C. Why did World War II break out two decades after World
War I?
World War I ended in November 1918. Germany, as well as Austria-Hungary, Turkey1
and Bulgaria2, had been defeated by a worldwide combination of allies including
Britain, France and the United States. Peace treaties were then signed with the
defeated countries in 1919-1920. In the two decades that followed, the Powers tried to
avoid the possibility of another war, but they failed. World War II broke out in 1939.
1.
Did World War I sow the seed for World War II?
a.
Which country suffered the most in the peace treaties of 1919-1920?
Study Sources A and B.
Source A
Key terms of Treaty of Versailles





1
2
War Guilt Clause – Article 231: Germany had to accept full responsibility for
the war.
Reparations: Germany had to pay £6,600 million for the damage caused by the
war.
Military terms:
 Germany was forbidden to have tanks, submarines or air force.
 The navy could only have 6 battleships.
 The army was limited to 100,000 men. There was to be no conscription.
 The Rhineland was demilitarized. Germany was not allowed to place any
troops in the Rhineland.
 The Allies were to keep an army of occupation on the west bank of the Rhine
for fifteen years.
All Germany’s colonies in Africa were given to Britain, France or South Africa.
The League of Nations was to be set up to keep international peace.
Turkey: The Ottoman Empire was dissolved after World War I and Turkey was formed.
Bulgaria: It became fully independent from Ottoman Empire in 1908.
1
The following map shows the territory lost of Germany under the Treaty of Versailles.
<http://www.johndclare.net/peace_treaties4.htm>
Source B
The peace treaties signed with the other defeated states.





Turkey
Treaty of Sevres 1920
 Most of Turkey’s land in Europe
was taken away. Greece gained
Austria
Treaty of St Germanin 1919
Hungary and Austria became
separate and independent states.
Territories were given up to
Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland
and Italy.
Armed forces were reduced.
Austria had to pay reparations.
Austria was not allowed to unite
with Germany (Anschluss).
Eastern Thrace and Smyrna.
 The Turkish Empire was broken up.
France and Britain governed the
land from the Turkish Empire as
mandates on behalf of the League of
Nations.
 The Turkish Straits were put under
the control of the League of
Nations.
 Turkey was occupied by French,
British and Italian troops.
2




Hungary
Treaty of Trianon 1920
Hungary had to pay reparations.
Army was limited to 35,000.
Hungary had to hand over war
criminals.
Lands were given to Romania,
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
Bulgaria
Treaty of Neuilly 1919
 Lands were given to Yugoslavia and
Greece
 Bulgaria had to pay repaations
 Army was limited to 20,000.
Refer to the maps below, can you identify the major territorial changes in Europe
before and after World War I?
Europe 1914
Europe 1919
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
pathways/firstworldwar/maps/europ
e1914.htm
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
/pathways/firstworldwar/maps/euro
pe1919.htm
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Refer to Sources A and B.
Which country suffered the most in the settlement of World War I, as shown in
Sources A and B? The table below will help you to find out the answer.
Put a ‘√’ against the country that had to accept the treaty term stated on the left.
Treaty terms Austria-H Bulgaria
Hungary
Germany
Turkey

