This weapon, along with barbed wire and mines, made movement across open land both difficult and dangerous. World War I popularized the use of the machine gun-capable of bringing down row after row of soldiers from a distance on the battlefield. Infantry warfare had depended upon hand-to-hand combat. 'Huge siege guns of the Central Powers used in the smashing of forts.' War of the Nations, 110. Although considered a father of science fiction, Wells was observing something all too real-technology had changed the face of combat in World War I and ultimately accounted for an unprecedented loss of human life. Wells, 'Civilization at the Breaking Point,' New York Times, May 27, 1915, 2). Wells lamented the fate of humanity at the hands of 'man's increasing power of destruction' (H. World War I was less than one year old when British writer H. Your browser does not support the audio element.Listen to this page Military Technology in World War I Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.Take a ten question quiz about this page. Japan had taken over Korea, Manchuria, and a significant part of China before World War 2 began.The Czechoslovakians called the agreement the 'Munich Betrayal.' As part of their appeasement policy, Britain and France agreed to let Hitler have part of Czechoslovakia in the Munich Agreement.They were not members of the League of Nations. Prior to World War 2, the United States attempted to stay out of world issues with a policy of isolationism.Because of the Great Depression, many countries were experiencing strong fascist and communist movements including France and Great Britain prior to the war.Interesting Facts about the Causes of World War 2 This created unstable governments and worldwide turmoil that helped lead to World War II. Many people were out of work and struggling to survive. The period before World War II was a time of great economic suffering throughout the world called the Great Depression. It also gave him time to build up his army. Unfortunately, the policy of appeasement backfired. They hoped that by meeting his demands he would be satisfied and there wouldn't be any war. When countries such as Italy and Germany became aggressive and began to take over their neighbors and build up their armies, countries such as Britain and France hoped to keep peace through 'appeasement.' This meant that they tried to make Germany and Hitler happy rather than try to stop him. When the League of Nations did nothing to stop him, Hitler became bolder and took over Czechoslovakia in 1939.ДЄfter World War 1, the nations of Europe were weary and did not want another war. Then Hitler looked to restore Germany to power by expanding his empire. He allied Germany with Mussolini and Italy. While talking about peace, Hitler began to rearm Germany. Hitler resented the restrictions put on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. In 1934, Hitler was proclaimed the 'Fuhrer' (leader) and became dictator of Germany. The Germans were desperate for someone to turn around their economy and restore their national pride. In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power. Another Fascist government was Spain ruled by the dictator Franco. Adolf Hitler would later emulate Mussolini in his takeover of Germany. Italy invaded and took over Ethiopia in 1935. The first fascist government was Italy which was ruled by the dictator Mussolini. These dictators wanted to expand their empires and were looking for new lands to conquer. With the economic turmoil left behind by World War 1, some countries were taken over by dictators who formed powerful fascist governments. They invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937.

Japan began to look to grow their empire in order to gain new resources. However, as an island nation they did not have the land or the natural resources to sustain their growth. In the period before World War II, Japan was growing rapidly. People were starving and the government was in chaos. The problem with the treaty is that it left the German economy in ruins. The treaty required that Germany pay a huge sum of money called reparations. Germany was forced to 'accept the responsibility' of the war damages suffered by the Allies. Because Germany had lost the war, the treaty was very harsh against Germany. The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers. Below are some of the main causes of World War 2. In many ways, World War 2 was a direct result of the turmoil left behind by World War 1. There were many events throughout the world that led to the beginning of World War 2. Go here to watch a video about the Causes of World War II.

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