demanded the Danzig should be incorporated in the German Reich and the Polish Corridor should be ceded to Germany. This was the last straw. Chamberlain gave up his policy of appeasement and announced that in the event of an aggression on Poland, Great Britain would come to the rescue the Polish government. Thus, when Germany attacked Poland, the Second World War broke out, because Britain and France now realized that the policy of appeasement ended in a fiasco (Ray 112). So long, Hitler had intended to neutralize Britain and had signed a non-aggression Pact with Soviet Russia. Naturally, he thought that now he would find little resistance against his plan of occupying the Polish Corridor. In fact, he desired to localize the the Polish war on which he had set his heart. To isolate Poland, Hitler now attempted to win Great Britain. In a message, delivered verbally to the British Ambassador, Sir Neville Henderson, he expressed his desire to solve in his own way the question of Polish Corridor and Danzig, but at the same time, he pledged himself for the continuance of British Empire. He even expressed his readiness to render German assistance, if required, to Britain. On August 28, the British Government proposed direct negotiation for resolving the differences between Poland and Germany. Hitler in reply demanded that Warsaw should send an emissary with full powers to negotiate with German government. The proposal had no chance of being accepted and the British government in reply sent a counter-proposal of a restoration of normal contact. It was presented by Neville Henderson to Foreign Minister Ribbentrop on August 30. On September 1, the German army marched into the Polish territory to execute ‘Case White’. A last-minute effort for peace by Mussolini failed and the Anglo-French Powers declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Conclusion Thus, the outbreak of the Second World War was not at all a surprising affair. In fact, the Big Powers pursued different policies in self interest and when their unity was badly needed, they differed with from one another. Soviet Russia alone emphasized on the policy of a united stand, because it believed in the doctrine ‘peace is indivisible’. However, the capitalist countries like Britain and France talked with it for common safety but, in reality, they adopted a half-hearted policy. While France was directly involved in a rivalry with Germany, Britain intended to keep a safe distance. As Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, held â€Å"Clemenceau or Poincare would have left Mr. Baldwin no option† (Churchill 154). In other words, France intended to fight against German militarism, but Chamberlain was not ready to join it. America was outside the league at that time, and hence, it had no responsibility to prevent the Global War. The Spanish Civil War and the weakness of France actually encouraged Hitler to continue his aggressive policy (Fleming, The Origin of the Cold War, 62). Moreover, Italy and Japan were longing for some territorial advantage against the wishes of the Western Powers. In such circumstances, a Global War was the only inevitability.