ungary
Loss of
territory
Reduction in
armed forces
Reparations












War guilt
Which country suffered the most?
Personal Opinion (Teachers can request students to explain their choices.)
b.
Was the settlement of World War I able to keep peace?
Study Sources C, D, E and F.
Source C
The following cartoon was published in Britain in 1919. The ‘Tiger’ is meant to
represent Clemenceau, the Prime Minister of France. The child in the cartoon is
labeled ‘1940 Class’, that is, those who would be the soldiers of 1940.
http://www.sirbernardlovell.s-gloucs.sc
h.uk/learningcentre/history/20century/v
ersailles.jpg
4
Source D
The following comment on the Treaty of Versailles was written by a British historian
in 1966.
The greatest weakness of the Treaty was that it did not
end the German ‘menace’ by means of the punishment
clauses. The German empire was left basically intact.
Although Germany did lose some territories, by far the
major part of its strength (land, population and resources)
was untouched.
Source E
The following shows how a German newspaper, Deutsche Zeitung, announced the
news of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919.
Vengeance! German nation! Today in the Hall of Mirrors
the disgraceful treaty is being signed. Do not forget it.
The German people will, with unceasing work, press
forward to reconquer the place among nations to which it
is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of
1919.
Source F
The editor of the a British newspaper, Daily Graphic, 5 July 1919, wrote the following
Nobody involved is completely satisfied – not those who
wish to punish the evildoers and least of all, of course, the
evildoers. The Germans may even treat the Peace Treaty
as another Scrap of Paper.
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Refer to Sources C, D, E and F
i) Which source(s) show(s) that the settlement would possibly arouse resentment
among Germans? Explain your answer.
Source
Explanati on
C
Students should explain according to the information given in Source C.
(e.g.: the crying child without clothing represented Germany, he would
take revenge on the victors. As shown in the cartoon, the child was
labeled “1940 class”, meaning that the child would be the soldier of
1940. And it predicted a future war.)
E
Germany might re-conquer the lost territories.
F
The “evildoers” were not satisfied with the treaty. The evildoers were the
Germans
ii)
Which source(s) show(s) that the settlement with Germany was not harsh enough?
Explain your answer.
Source
D
Explanation
As the Versailles Settlement did not weaken Germany enough, her
ambition was not suppressed. The major part of her strength was
untouched.
iii) Some people consider that the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh to Germany.
The Germans became very resentful and determined to re-gain what they had lost.
This sowed the seed for World War II. Which source(s) show(s) the impacts of the
settlement of World War I in this aspect?
Impact
Source(s)
The settlement caused ill feelings of the Germans who tried to revenge C, E & F
by starting another war.
The punishment was not effective. Germany was not weakened and
could expand again.
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D
2. Was Hitler to blame for World War II?
Besides the legacy of World War I, World War II was also caused by several other
factors. It has been usually believed that Hitler caused World War II. However, should
he be totally responsible? Was he assisted by circumstances?
a.
Why did the Germans expand in the 1930s?
Study Sources A, B, C and D.
Source A
The following shows the Dow Jones Industrial (the US share market) Average
Year-end close 1919– 1933.
http://www.shambhala.org/business/goldocean/causde
p.html
Source B
The impact of the Wall Street Crash in 1929 on world economy and on Germany.
Wall Street shares collapsed. This sparked off the Great Depression.
American firms and banks went bankrupt. American trade declined and
loans to Europe dried up. European firms went bankrupt. Europeans and
Americans could not afford to buy raw materials. European
governments tried to raise money through high import duties. World
trade collapsed. Unemployment spread worldwide. Hunger marches
took place. Support for extremist political parties grew.
The Great Depression attacked Germany harder than any other
European country because the German economic recovery depended
chiefly on loans provided by the powers, especially the United States.
These powers were also facing serious economic problems, so Germany
could receive no more financial help. This worsened German’s
economy.
For everyday life of Americans during the Great Depression, please refer to
<http://encarta.msn.com/media_461556531_761584403_-1_1/WPA_Workers.html>
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Source C
The poster below was published in Germany by the Nazi Party in 1932. The slogan
says, ‘Our last hope – Hitler’.
<http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/core/pi
cs/0255/img0029.htm>
Hitler made promises to satisfy the needs of most Germans and gained their support.
For example, he gained the support from workers and the unemployed by promising
them employment and security for. He promised to rearm the country and thus gained
support from former soldiers and army officers. He promised to abolish the Versailles
Treaty. Germans believed that Hitler was a strong leader who could solve the
economic problems.
Source D
The following shows the relationship between German unemployment and Nazi vote
share.
http://econ161.berkeley.edu/TCEH/Slo
uch_Purge15.html
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Put arrows to link up the following bubbles, which explain how the general desire of
the Germans made expansion inevitable.
Serious economic
problems in Germany
The Great
Depression
The Germans wanted
a strong man as their
leader.
Hitler rose to
power in Germany.
Expansion
b.
Why was so little done to stop Hitler’s aggression?
World War II broke out in September 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland. Why was so
little done by other countries to stop Hitler’s aggression?
Study Sources A and B.
Source A
The following speech was made in 1938 by Neville Chamberlain (the British Prime
Minister from 1937 to 1940) after he had promised to give the Sudetenland (See
Source B) to Germany in the Munich Conference. He wanted to avoid war by giving
Hitler everything he demanded. This policy was known as appeasement.
My good friends, this is the second time in our history
that there has come back from Germany to Downing
Street peace with honour. I believe it is peace in our time.
Hitler would not deceive a man he respected. I have
established an influence over Hitler who can now be
trusted.
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Source B
Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles and rearmed Germany. In 1936, he reclaimed
the Rhineland demilitarized zone from French control. France was in particular
position to act but did not do so fearing war. Austria was traditionally and culturally
bound to Germany. In 1938 Hitler annexed Austria to Germany which again violated
the Treaty of Versailles. In 1939, Hitler wanted to take over Sudetenland from
Czechoslovakia. In the Munich Conference, the European countries scarified the
interest of Czechoslovakia in exchange for a promise from Hitler that this would be
the end of his expansion. Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, declare
“Peace in our time”. Weeks later Hitler annexed the rest of Czechoslovakia by force
violating the Munich Pact. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. At this
point, Hitler could not be ignored and Britain and France declared war on Germany on
3 Septermber 1939.
Refer to Sources A and B
i)
Does Source B show that the view of Chamberlain as shown in Source A was
right? Give evidence from Source B to support your answer.
Suggested answer: No. Students should support their answer with evidence about
Hitler’s expansion from Source B.
ii)
What was the responsibility of Chamberlain and Hitler for causing World War II,
as reflected in Sources A and B?
Responsibility for causing World War II
Chamberlain His appeasement policy encouraged Hitler’s expansion.
Hitler
Germany’s territorial expansion threatened peace in Europe. This
initiated other countries to join World War II.
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3. How did the war become worldwide?
World War II was the most destructive war in history. The Second World War started
with the German invasion of Poland. At first, it was a European war between the Axis
(Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (Britain and France). It was not until 1941
when the Soviet Union and United States were driven into the warfare that the
European war really developed into a global war.
When and why did the USA join World War II?
In 1941, after the Pearl Harbour Attack
Reference:
Steven Waugh. Essential Modern World History. UK.: Nelson Thornes, 2001.
Christopher Culpin. Making History (New Edition): World History from 1914 to the Present.
London: Collins Educational, 1997.
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