4. To what extent Germany can be held responsible for causing the world wars. Discuss Critically.
One famous quote in psychology reads, “Human behavior is controlled by factor beyond their control.” The same can be said about the behavior of nation states as well. Both the World Wars (WWs) were the result of numerous interlinked factors.
WWI (War to end all Wars) was mainly caused by,
- Web of military alliances.
- Militarism
- Nationalism
- Imperialism
- Arms race
Europe was tangled in a web of mutual defense alliances. Triple entente and triple alliance formed the major blocks during WWI. This system of defense alliance led to a domino effect with each nation being obliged to defend the other. Not only Germany, many European nations had increased military strength and indulged on arms race.
Imperialism was one of the main reasons for WWI. The colonial idea of control over territory led to new entrant Germany seeking resources for itself. The nations fought in WWI mainly to safeguard these colonies and acquire new ones.
Nationalism which preached pride, big power status, and global dominance had a detrimental impact on the national psyche. The outbreak of WWI was greeted by cheering crowds in Baskin, Vienna and Paris.
Similarly, WW II was mainly caused by,
- Treaty of Versailles
- Failure of appeasement policies
- Hitter’s policies
- Failure of League of nation
- Fear of the Red scare (Communism)
- Expansionism
- Militarism
- Racism
The Treaty of Versailles hurt the national pride of Germans. Was guilt clause, reparations, disarmament and territorial breakup left Germany humiliated and sowed the seeds for WW II. Hitler along with nationalism emphasized on these insults to mobilize support for him.
The unfair nature of Versailles treaty led to appeasement policies by Britain and France emboldening Hitler.
Expansionist policies of Italy, Japan too were instrumental in WW II. Militarism of these nations too played a critical role.
Thus, Germany despite having preponderant role in the World Wars cannot be held solely responsible for causing the world wars. Germany can be held responsible only to a certain limited extend. Many other factors and prevailing socio, political and economic circumstances of those times played a major role. The role of other actors including Britain, Russia, USA and League of Nations can by no means be discounted. They cannot be absolved.
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