Sta Ima

Was World War II inevitable in 1939?

In the early hours of the 1st September 1939 German forces invaded Poland. 21 years after the end of World War I, the world had to face the beginning of another world war that should last 6 years. World War II was one of the most disastrous events in human history causing approximately 60 million deaths and destruction almost all over the globe (msn Encarta 2008). Winston Churchill wrote in the preface of his book about World War II (The Gathering Storm):

“One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what the war should be called. I said at once "The Unnecessary War." There never was a war more easy to stop than that which has just wrecked what was left of the world from the previous struggle.” (RosettaBooks 2008)

This essay examines whether World War II has really been unnecessary and evitable or not in 1939 by looking at the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, Hitler’s objectives, his foreign policy and the reactions of the major Western European Powers.

Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which ended Word War I. Therewith, the country had to cede huge parts of its territory, had to give up most of its military forces and was forced to pay the enormous amount of 132 billion Goldmark as reparations. The so called war guilt Article 231 stated that:

“Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.” (Harold B. Lee Library 2008)

Consequently, Germany had to suffer not only under the economic consequences, but now many Germans felt betrayed by their