One of these indirect causes was the shortcomings of the Treaty of Versailles. The mistakes made at Versailles were an important factor that contributed to the start of World War 2. Germans were humiliated and felt that the treaty was unjust The downfall of the German economy was mainly caused by the rules written in the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had also not been consulted about the treaty and was treated unfairly by the Allies.

Another indirect cause was the fact that Germany lost all her colonies. German speaking territories such as Sudetenland and the Polish Corridor were given to other countries. Alsace - Lorraine was given to France and the Saar was placed under international control.

Thanks to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was to be totally disarmed. The Allies also promised to disarm, but they eventually decided not to. To assure her safety, France made a pact with Germany in 1925, which said that they would NOT cross the Rhine border. France also made military pacts with Poland

When new states were created after the 1st World War, their governments all lacked in experience, although they were democratic. When strong leaders with definite policies came along, they were very popular with the people. They were called dictators. Hitler and Mussolini were examples.

Hitler had conquered Poland within 35 days. Russia occupied a large part of Poland. For 6 months, there was no fighting. The USA called this the Phoney War. Hitler occupied Denmark and Norway. He then launched a blitzkrieg on France, Belgium and the Netherlands. By June 1940, Germany had conquered the whole of Europe. Hitler then decided to invade Britain by first destroying the British air force, this was called the Battle of Britain. The battle was postponed due to the fact that Germany could not gain the upper hand.

Jewish Refugees leaving Germany (Microsoftc Encartac 98 Encyclopedia. c)

Hitler eventually took the Saar back and started remilitarization of Germany. Hitler then remilitarized the Rhineland and built the Siegfried line to oppose the French Maginot line. Hitler forced Austria into uniting with Germany and managed to take back the Sudetenland. Hitler took back Danzig and then attacked Poland on the 1st of September 1939.

As you can see, Hitler had now totally disobeyed almost every aspect of the Treaty of Versailles.

The result of the German Blitzkrieg on Poland

Another factor that made Germany angry was the fact that she had to pay for the full cost of the 1st World War. These reparation payments had a bad effect on the German economy. Germany was almost bankrupt and was behind in her payments.

In 1920 Adolf Hitler founded the National socialist party (Nazi Party) in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. The party was very small and not well known. Hitler's first attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government was not successful. In 1923, France occupied the Ruhr causing a political crisis. Hitler led a demonstration (which was later called the Beer Hall Putsch) but was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in jail.

, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania. France also built a line of fortifications along her border with Germa

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Approximate Word count = 1446
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)