1. The Treaty of Versailles: The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, were widely resented in Germany and contributed to a sense of national humiliation. This resentment was exploited by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, who used it to gain power in Germany and eventually start World War II.
2. The Great Depression: The global economic crisis of the 1930s had a devastating impact on Germany, leading to widespread unemployment and poverty. This economic instability created fertile ground for the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, who promised to restore Germany's economic and political power.
3. The failure of the League of Nations: The League of Nations was an international organization established after World War I to prevent future wars. However, the League was weakened by the United States' refusal to join, and it was unable to effectively address the growing threats to peace in the 1930s.
4. The appeasement of Hitler: In an attempt to avoid war, Western powers such as Britain and France pursued a policy of appeasement, which involved making concessions to Hitler in the hopes of satisfying his demands. However, this policy only emboldened Hitler and made him more aggressive.
5. The Munich Agreement: In 1938, Britain and France agreed to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia that was predominantly German-speaking. This agreement was widely seen as a major defeat for the Western powers, and it further emboldened Hitler and the Nazis.
6. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: In 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This pact allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention, and it effectively gave Hitler the green light to start World War II.
7. The failure of intelligence: In the lead-up to World War II, the Western powers had extensive intelligence on Hitler's plans, but they failed to properly assess the threat that he posed. This failure of intelligence allowed Hitler to take the Western powers by surprise, and it contributed to the outbreak of war.
Preventing World War II from starting would have required a combination of factors, including addressing the grievances of Germany after World War I, preventing the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, strengthening the League of Nations, and resisting the temptation to appease Hitler. However, it is important to remember that there is no guarantee that any of these measures would have been successful.