Causes of WWII

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Causes of WWII

• By Travis Offtermatt
• Notes From
• gshaskell.com

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New Democracies were Unstable

• Citizens had little experience with democracy.
  Also, when difficulties arise in countries the
  weaknesses of a coalition are magnified. People
  may then be willing to sacrifice democracy in
  exchange for strong leadership. This happened in
  Italy, Germany, and other countries in the 1920s
  and 1930s.

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The German Republic was Weak

• The new government set up in Germany in 1919 was
  the Weimar Republic. This government had
  weaknesses-- millions of Germans viewed the
  Weimar government as traitors because it signed
  the treaty of Versailles.
• Germany during the war simply printed more money
  to pay for the war-- therefore the money began to
  collapse after Germany's defeat in 1918-- super
  inflation. Most Germans simply blamed the Weimar
  Government for Germany's problems even though the
  war really caused them.

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Technology Changes

• 1920s Radio Mania swept the U.S.. By 1925
  Families could buy one for 25. (Later radio can
  be used for political support/propaganda).
• Einstein- Gave new ideas on Space, Time, energy
  and matter. The theory of relativity is the
  relative motion EMC2. This theory contributes to
  the Atomic Bomb at the end of the war.
• Air Travel Begins- Most of the world's major
  passenger airlines were established during the
  1930s though it was still limited to the rich.

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The World Economy had Weaknesses

• Overproduction and under consumption- Business
  produced too much and consumers bought too
  little. Store owners could not sell all they had,
  they cut back ordering, factories began to lay
  off.
• Plight of the Farmers- Farming became more like
  industry and thus farmers became more dependent
  on the market prices. Farmers also faced
  competition from abroad. So a world wide surplus
  of agricultural products brought profits down.
  Many farmers could not sell crops for profit and
  could not pay off loans. these bad debts weakened
  banks.
• Speculations in Stocks- The stock market crashed-
  Stock holders lost 74 billion between 1929 and
  1932. the crash swept away fortunes among the
  upper class- so consumer spending dropped.
  Americans got a sense of doubt and fear.

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Depression Spreads world wide

• After the American crash US investors began to
  call back their loans to cope with the crises at
  home. Because of war debts, and dependence on
  American loans, Germany and Austria were
  particularly hit hard. A large Austrian bank
  failed and started financial panic in central
  Europe. This started a downward spiral in the
  economy world wide. Between 1929-1932 world
  manufacturing fell by 38 and international trade
  dropped by 65. Unemployment rates skyrocketed.
  The world depression confronted democracies with
  a serious challenge to their economic and
  political systems!

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Each country tired to deal with these problems in
their own way.......