Economic Causes Of World War II

World War II was caused by a number of factors including the spread of extremist ideologies, the failure of international diplomacy, and a lack of economic development. People were turned against each other and acted without any thought. Neighbours were pitted against each other and tempers ran high. The rise of extremists was the most responsible for causing World War II because they promoted ultra-nationalism that held countries together while undermining the government.
The lack of economic development caused World War II because declining economic conditions made extremist views more attractive. Starting in 1929 with the most devastating stock market crash ever, the Great Depression was a 12 year period of economic disaster all over

The US combated this widespread financial issue by commissioning many national projects to be built. These government-funded projects provided jobs for many and helped to stabilize the economy. This calmed the people because the government was fixing their problems. The angry people began to turn upon each other but luckily the government stepped in to help. Other countries used different methods. The main importer of Japanese goods was the US. When they were hit by the Great Depression, they stopped buying many of these goods because it was too expensive and most of the items that they bought were unnecessary. Many Japanese workers lost their jobs and, hoping for a better life, evacuated to the countryside. Japan is relatively small and there was not very much arable land so these people had just moved to a different place to starve. There was also not very much coal or oil in Japan to help them run their factories and military. The government realized this but there was no place to get any more supplies from and they left it alone. They built up their military to make it larger and more advanced. All of the unemployed workers had the opportunity to join the military and the government would make sure that they were paid. The

At the end of World War I, the European countries, excluding Germany and her allies, and the US meet in Paris to discuss the war and how to prevent another one. This meeting was called the Paris Peace Conference. At this meeting, Germany was blamed for starting the war and their punishment was that they had to pay for all of the war damage. They also lost much of their land and colonies as well as the right to a large military in the Treaty of Versailles. The German government was forced to sign a document saying that they accepted full responsibility for the war and pay a monthly fine to the Allied powers. The German public was not happy that their country was being humiliated in this way and resented the government for agreeing to the conditions. No other countries recognized that they were also at fault and that was another factor that added to Germany’s anger. Once Hitler took over, the people, who were angry already, were more willing to help take over the surrounding countries that had shamed them before. The increased tensions between Germany and the Allied powers began when the Paris Peace Conference occurred without them and decisions were made that negatively affected them. The Japanese took over Manchuria and were largely ignored by the Europeans. The League of Nations had no political power and could not do anything to stop them although they did